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Concert Wed Jan 30 2008
Liars: Meandering On A Rift
You can't expect a liar to ever keep their story straight, and it seems you can't rely on Liars to deliver two similar albums in a row. Initially embraced as one of NYC's pioneering dance-punk revivalists with the release of their debut LP back in 2001, Liars turned around and released the David Sitek-produced sophomore album They Were Wrong, So We Drowned--a difficult concept album that sent critics and trend-jumping fans scurrying for the exits. Alienating listeners with the odd indulgent effort is one thing, but turning it into a perpetual career move quite another. In that respect, Liars haven't made things easy for anyone, let alone for themselves.
But with the miasmic storybook surrealism of 2005's Drum's Not Dead and last year's self-titled LP, Liars have been gradually tunneling their way back toward melodies, hooks, and other conventional rock pro formas; albeit by way of delving into the most primitive depths of 60s psych-garage. If anything, one gets the feeling that the band are as fascinated with raw sonic coloring--the mood that a certain degree of distortion or cavernous reverb or lingering timbres can bring to a song--as they are with the humdrum nuts and bolts of songs themselves. Be that as it may, from the mangled biker-rock riffage of "Plaster Casts Of Everything" to the languorous drift of "Sailing To Byzantium," Liars featured some of the band's strongest material to date. And live, their shows are often a dizzying mix of chaos, charisma, and sheer musical ferocity.
Liars play Metro next Tuesday night, February 5. Recent Sub Pop-signees and band-to-watch No Age are set to open the show. Doors open at 7pm, the show starts at 8pm. 3730 N. Clark St. Tickets are $16.
[video]: Liars - "Plaster Casts Of Everything"
[video]: Liars - short doc on making of s/t LP
