Pitchfork gives The Liar's new LP a 6.3...

[Futureman]

Deserved?

I'd love your feedback before I drop the cash.

[vesper]

I guess you need to consider what part of the Liars you like the most. The dance-y stabbing or the unpredictability? I fall in the latter camp so I love They Were Wrong So We Drowned. However, I think Eric Carr nailed the album when he said that it is polarizing: one half will be terribly disappointed, one half will be masochistically delighted that Liars don't give a fuck about them, or something like that.

[tinobeat]

I agree, though I haven't heard the album.

I don't know that I'll like it, but I was sort of OK on the discopunk stuff, but thought their weirdness on the Oneida/Liars split was interesting, and I'm curious as to where it'll go.

I guess I'm more interested in getting the new one after reading the review, oddly enough.

[pabost]

that Rolling Stone and Spin gave the new album one star and an F, respectively.

[Paul]

I was never a huge fan of theirs anyway, so I'm not terribly disappointed that the new album sucks. To me, a musical shift this dramatic just reeks of "hey, please don't forget about us already." Sure enough, they're still in the press. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?

[9000]

i saw them perform some of their new stuff last month and found some of it to be really interesting and catchy and some of it borderline monotonous. i prefered seeing them live when they were touring their earlier material.

angus andrews has a great stage presence and reminds me of birthday party-era nick cave. i prefer seeing liars live than listening to their discs.

anyway, i'm going to their show tonight. will let ya'll know about it.

[Futureman]

The fact that those shit-rags RS and Spin gave it such a low rating suggests that the album might actually be good. I think I'll pick it up today.

[Paul]

Look at it this way...the album is so bad that even those "shit-rags" had no choice but to give it the score it deserves.

Keep in mind, a PFM score of 6.x is hardly an emphatic endorsment.

[tinobeat]

I think everyone here is saying that the 6.3 is quite the unendorsement. I think the reviewer was being nice to them and at least giving them integrity in the sucking, but still says the album kinda sucks.

I've no interest at all what RS or Spin give anything.

I'll judge it when I hear it. But its as if people are saying a non-songy experimental album is a cry for attention or inherently bad. Its stupid. don't listen to the album for what it isn't (a disco punk record), but for what it is.

For all I know, it might suck, because its not a good arty noise album, but the fact that its a departure from their old should have no bearing on that..

[johansen smith]

when's the last time Rolling Stone gave anything more than three stars anyways?

[bitterfruit]

Originally posted by Paul
I was never a huge fan of theirs anyway, so I'm not terribly disappointed that the new album sucks. To me, a musical shift this dramatic just reeks of "hey, please don't forget about us already." Sure enough, they're still in the press. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?

I thought the first Liars record was all hype anyway. When I first listened to it I thought it was a joke record or something. But then again, I also think very little of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But then again, why do people keep comparing these guys to Interpol?

[9000]

Originally posted by bitterfruit
why do people keep comparing these guys to Interpol?

i've never heard the comparision, which wouldn't make much sense anyway. i would guess that it's in the context of two bands coming out of nyc with lots of buzz. that's about it.

[johansen smith]

I think that was a Maloze joke, 9000.

[9000]

Originally posted by johansen smith
I think that was a Maloze joke, 9000.

i can't believe i was malozed. <shame>

[bitterfruit]

But payback is a bitch. This is what I get in return after looking for a rare Iron and Wine single...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2598433655&category=307

But he claims that Merge is considering him right now...

[Futureman]

I have nothing against RS and Spin, really. I never even look at them when I pass by the magazine rack. I just wanted to use the term "shit-rag."

By the way, I bought the album.

[Paul]

RS and Spin used to be adult-style music magazines for teenagers. I read them religiously when I was 14 or 15 because that was all I knew.

Kids now have the internet and are probably better off, since RS and Spin are nothing more than advertising.

[earl grey]

it was a glorious day when my parents got me a subscription to RS for my 14th birthday ... each new issue would be a highlight of the week. that and my series of columbia house + BMG memberships got me started, and the rest is history.... the CMJ new music monthly was an old favorite too once i got more into music. i heard a lot of cool stuff for the first time through those CD's.

i still get RS and spin (for free through my job), but neither are particularly interesting. spin seems especially bad these days. david fricke seems to have some decent stuff in RS from time to time though....

[Patrick]

The Liars album even got a bad review in Billboard -- an impressive feat, since the trade mag almost always says good things if they say anything at all.

Patrick

[vesper]

Originally posted by tinobeat
I'll judge it when I hear it. But its as if people are saying a non-songy experimental album is a cry for attention or inherently bad. Its stupid. don't listen to the album for what it isn't (a disco punk record), but for what it is.

My thoughts exactly.

[tinobeat]

*clinks beer mugs with vesper*

[TheSadDebaser]

I liked it when I downloaded it a while back. I gotta get myself out to a proper record store and get myself a copy.

I want that seven inch. Anyone know if they have copies at Other Music?

