Liars’ fourth full-length and self-titled release is a tough album to pigeonhole. The Liars are known as a dance-punk band, because their first album sounded a very reminiscent of this sound. Liars may have been described as dance-punk, but there’s so much more experimentation going on in this newest album. There is one notable synthesizer part on ‘Sailing To Byzantium’ which is most certainly progressive. ‘Sailing To Byzantium’ also has, hold on to your hats, a good drum solo. It’s short and it’s jazzy. The drum work, done by Julian Gross, is superbly simple. There are times when the effects put on the drums become a bit tiresome, but they do help create an interesting texture with the fuzzy guitars. The vocals play an essential role in the soundscape Liars attempt to create. They are droning and monotonous. This dullness can become tedious, but it is shaken halfway through the album on the track ‘Cycle Time.’ Singer Angus Andrew shows his upper register during the first half and shows melodic prowess in the middle register during the second half. The band’s more experimental side comes out on the third track, ‘Leather Prowler.’ The drums are doctored with various effects, and the track as a whole is a strange one. Twangy guitars pluck disjointed melodies over a piano, a very distorted bass, and spacey, monotone singing, create a very haunting mood. Liars’ Liars is a very interesting work, although it lacks energy and variation during certain points. This album is Definitely worth a listen.
