The Liars - classic or dud

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not they've been around long, BUT!

to help settle any disagreements i may be having elsewhere...

The Liars. darlings of the brooklyn scene. yr opninions, please.

(NB: i love them)

― Robert James Fawcett (Robert Fawcett), Monday, 4 November 2002 13:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I love these boys. With the exception of maybe the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, they blow all the other NYC post-punk bands out of the water. A crazy mix of Captain Beefheart, the Pop Group, Gang of Four, the Minutemen added with pure rock n' roll energy. Total chaos. They have a new EP coming out next week called "Growing Fins to Make Us more Fish-like" Can't wait to hear that.

― Jeff K (jeff k), Monday, 4 November 2002 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

They have potential, but aren't quite there yet, at least based on the cd. They might be the victim of their own hype, at least if they listen to it. That's my concern.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Monday, 4 November 2002 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

im so sick of new york city.

― g.winogrand (g.winogrand), Monday, 4 November 2002 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I've been far more impressed by !!! and Out Hud. I've also heard that Liars aren't nearly as amazing live as they ought to be. My cents, all 2 of them.

― Aaron W, Monday, 4 November 2002 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I think they're even more amazing live than on record (and the record's great) -- I like the mixture of icy detachment and manic spasticness, the tension and release. And you've got to see Angus to believe him. He's one of the more, er, unusual-looking lead singers. The music itself: tightly wound, hypnotic, sinister, scary, and hilarious.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 4 November 2002 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

And you've got to see Angus to believe him. He's one of the more, er, unusual-looking lead singers.

God, I hate how Rolling Stone-ish these sentences sound. Sorry.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 4 November 2002 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I really wanted to like them, really really...how could I not like a band with such great album and song titles? But I just found it far too jarring to listen to for any extended period. Then again, someone elsethread suggested that I'm really old, so maybe that's it.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

aw...Sean you're old but its the inside that counts. and you have a rock n' roll heart. Don't let 'them' get to ya!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I feel the cold deep down in my bones.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes! The Liars!

Most everything to say about has been said already. I'm not hearing the Pop Group so much as Gang Of Four...but thats just my take. I hear some Wire in these boys and that can't be a bad thing.

The thing about the Liars is that punk tends to get stale after awhile. The Liars channel the best of punk and adds a generous dose of art rock ala Sonic Youth. Who cares what scene their from? Or what hype they get/got? If a group got a lot of press but made a good record, does that mean they I'm supposed to hold them to some arbitrary standard hype? That is ridiculous. Granted they aren't reinventing the wheel but they made a damn fine record.

And from what I heard, the Liars are blowing away every band they step on stage with...

― Juan, Monday, 4 November 2002 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyone catch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Liars/Prosaics tour? The Prosaics are amazing.

I like the Liars album, but not the live show. We already have a Gibby Haynes, Angus! Be yrself!

― Yancey (ystrickler), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not hearing the Pop Group so much as Gang Of Four

...and the Fall, and maybe the Birthday Party. The sound is funnier than Gang of Four.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: the hype. I don't mean the hype is bad in and of itself. I'm more worried that the Liars will believe the hype, and think they are already the greatest band ever, and not do anything to try and get better. This worries me, because as mentioned above, I think they have more potential than ability right now, and I think they will be really good, and may possibly develop a more unique style, in the future if they keep growing.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Their split EP with Oneida should be interesting. The two bands covering each other's songs... It'll be out on Arena Rock shortly.

― Yancey (ystrickler), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I saw the Liars with the YYYs and Oneida in a vacant lot on Wythe St. and I liked them the best. Their singer had on a bright orange t-shirt and a stupid hat, he was very entertaining! The bass player needs to step it up though or just fade into the background, he's sort of caught inbetween being a total spazz and not, or something. I think he was good though, it was hard to tell. I didn't really pay attention to all the different instruments so much with them, it was enough to see the singer sort of ping pong off the lurchy rhythms and stuff. At one point he sings "I'll be your drug phase" *guitar squeal* "I'll be your sex-without-love phase" * chadda boonk scree* "Your shoot cops on sight phase!" and somebody right next to him goes "whoo! YEAH!" and he looks over like "wha?" like he couldn't believe THAT was the applause line. I think he intended it differently.

