Liars

What is it about this New York band called Liars? As if song titles such as “Steam Rose From the Lifeless Cloak,” “If You’re a Wizard, Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?” and “They Don’t Want Your Corn They Want Your Kids” are odd enough, wait till you hear the music on their second album, They Were Wrong So We Drowned.

Steering away from the danceable punk of their striking debut LP, Liars takes a left turn and load up on lots and lots of experiment noise. They take full advantage of noise rock to create a number of tracks that are spooky and inconsistent to say the least, but the themes of witchcraft, folklore, and ghostly vibes make this all seem like a bad dream. Add in bells, electro-snips, pulsing snares, hollers, and disjointed musicianship that reeks throughout, and in the end, you've got a lot that all goes nowhere. “There’s always room on the broom” flirts with a tasteful groove, but even its constant groaning sounds just kill the buzz.

The only promise these tunes can deliver is one for the cult lavish, who enjoy their music on the dirty and dark side. It's been said the Liars frenzied live performances are quite the catch on the New York scene, so hopefully that energy is a bit more cohesive than the one preserved on record.