Liars- Sisterworld

Add Date- March 9
Artist- Liars
Album- Sisterworld
Label- Mute
Genre- beyond words, kids

Liars’ are backkkkkkkk and creepier than ever! The haunting soundscapes of Drum’s Not Dead meet the more straightforward song structures of Liars. Returning to the United States after recording their last album in Berlin, singer Angus Andrews was supposedly inspired by the violence and artificiality of Los Angeles, the apparent “city of angels”. Anyone who’s been there knows that’s a joke. How do we confront the seedy side of LA: Skid Row junkies, the homeless, the bizarre outcasts that all exist despite the glamorous idea of Hollywood? (Drawing inspiration from location is nothing new for Liars; sophomore album They Were Wrong So We Drowned (2004) centers on stories of the Salem witch trials, and while recording 2006’s Drum’s Not Dead in Berlin the band delved into the spirit of old Krautrock and Brian Eno’s residence there in the 1970’s).

Opener “Scissor” begins with mournful crooning over Angus’ inability to help a hurt woman he finds, only to explode noisily when the tension is too much. On “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant”, a typical Liars track, the three-piece hammers the listener with shrieks and walls of stomping noise. “The Overachievers” is a terrifically funny critique of West Coast culture that’s driven by yelps of “L.A! L.A!”. Like all Liars albums, there are softer, atmospheric moments that balance out the noise-rock. I suppose that above all this album is about confronting the reality of the world: gang violence, asshole hipsters, urban decay. Weird, hypnotic, tribal yet always beautiful, this album is a winner.