(Yancey, Oneida played too that day and I thought they couldn't have been more sludgy and unremarkable if they'd tried. they seemed lost in the haze. the sound system was atrocious but the Liars overcame it even when the mics were going out)

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Oneida are hit and miss. Ultimately I like them more as people than I do as musicians. Anthem on the Moon and Each One Teach One both have great moments and they can be good live, but they aren't among my favorite bands. Basically I interviewed them for Pulse, the Tower mag, a couple of months ago and Kid Millions and I have become quasi-friends since. When I interviewed them it was a blast. Basically several hours of drunkenly making jokes. I was kind of mean to them about some of their stuff, but they were very good humored about it. And the piece that I wrote, which will run in December, pokes fun at them, referring to Fat Bobby's small dick, for example. Also, in the interview they wanted to say something mean about the Liars as a joke (the two bands are good friends), and at one point Bobby yells, "The Liars are the Spin Doctors of New York!" And I included that, noting that the Spin Doctors themselves are from New York. Good fun.

― Yancey (ystrickler), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm more worried that the Liars will believe the hype, and think they are already the greatest band ever.

Great point. It's already apparantly happened to the YYY's.

I saw the Liars with the YYYs and Oneida in a vacant lot on Wythe St. and I liked them the best.

You should've walked up the street and saw !!! and Les Savy Fav at another empty lot up the street on the same day.

***HIPSTERISM QUOTIENT EXCEEDED. USER HAS BEEN LOGGED OUT***

― Aaron W, Monday, 4 November 2002 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

God that sounded smarmy. Didn't mean it to. Sorry.

― Yancey (ystrickler), Monday, 4 November 2002 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Bad timing on my part Yancey... I exceeded my hipsterism quotient while you were writing my post. I always like when people write personal stories about bands and was just making fun of myself. I'm afraid we both suffer from the same hipsterism guilt, which sometimes manifests itself into...

***GUILT APPEASEMENT QUOTIENT EXCEEDED. USER HAS BEEN LOGGED OUT***

― Aaron W, Monday, 4 November 2002 21:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Ugh, change "my post" to "your post"...

― Aaron W, Monday, 4 November 2002 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

>>I saw the Liars with the YYYs and Oneida in a vacant lot on Wythe >>St. and I liked them the best.
>
>You should've walked up the street and saw !!! and Les Savy Fav at >another empty lot up the street on the same day.

Was this the same day that Forcefield and Lightning Bolt played too? What a horrible weekend for me to be broke and unable to afford the gas to get to Brooklyn.

For the record, I think the Liars are pretty neat. When I saw them live I liked their newer songs better--more noisier and guitar focussed. I haven't heard the new EP nor the one forthcoming, though, so we'll see what I think once I get around to picking them up. The album's alright, but if I owned it I don't think I'd listen to it much. My girlfriend has it and so sometimes she puts it on at her place, and that's about the right dosage of them for me.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 4 November 2002 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Was this the same day that Forcefield and Lightning Bolt played too? What a horrible weekend for me to be broke and unable to afford the gas to get to Brooklyn.

I'll risk getting logged out again. My cousin put together the Lightening Bolt et al show... What a great weekend to happen to be in town.

I haven't said anything constructive about the Liars in this thread at all. I'll put it this way: I do like They Threw Us In... a lot (except for those 30 minutes of looped noise at the end), but as a band my expectations are guarded and low (along the lines of what Nick said above) with the hopes that they completely surprise me and exceed their potential. I really wish I would've seen them when they played Detroit a few weeks back but I was completely exhausted. Maybe I'd be raving about them instead.

