Liars ‘WIXIW’ (Mute)
It’s been ten years since Liars first appeared. At the time, they were bracketed with the likes of The Rapture, !!!, Radio 4, LCD Soundsystem and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as part of a new wave of dance-punk out of New York (in fact, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s ‘Maps’ was written about singer Karen O’s relationship with then boyfriend Angus Andrew of Liars). The reality is that while all these acts have produced some amazing moments, none of the rest of them could keep up with Liars’ ability to reinvent themselves with each release. Not in terms of having characters a la Bowie (or Madonna, at a push), but in terms of the fact that six albums into their career, each release stands on its’ own merits. Distinctively different, distinctively Liars.
On WIXIW (it’s pronounced ‘Wish you,’ in case you were wondering) their sound continues to evolve, without the mistake that some acts make of assuming that evolve mist mean casting off the rough egdes that first make an act interesting, and refining their sound. because they can still experimwnt with harsh sound, make no mistake about it. But they can also have their moments of lushness, and Liars show that the two can coexist on one of their records quite happily.
First single ‘No.1 Against The Rush’ gives a good idea of what to expect (and this has Liars battling with Spiritualzied for X-rated video of the year). But it’s only part of the story. So few bands continue to innovate, experiment and grow with each release. Liars do.
And that’s the, um, truth.
****
WIXIW is released on Mute on June 4.
…and as a bonus: