Liars seem to have made it a point to avoid being pigeonholed with any genre or scene. Once grouped with dancepunk outfits, Liars have become a more experimental, rhythm-driven band. Liars' early work draws from both the post-punk and no wave well, embracing heavy drums, sludge and noise.
The darker, no wave influence became more prominent on the last album, They Were Wrong So We Drowned, producing a sometimes brilliant, sometimes off-putting set of songs that tried not to meet anyone's expectations.
Their new album Drum's Not Dead strips away the excess of any label and gets to the core of music: the drum. Liars added a second drum kit and consulted special drum engineers in their studio space in Berlin to maximize the different sounds of the instrument. The recording studio was an old East German radio station that had different sound booths designated for recording different sound effects used for radio dramas. The band recorded multiple versions of the same song in different booths and decided which matched the vibe of each track.
The reliance on instincts and these recording techniques produce a cohesive album that successfully carries ambitious themes. The title Drum's Not Dead actually refers to one of the two personalities of the band. Drum\ embodies the free artistic spirit, while ""Mt. Heart Attack"" embodies self-doubt. These two opposite forces pull the band in separate directions. Instead of keeping these two elements separate, the album leads up to splitting the difference. The closer ""The other side of Mt. Heart Attack"" is soft piano ballad that brings out the vulnerable side of unfettered creativity. Lead singer Angus Andrews' improved falsetto blends perfectly with the backing echoes and gentle ringing to create an astonishing track unlike anything Liars have attempted.
But before Drum's Not Dead reaches this conclusion, the two personalities are at odds through opposing sequences of songs. The first three songs compose the strongest section, introducing the album's basic elements: heavy tribal drumming, falsetto, droning guitar tones and various unidentifiable layered noises that represent one direction Liars take on this album.
Andrews' voice also takes on a creepy chant-like delivery on other tracks, which shifts the mood of the tracks by tweaking with the same elements. ""Drum and Uncomfortable Can's"" drums turn ominous and the guitar feedback frightens as the chanting discusses the steps of getting rid of a dead body. The track highlights the excellent production by flipping similar sounds found elsewhere on the album to create an entirely different tone.
Still, Liars' music may not be suitable for all listeners. In fact, listening to Drum on a cold rainy night will probably scare the shit out of you. But taken as an experimental rock album, it is among the best in recent memory. If you are brave enough to stay in Liars' world long enough, the boundaries of guitar-orientated rock music disappear, which can sometimes be a scary and exhilarating sensation.
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