Liars "Drum's Not Dead" (Mute)
By Trey Perkins
Monday. Feb 20, 11:24 AM
Experimentation at the cost of artistic perfection?

Let’s take Leonardo Da Vinci’s work for a second and consider what we find. We have completed works like The Mona Lisa, but these pieces cause less mystery and intrigue than the myriad of notebooks, sketches, and literal ideas running around in the master’s head. Any casual observer may conclude that, for Da Vinci, it’s not as important to finish the idea, as it is to “try something new” and “strike a different course.” C’mon, we’re talking about the guy who drew preliminary sketches of a tank way way back in the heyday of the Renaissance. So, the risk was worth it. Ultimately, there are very few Da Vincis in the world (one in fact), so that means that there are very few individuals who can participate in the act of what one may call “creativity in action.” In other words, individuals who come forth with an idea and spend only a few moments on it. If such an idea develops into something great, then hooray, we have a success. Nine times out of 10, however, we are left with meandering, pointless experimentation… or what Steve Martin would call “jacking off for five dollars.” Such is the dichotomy artists face when they attempt something unforeseen in their own work.

The same might as well be said for Liars, a band with its origins in the New York garage-punk scene of the early 2000s. I must admit that I’m new to Liars, but I’ve heard friends rave about them and their go-for-broke ethic. One friend of mine discussed with me their interest in early German folklore. He informed me of how they wished to incorporate it into their sound. “Cool,” I thought. “Finally a band that’s willing to put it all on red and take that chance.” With the arrival of Drum’s Not Dead, such thoughts were proven correct.

From the little snipits of the old Liars that I had heard, I found a band in love with gain-ridden guitars and clipping vocals. Drum’s Not Dead, however, is a horse of a completely different color. Liars have relocated to Berlin, a city sharing a connection with experimental rock and roll that needs not to be discussed. Drum’s Not Dead will not be readily accessible to listeners expecting the harder, grungier Liars: divorcing themselves from distortion and clipping vocals, Liars seem comfortable in the washed out dissonance of a long and ever expanding drone. Indeed, Drum’s Not Dead is a musical journey smack-dab in the middle of Steve Reich’s phase pieces and Windy & Carl’s folksy ambient textures. “A Visit From Drum” evinces dark, tribal drumming and slow breath-like vocals. Songs like “Drum Gets a Glimpse” feature reverberating washed, echoing, and delayed guitars holding on tones. At times, Liars sustain these tones longer than they need to. Their adherence to drone rock extends through much of the first four tracks of Drum’s Not Dead. Afterward, a sinister voice presents itself to the listener. The voice has been there: we’ve heard it before, because it churns underneath the seemingly optimistic vocals we hear through the first four tracks. Now, on “It Fit When I Was a Kid,” this dark voice approaches the listener in full force. What results is a very schizophrenic listen. It seems as though there are two voices on this album: a darker sinister voice, and a cleaner, more optimistic voice. At this point, I really cannot determine the exact mood Liars seek to establish. They want to write a narrative, and it seems that the personality Liars evoke through their music splits: one is seemingly bright, while the other darker. There exists a concept here, a method behind Liars’ madness, and it’s up to the listener to decode it.

In earnest, I appreciate Drum’s Not Dead for its adherence to pure experimentalism. The song structure is rather loose and open-ended, encouraging listeners to imagine what a live performance of the record will look and sound like. Similar to any interesting piece of literature, the album’s meaning is open to interpretation. With so little presented to the listener, the album seems like a shapeless mass: a sonic Rorshack inkblot test. At the same time, one must realize that pure experimentation does not always produce a concise musical statement, but rather ideas. After numerous listens, I’m not entirely sure if Drum’s Not Dead is a coherent musical statement or a collection of unfinished ideas that the band merely toyed around with, but its spirit remains applaudable.
www.liarsliarsliars.com
www.mute.com

Trey Perkins

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