Liars speak a dark truth

deep at the end of space

further than the sun

is a crowd of chairs

I went into my first Liars show with no expectations (outside of having a great time). I had read that they rarely played songs from their albums, focusing more on new material, and I was excited to go along for the ride. I left the evening dizzy with emotion, and trying to play drums on any solid surface I could find.

The show turned out to be one of my favorite concerts of the year. A perfect mix of psychotic dancing, and dazed swaying . If this was 17th century Salem, we all would have been burnt at the stake. Funny I should mention witches, since Liars' second LP They Were Wrong So We Drowned is a testament of the Brocken witch. Most Liars fans know the story behind the LP; however, here is a quick recap if you don't:

“We laid down the basic tracks for the first track, and Aaron was, for no apparent reason, adamant it should be called “Broken Witch” remembers Angus. “I was messing around on the internet later, and typed “Broken Witch” into Google, only I mistyped it as “Brocken Witch.” Next thing I knew, all these web pages about Walpurgisnacht and the legend of Brocken mountain started popping up, so I started reading through them. I walked into the room where the other guys were, kind of blown away that we’d stumbled upon it; it was just perfect” (read more at NIPP)

Although Drums Not Dead isn't a concept album about witches, the music does explore similar primal themes. As it turned out, the trio's live set was a 50/50 split between Drums and Drowned. The first song actually combined "Drum and the Uncomfortable Can" with "We Fenced in Our Houses..."

With no guitar hooks, Liars rely on infectious beats and thundering vocals to grab the audience. Without the drums, the noisy drone would quickly lose appeal; however, without the chaos, the drums would sound too square. The band works in perfect balance, which instantly translates on-stage.

[mp3] Liars - Drum and the Uncomfortable Can

[mp3] Liars - Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack