Oh My Rockness

Love them or hate them, Liars will do their own thing. Often compared to the U.K. Factory groups of the late 70's/early 80's, Liars will shake it and not give a shit. Even with the antics of their absurd front man, they still manage to pull it together, thanks in large part to the guitar work of Aaron Hemphill.

What makes them unique, however, is how they twist, distort, and all out fuck with Hemphill's rather fundamental punk rock formulations. Using synthetic keypads, vocal modulation, and pre-arranged compositions straight from their disturbed imaginations, Liars create angular music under a melody buried in punk muck.

You can dance to it -- god knows singer Angus Andrew tries. You can kind of sing to it -- Andrew tries that too. And depending on how much art-rock is your thing, you can be completely swept away in it. Their live show is just a freak out. And so is Andrew who really likes to wiggle his ass in extremely tight pants. But hey, if wiggling your ass isn't punk rock, then what is?

Published 10/04/04