Album Review: Liars - WIXIW

Liars
WIXIW
Rating: Grrrr

You never know what you are going to get with a new Liars album. Each release is a reinvention, moving from the dance-punk of their debut They Threw Us All In A Trench And Built A Monument On Top, the avant-garde treatise on witches They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, epic masterpiece of minimalism and drone Drum's Not Dead, deceptively simple guitar rock of Liars, to the insanely claustrophobic comment on LA Sisterworld. With their latest album WIXIW (pronounced "wish you"), the focus is not on anything specifically thematic, instead choosing to rely primarily on electronics, immersing the songs in waves upon waves of synths and clattering drum machines and percussion. Although the music in a way is their most accessible, it is still first and foremost a Liars record, so there is a subtle undercurrent of dread and menace seeping in and out through its run time.

Oddly enough, the first word that comes to mind with the record is "beautiful." Liars have always been a raucous band, infusing their tracks and live shows with plenty of harsh elements, and WIXIW is a step away from that, allowing the music to wash over you, sometimes gently, sometimes with a little more fervor, but always with pristine control. Lead track "The Exact Colour Of Doubt," with its gorgeous refrain of "I'll always be your friend/I'll never let you down," is awash in glistening synths, piano echoes, subtle strings, and a soft vocal from leader Angus Andrew.



First single "No. 1 Against The Rush" is the Liars most accessible single ever. A simple drum pattern emerges under ping-ponging electronic effects and droning synths, locking the track into a motorik groove. Again, Andrews drops his vocal affectations down a couple of notches, showing he actually has a wonderfully evocative voice.



Elsewhere on "Brats," Liars amp up the beats a little more, creating a driving, pulsating track that is sure to get dancefloors pumping with the right remix.



Using Kid A electronic/guitar experimentation as a spring board, Liars use Radiohead's restless curiosity to similar yet more emotive effect. Where Radiohead have tended to get lost and more alienated with each subsequent release, Liars seem to have awakened their inner selves, making their songs sound more human. The lilting, droning guitars of "Annual Moon Words" provide a beautiful framework for a particularly gorgeous vocal from Andrews:



Liars one up Radiohead at their own game on tracks like the menacing "Octagon" and the interesting glitchy vocals, clicks, and synth beds of "His And Mine Sensations:"



But WIXIW is not simply Liars rehashing what Radiohead has done, instead, it is merely the foundation for their own take on experimental electronica. There are plenty of experiments here with form and texture. Title track "WIXIW" is a perfect centerpiece for the record, its 6+ minute run time an amazing run through of several different motifs, all blended perfectly together. Starting off with waves of interlocking synth lines, transitioning to a percussion heavy section with the synths turning over to long drones, before ending with a merging of the first two sections.



"Flood To Flood" adds more guitars to the mix of clanging percussion, perfectly augmenting the chanted vocals.



"A Ring On Every Finger" creates a sludgy environment of sinister electronic burbles, heavily treated vocals, and chugging rhythms.



"III Valley Prodigies" adds a haunted vocal over gently strummed guitars, wood block percussion, and a dense tapestry of bird samples. In fact, throughout WIXIW, Liars, with legendary producer Daniel Miller, reverted to old school sampling methods to come up with more personal, idiosyncratic sounds.



While not a masterpiece like Drum's Not Dead, or restlessly inventive as They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, nor containing any tracks as brilliant as "Protection" or "Houseclouds," WIXIW is still another brilliant album in their canon. Toning down their usual abrasiveness has brought out a much needed emotion side to their music. Andrews especially benefits from scaling his vocals back, creating more tension from not knowing where he is going to go with it. I'm sure this is merely a sidetrip in the long journey that has become following Liars' career. What will they do next? We can only hypothesize, and yet, I am sure whatever it is, it will always be interesting.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.