In comparison to their 2001 debut "They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top," Liars' new record, "Drum's Not Dead," sounds as if it were made by a totally different band. The stark contrast makes sense, though, as over the course of five years the quartet has lost two members and gained one, and has changed its headquarters from NYC to Berlin.
Just after the release of their debut, Liars decided to take a new direction in terms of music and band politics. In recording their sophomore effort (2004's "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned"), they cast off their rhythm section and acquired drummer Julian Gross. They proceeded to experiment with their style. The result was a concept album about German witch-hunts and witchcraft that combined their punk-funk precedents with something darker, something tribal. That album serves as the perfect intermediary between Liars' former musical selves and what they have become: some sort of mixture between noise-rockers and shoe gazers.
As if they were obsessed with the subject matter of "They Were Wrong...," the trio moved to Berlin in 2004. There, they recorded one album, scrapped it, and proceeded to record "Drum's Not Dead" in a former East German radio broadcast center.
"Drum's Not Dead" is even more of a concept album than its predecessor. It is a musical representation of the interaction that occurs within the mind of an artist during the creative process between ingenuity and regression. The characters that portray these polar opposites are Mt. Heart Attack (representative of doubtfulness and hesitation) and Drum (the embodiment of confidence and impulse).
The first throes of the album set the precedent for the entire thing. The opener "Be Quiet Mt. Heart Attack!" is best described as an overture. As guitarist Aaron Hemphill constantly drones and surges, Gross provides a sparse yet profound drumbeat. Although it may be a mere seven beats, its repetition and simplicity make it increasingly weighty.
Vocalist Angus Andrew takes on the persona of Mt. Heart Attack while he sings a flamboyant falsetto and Drum as he forcefully drones. The track eventually speeds up and becomes less ethereal and bleaker as Andrew switches character from the former to the latter.
The track prophesizes the movement of the rest of the songs on "Drum's Not Dead," from more shoe gaze-like melodic monotony and steadiness on tracks like "Drum Gets a Glimpse" or "It's All Blooming Now Mt. Heart Attack," to frantic and tribal noise rock on such tunes as "Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack."
Standout tracks include the fast-paced "It Fit When I Was a Kid," the groovy "The Wrong Coat For You Mt. Heart Attack" which seems like toned-down freeform jazz, and the dynamic "Drum and the Uncomfortable Can."
The emotional climax of the album comes just toward the end with "To Hold You, Drum." It would be much more impressive if its drumbeat weren't so reminiscent of Animal Collective's "The Purple Bottle." One is able to pass the same judgment on "Hold You, Drum" earlier in the album as well.
The finale is an appropriately placed, sentimental ballad. "The Other Side Of Mt. Heart Attack" ends the album calmingly and is uplifting. Surprisingly, it does not clash with the frantic and often macabre rest of "Drum's Not Dead."
Although the premise of the album is fascinating and absorbing at first, there seems to be a lack of development. Many songs sound like mere variations of each other. Although "Drum's Not Dead" will engross listeners with its hypnotic melodies, it is by no means an eclectic masterpiece.
At the beginning of the 20th century, physicists were convinced that they had discovered everything, that in the next few years the field would find itself obsolete and defunct. As of late, a similar feeling has occupied the music world: that everything instrumental has already been invented or done, so noise and noise rock very well could be the future of music. With "Drum's Not Dead," Liars put forth a laudable effort. If noise truly is the future, they have a substantial head start.
