Liars - Mess

This is a very good album. It sounds nothing and everything like a Liars album all at once, which is what we've come to expect from Liars.

I wish I could be more ecstatic about this record, but I've got a problem called "still obsessed with Drum's Not Dead" and I just can't get past it. I am totally in favor of artists who change their sound with every album, so in theory Liars should be one of my favorite bands. But I feel like there was a certain energy to They Were Wrong, So We Drowned and Drum's Not Dead that Liars have been unable to recapture. Which sounds ludicrous, because all four albums released since the two aforementioned albums have exhibited speaker-exploding energy. There's just something missing for me, which is a bummer.

To more specifically address their recent Mess, it falls to the same traps I think Merriweather Post Pavilion did: It immediately "clicks" and sounds like the album you've been waiting for. It fits so perfectly in your brain that you can't imagine a world without it. Until you listen to it enough times (three? four?) to realize the feelings you had are not getting stronger, and perhaps you've been listening to an album no more complex than a Katy Perry record. The pop sheen fades, and you are forced to do what you must do with all pop songs/albums... move on and search for the next immediate high.

Having said all of this, Liars kick a ton of ass and I respect them more than any other band whose new material doesn't do it for me. I highly recommend you check out this album; it's my favorite release of theirs since 2006. And after you've heard Mess, definitely be sure to check out everything else they've ever put out.

Liars remain one of the most interesting bands out there, I'm always excited to hear what's next!