Liars - They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On TopLiars are a New York quarter whose debut album caught the attention of Blast First supremo Paul Smith. "They delivered an astounding live set out of a P.A. the size of my stereo, which had me grinning from ear to ear by song two, and I was fighting with myself to not go right to the front row and stand infront of the singer by song four" he commented after catching them live. It's perhaps not surprising. They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top (shit it's almost a Pop Group songtitle) captures the energy and vitality that made the first wave of Blast First - Sonic Youth, Big Black - so exciting so many years ago. Of course that spark is never going to be achieved again but Liars exude so much energy with scratchy guitar riffing, and punchy bass and drums. It's angular and particularly vocal in an angry and obtuse way. Useful reference points would include Gang of Four, the Strokes and even Wire. It's predominantly a rock record but there is the occasional foray into electronic territory particularly in the use of rhythms and electronic handclaps! The final track lasting a whopping 20 plus minutes even achieves a metronomic beat."Can you hear us?" hollers the vocalist on the opening track. Yes we can and this is a devastatingly great record. For more information go to www.liarsliarsliars.com |