― Aaron W, Monday, 4 November 2002 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

"This Dust Makes That Mud" is a greatsong.

― A Nairn (moretap), Monday, 4 November 2002 22:01 (twenty-two years ago)

No it's not. But Mr Yr On Fire Mr is.

― Yancey (ystrickler), Monday, 4 November 2002 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought they were absolutely terrible when I saw them, but I like all their influences so I may consider giving the album a shot.

(I think the YYYs are better than Sonic Youth ever were: justification on its way...)

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 4 November 2002 23:49 (twenty-two years ago)

six months pass...

Ummm, what is this I hear about Pat and Ron (bass and drums) leaving? And being replaced by a new Liar called Julian? Were those two men not absolutely integral to the Liars' sound?

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 13:16 (twenty-two years ago)

If true, that pretty much sucks. Maybe they just want to be like Gang of Four in EVERY single way possible?

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Friday, 9 May 2003 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Boo!

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 13:27 (twenty-two years ago)

The bassist got the boot; hadn't heard about their drummer... Just close Angus!!!

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh. As usual my comment was supposed to be more funny than snide, not more snide than funny but they never come out that way.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

"the boot"? Their website suggests it was amicable, though there was a fair age difference between Aaron/Angus and Pat/Ron, not that it should matter. The bass playing is/was amazing, tho'.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Then again, spot the old guy

http://citypaper.net/articles/2002-09-05/music3-1.jpg

Ageist

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Ron and Pat are indeed no longer in the band, but I'm not sure who else is recording/playing with Angus and Aaron. I know that the band is very much intending to avoid repeating themselves musically -- I believe that the three songs on "Atheists, Reconsider" were recorded by Aaron and Angus on their own, but I have no idea what the new album will sound like.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

If they were smart, A&A should sign up the rhythm section from the Prosaics. (and the two bands are good friends!)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

This picture was taken moments after he was sacked on account of baldness...

OK, not really.

If that really is the reason they were booted, may I (as someone who is sitting beneath a huge "they threw us all in a trench..." poster as he writes) say that it could be a huge mistake? Time will tell.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Yanc3y, are the Prosaics no more?

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

prosaics alive and well and recording in connecticut.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah, right, with Peter Katis, right? Hi Lauren.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

regarding liars personnel changes: julian, an old friend of aaron's, has taken over on drums, and last i heard one of the members of young people was playing with them as well.

(hi, rthacher!)

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

As ever, lauren, you prove yourself a reliable and untouchable source of information.

http://www.thebeehive.org/search/images/ask-jeeves-header.gif

For a fee, will you page me with news and updates?

Actually, scratch that, I don't have a pager.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i wasn't implying that the prosaics were done, just that bill & joshua play really really well together

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

help me, nordicskillz! i'm turning into the indie louella parsons.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

is the recording self-financed, lauren? (i.e. are they sticking with their plan to self-release an ep and then finally sign with someone? i haven't talked to joshua in ages...)

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

"Well, I was at the launch party for [x] on ArenaRock, and who should I see courting, but..."
http://www.themediadrome.com/Images/movies/louella_parsons.gif

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

are any liars in oneida? did they collaborate on a record or just do the one ep covering each other songs?

― s-laughter, Friday, 9 May 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

that's still the plan as far as i know, yanc3y.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:41 (twenty-two years ago)

are any liars in oneida? did they collaborate on a record or just do the one ep covering each other songs?

The latter.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Liars-Oneida just did that one EP. Arena Rock's supposedly considering making a series of records like that.

― Yanc3y (ystrickler), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

No Liars in Oneida. Or vice versa.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Friday, 9 May 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 82 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

yeah, she does. she and nick were fairly good friends with flux, and there was a good community of ppl at that time who would always turn up at each other's shows.

― lauren (laurenp), Sunday, 12 September 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

Classic.

