Liars is one of those bands that are completely darlings of the critics but I have never really been much into them or really been overly impressed the two times I have seen them in concert (both times they were the opening band). There is certainly a lot here that is interesting, intriguing and unique about their sound and their whole ethic, but it really comes down more to that they really have created an album that is more about a mood and a feeling rather than a collection of songs in the traditional sense. Sure there are beginnings and endings here but there is not much structure overall and the songs seem a lot more about conveying a sense than a regular verse/bridge/chorus kind of structure. While it makes for an intriguing, off center album, I’m not sure that it completely sells me on the album as a whole.
The band brings the album to some very scary places and they really try to take you along with them. The album really aims to make you queasy and uneasy and to really feel that sense of dread that comes across in many of the songs. Sisterworld is definitely not a happy place with rainbows and gummy drop smiles at all, it is a scary very intense place. Songs generally run the gamut between brooding and downright uneasy. The album opener, “Scissor”, is a great example of the former, and is really a quite good song. The most notable, and memorable, and totally terror-inducing song on the album has to be “Scarecrows On A Killer Slant”, which has a constant very off center chord progression that just goes and goes and wears you down with some very intense lyrics. It is a kick in the face to be sure, and it skirts that line between being facsinating and being unlistenable/annoying quite well. “Here Comes All The People” similarly introduces a mind-numbingly repetitive jam that is almost hypnotic along with chanting and creepy strings in the background. “No Barrier Fun” is a very cool slow burning off beat jam that is one of my favorites on the album. “I Still Can See An Outside World” is this album’s version of a more uplifting musical kind of number, in that it is totally not uplifting at all and sounds very off. The album closer “Too Much, Too Much” is the least gloomy song on the whole album and sounds almost hopeful after so much despair and gloom throughout the whole rest of the album. It is a moment of levity in an album that has basically no moments of levity.
This album is a tough one to really describe. It really at the heart of it is a concept album about ‘Sisterworld’, and it exists in a very scary and dark world to say the least. Some songs reach more of a scream (“Scarecrows On A Killer Slant”, “The Overachievers”) while some songs are more reflective and subdued, yet still creepy (“No Barrier Fun”, “I Still Can See An Outside World”) and even songs that are repetitive droning dance-rock songs (“Proud Evolution”). The main thing about this album is that it does really exist as a concept album, and there are no singles, there is nothing here that really could be considered a ‘hit’ nor is there some part of the album that you can really separate from the rest of it and pull out. It all exists as one long, creepy, off-center feeling album where each song introduces a new feeling and a new mood to the album, coloring the canvas of this whole world each step of the way, and the final picture you get is a very dark and scary place.
Presumably, part of the appeal and point of the album is to make the listener uneasy, uncomfortable and to make them really sit up and notice what is going on. That part of the album definitely works. There aren’t really any songs I would say are catchy but the album still kind of creeps into the back of your mind and makes you think about it, makes you feel a little off, in the same way that a really spot on horror movie or book may make you feel. It holds you in a similar way, and the album as a whole is really a strong expression of some very dark and intense moods and feelings. That being said, while the album is extremely well done in that regard and it is very strong in its ability to convey what it is trying to convey, it still is a concept album that tries to really disorient the listener, and that makes it a bit of a tough sell. As an album overall it succeeds, but I would definitely 100% say that this is a love/hate album, and there is a good chance that a lot of people out there are not going to latch on to this or really enjoy it at all, and you will also probably be able to tell pretty quickly which side you come down on. It does not really have much widespread appeal I don’t think. That being said, the album is worth checking out just to see this wonderous and scary place that the band has created, their ‘Sisterworld’.
Liars – No Barrier Fun – From Sisterworld (CD, Deluxe CD, Vinyl, MP3, iTunes)
Liars – Scissor – From Sisterworld (CD, Deluxe CD, Vinyl, MP3, iTunes)
