Five albums in, and despite enjoying the occasional foray into their discography, everybody’s favourite New York dance-thrash-art-punk outfit Liars still don’t make me want to scream out loud. What is it about Sisterworld that keeps me from finally falling arse-over-tea-kettle for the band? I sought an answer, and here’s what I found:
1. Liars don’t make particularly good use of their sonic space. They prefer a sparse production sound, and in that kind of spaciousness, one needs to really strongly establish a mood, as they do on album highlights “No Barrier Fun”; otherwise, the song sounds empty. The band are obviously going for an eerie, haunted sound, but cheap production values lend this album (“Drip” and “Drop Dead,” especially) a tinny quality that makes the album listenable where it should be downright captivating.
2. Liars can’t write a memorable melody. I know, I know, this band isn’t supposed to be concerned with melody; they’re all about establishing mood, and expressing anguish and isolation through sonic space. In that case, they should’ve paid more attention to production (see above). Songs like “Here Comes All The People” and “I Still Can See An Outside World” are utterly forgettable.
3. There’s a little too much Radiohead biting going on here. The beginning of “Scissor” (stunning though it is) is just a hint too reminiscent of Hail to the Thief’s “We Suck Young Blood,” layered harmonies, vocal timbre and all. Still not hearing the similarities? At minute 2:53 of “Proud Evolution,” it’s all singer Angus Andrew can do not to sing “This is the Gloaming” by accident.
Don’t get me wrong, Sisterworld is by no means a bad album: at its best, (“No Barrier Fun,” “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant,” “The Overachievers,” and “Goodnight Everything”) Sisterworld is incandescent, especially when Liars get the haunted vibe right. But for every stunner here, there’s a mediocre follow-through, making for an inconsistently great album that leaves the listener just short of satisfied.