― sleep (sleep), Monday, 25 April 2005 02:01 (twenty years ago)

total fucking classic

― georges von pilt (monsieur wizard), Monday, 25 April 2005 04:49 (twenty years ago)

classico!

― jmeister (jmeister), Monday, 25 April 2005 04:53 (twenty years ago)

eight months pass...

Classic. What's the new album like? Anyone heard it?

― Cracks (Crackity), Friday, 13 January 2006 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

It's good.

― adamrl (nordicskilla), Friday, 13 January 2006 22:57 (nineteen years ago)

EXTRA, EXTRA. READ ALL ABOUT IT

The Liars - Drum's Not Dead (2006)

― jaxon (jaxon), Friday, 13 January 2006 22:59 (nineteen years ago)

Oh. Right. Thanks.

― Cracks (Crackity), Friday, 13 January 2006 23:09 (nineteen years ago)

Undeniably classic.

― cdwill, Saturday, 14 January 2006 20:07 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

7 new tracks on their myspace. sounds like rough mixes/demos but either way makes for an interesting listen.

http://www.myspace.com/liarsliarsliars

― oscar, Sunday, 9 March 2008 05:14 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

Whats up with these guys? Anyone know? Their website now links to a screeprint design company and their MySpace doesn't appear to have been updated in over a year.

― the sideburns are album-specific (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 17 July 2009 21:53 (sixteen years ago)

Just a guess but probably laying low and writing something new and amazing that one of us is ready for yet?

― Nate Carson, Saturday, 18 July 2009 04:16 (sixteen years ago)

none, not one, haha.

― Nate Carson, Saturday, 18 July 2009 04:16 (sixteen years ago)

i think they're out of ideas.

i have no evidence to confirm this. besides their previous album.

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Saturday, 18 July 2009 05:55 (sixteen years ago)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA karl...arlk...rlka...lkar...
♥

― Turangalila, Saturday, 18 July 2009 06:51 (sixteen years ago)

yeah, that's pretty solid evidence. but hopefully this break indicates something new (though hadn't they recorded drum's not dead forever ago anyway?)

― Fetchboy, Saturday, 18 July 2009 11:51 (sixteen years ago)

four months pass...

/gasp, track from new album: http://www.thesisterworld.com/

i can't listen right now b/c i'm at the library, but someone report back to me and i'll trust your opinion completely

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Tuesday, 8 December 2009 23:26 (fifteen years ago)

its good

― adorable cheese inscription (a hoy hoy), Tuesday, 8 December 2009 23:29 (fifteen years ago)

v. good

― Noodle. Tool. 2. Kool (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 8 December 2009 23:34 (fifteen years ago)

wow, this is awesome

― eight woofers in the trunk sb'n down the block (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 8 December 2009 23:37 (fifteen years ago)

Dark gospel, heavy on the spiritual introspective side one minute and the next...
you are treading in some post-human labyrinth where the walls are made of satanic eyes and snakes writhing on cracked glass...

― oscar, Tuesday, 8 December 2009 23:37 (fifteen years ago)

great track

― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 8 December 2009 23:56 (fifteen years ago)

uhhh getting a server error when i click on the download link and i really want to heard this!

― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 9 December 2009 00:54 (fifteen years ago)

don't like it

― too shart (am0n), Wednesday, 9 December 2009 00:56 (fifteen years ago)

that's pretty surprisingly good... only ever been underwhelmed by these guys in the past. I may have written them off in error.

― m the g, Wednesday, 9 December 2009 01:11 (fifteen years ago)

still can't listen to it but now i'm excited :D

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Wednesday, 9 December 2009 02:04 (fifteen years ago)

post-human labyrinth where the walls are made of satanic eyes and snakes writhing on cracked glass

what i'd hoped for from the last album^

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Wednesday, 9 December 2009 02:05 (fifteen years ago)

wasn't really into it. i keep hoping they'll do more repetitive weird-dark-groovy stuff, ala They Were Wrong and Drum's Not Dead.

