Michael Patrick Brady

My review of Liars’ new self-titled album ran today in PopMatters. I’ve gotten pretty cynical over the past few years when it comes to music, especially indie rock, but Liars is the one band that I can still manage to muster up some genuine excitement about, so much so that I rated this album 10/10 (though the more moderate and sober editors at PopMatters adjusted it to an 8).

Liars is a truly terrific album that manages to blend the more abrasive, experimental art-damaged side the band has cultivated over their last two albums with the tuneful, pop-oriented hooks we all knew they had but abandoned several years ago. I admire their efforts, shunning their initial successes to pursue sounds and ideas that were more interesting to them than some of their early fans. A lot of bands wouldn’t have weathered failing grades from SPIN and Rolling Stone so well (no matter how wrong and irrelevant they may be), but Liars knew what they set out to do and only grew stronger.

Previous Reviews:
Liars – They Were Wrong So We Drowned
Liars – W.F.O.G.W.T.B.O.O.O Single