[Futureman]

By the bye,

How's The Liars split EP with Oneida?

[tinobeat]

Liars/Oneida:

The first track, which is the Liars covering Oneida's awesome "Rose and Licorice" is fucking amazing, better than the original, better than anything the Liars have done on their own...

The rest of it is split between the Oneida originals (fucking awesome) and the Liars originals (harbingers of the mess that their new album is. not "mess" as in "bad" but just not really songy or danceable, more experimental junk). oh, and there's the Oneida cover of a Liars song, which is rendered unrecognizable, long, and drugged the fuck out. pretty cool, but good as the last track, so you don't miss much by stopping early...

[9000]

i don't know, after hearing the new material live last night, i'm looking forward to picking up the disc. based on the number of confused and upset faces leaving the show early, i don't think everyone else felt the same.

also, the YYYs were the "surprise" opener. they played 5-6 promising new songs, one of which rips off of pussy galore's kill yourself riff. regardless, the song rocked.

[george]

Originally posted by tinobeat
I've no interest at all what RS or Spin give anything.


please don't use "i've" in that way.

on the faux matador bulletin board (this was a few years ago) someone asked for band name suggestions and someone suggested "acid i say!" i thought that was so great. to this day, i sign all my checks, recording contracts, and suchlike with "acid i say!", and as a result all my checks and record deals are void and my life is in a shambles. i don't know where to turn. truthfully, i welcome the cold damp embrace of the grave. if anyone comes around asking, tell them that i want to be burried in a head-first, vertical position, arms extended in front of me, like a superman flying into the ground. and tell them to write "here lies the flying dead guy" on my headstone.

[Futureman]

huh?

[Paul]

Originally posted by george
please don't use "i've" in that way.
george, that's a perfectly acceptable use of the contraction for "I have." This ends today's grammar lesson.

[9000]

hilarious. from gawker:

For some reason, we've been cc:ed on a demand for a refund after last night's Liars show.

Hello. I have just returned home from the Liars show at Warsaw in Brooklyn, NY. I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs play and they were pretty good. Somewhat enjoyable is what I might call it. But I am not writing to talk about the YYYs. [...]

Liars. Let me begin by saying I want my $14 back. No, I want $28 dollars because I paid for my girlfriend's ticket. Liars are terrible. They are so awful I was appalled. Did they even play any of the music (besides the drums) that I heard? Why did the tall singer even bother picking up a guitar or a bass? Did he play them? What was that other guy doing? I couldn't tell because his back was to the audience the whole time. As they played along with the pre-recorded music, my emotions ran from bored to annoyed to actually angry. I am actually having trouble describing why I thought Liars were so terrible. It's like if you were asked to explain why one plus one equals two. It's not explainable...it just is. And the performance even made me lose respect for the YYYs because of how much they like eachother.

You might find fault in me for having paid for the show. Hah, you showed me, didn't you? You got paid and I saw the show. Well, you can be sure that I will not be attending another Liars show ever again.

So please send me $28. You can mail a check to me at [BROOKLYN ADDRESS DELETED] or pay me by paypal at [EMAIL DELETED].

I look forward to my refund.

[george]

Originally posted by Paul
george, that's a perfectly acceptable use of the contraction for "I have." This ends today's grammar lesson.

i know it's technically ok, but it just bothers me when it's used like that. it makes me nervous.

[tinobeat]

you've gotta relax, son. no need to get all wound up over a contraction that doesn't fit your tastes...

[Patrick]

It is rather British, tinobeat.

Patrick

[tinobeat]

raw-ther...

that reminds me of the series of children's books about that girl Eloise. what mishief!

[george]

Originally posted by tinobeat
raw-ther...

that reminds me of the series of children's books about that girl Eloise. what mishief!

beautiful call. by virtue of mentioning those books you are redeemed of all past and future gramatical sins. you may "i've" at will soldier.

[Arkady]

I really like it. It's far from the unlistenable mess I was expecting. I actually prefer these vocals to those on the debut.

Sonically it's very impressive, and depending on my mood, that can be enough to get me into an album.

[www.lazy-i.com]

Does anyone know why they fired the original rhythm section? Seems like the first album was anchored by Albertson and Noecker, which I dug. I suppose it has something to do with their "new direction"...

[vesper]

I don't think they were fired. I think they just left.

Didn't they pick up those guys from an ad anyway?

[www.lazy-i.com]

All Music makes it sound like it was Aaron and Angus who replied to an ad asking for musicians (see here (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70311101037310406&sql=Bim7zefik2gf2)). I heard that Ron and Pat were asked to leave, but it's all rumor...

[9000]

Originally posted by Arkady
I really like it. It's far from the unlistenable mess I was expecting. I actually prefer these vocals to those on the debut.

Sonically it's very impressive, and depending on my mood, that can be enough to get me into an album.

i feel the same. i totally dig this album. i don't get all the hub-bub about it.