― karl...arlk...rlka...lkar..., Saturday, 12 December 2009 16:47 (fifteen years ago)

Stoked for new album.

Just reminiscing how they were wrong, so we drowned is totally the shit. hold hands and it will happen anyway !!!!!!!

― wilter, Saturday, 26 December 2009 05:11 (fifteen years ago)

Couple more tracks on here:
http://thedecibeltolls.com/liars-sisterworld/

― We should have called Suzie and Bobby (NickB), Saturday, 26 December 2009 10:12 (fifteen years ago)

two months pass...

no talk about the new album Sisterword. it came out this week but have yet to hear it, am i missing anything ILM?

― Bee OK, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:02 (fifteen years ago)

oh it's Sisterworld and comes with a bonus CD.

― Bee OK, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:04 (fifteen years ago)

there's a thread called new liars al bum or something like that

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:04 (fifteen years ago)

discussion on there

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:04 (fifteen years ago)

oh will check that out and then see if i should seek this out.

― Bee OK, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:04 (fifteen years ago)

if you like liars you should. if you don't it won't change yr mind

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:05 (fifteen years ago)

i own Drum's Not Dead and loved it, but haven't heard anything else by them.

― Bee OK, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:07 (fifteen years ago)

ok...sisterworld isn't really "the same" but you'll probably find value in it

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:10 (fifteen years ago)

got this in the mail, today.
listened to it 5 times in a row. something about it just makes me happy.

― Creeztophair, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:14 (fifteen years ago)

is this better than their last record?

― ksh, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:19 (fifteen years ago)

ummm to soon to tell for me but i stan hard for that record; i think most people missed the "point" of it

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:21 (fifteen years ago)

i will stan for "Pure Unevil" & "Protection," but that's about it . . .

― ksh, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:22 (fifteen years ago)

see i can't imagine digging pure unevil and not digging the rest of it--granted it's probably the best song on there but the whole thing of burying melody in cheap-ass postpunk....that is like the point of the record

― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:24 (fifteen years ago)

i wasn't in the mood for new Liars when the last one came out, so i never heard it. now seems like a good time and could go back instead of forward. if the new one is good then i would like new music.

― Bee OK, Saturday, 13 March 2010 05:26 (fifteen years ago)

see i can't imagine digging pure unevil and not digging the rest of it--granted it's probably the best song on there but the whole thing of burying melody in cheap-ass postpunk....that is like the point of the record
― call all destroyer

i don't think i've touched the record since i bought it in 2007, but that was the thing . . . i felt like all of the other songs were *much* weaker than "Pure Unevil." again, haven't heard it in forever, but "Plaster Casts" just left me cold.

― ksh, Saturday, 13 March 2010 16:55 (fifteen years ago)

saw them tour the record though, and they put on a good show!

― ksh, Saturday, 13 March 2010 16:55 (fifteen years ago)

"Scarecrows on a Killer Slant" from Sisterworld sounds GREAT when blasted as loudly as possible, it's one of my fav Liars songs. "Proud Evolution" is another great one. I haven't had much time to give to the remix companion yet.

― I feel absolute embarrasment and humiliation within the msgbrd context (Z S), Saturday, 13 March 2010 16:59 (fifteen years ago)

^OTM. Except I love the rest of the album as well but those are the two stand out tracks.

Some of the remixes are predictably rubbish apart from Pink Dollaz, Thom Yorke, Melvins and Deerhunter.

― Doran, Saturday, 13 March 2010 17:03 (fifteen years ago)

seven months pass...

Angus has done us a predictably unhinged but enjoyable mix.

― Carl Jung Jeezy (Doran), Wednesday, 3 November 2010 12:42 (fourteen years ago)

really good,too early to label them as classic

― nakamura, Friday, 5 November 2010 02:26 (fourteen years ago)

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