They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Artist: Liars
Label: Mute U.S.
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Enhanced
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 724596923528
EAN: 0724596923528
ASIN: B0001CNQQM

Release Date: 2004-02-24

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Experimental Rock

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Broken Witch
Steam Rose From the Lifeless Cloak
There's Always Room on the Broom
If Your a Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses
We Fenced Other Houses With the Bones of Our Own
They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids
Read the Book That Wrote Itself
Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway
They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives
Flow My Tears the Spider Said

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Customer Reviews:

Stop Whining.......2006-04-15

All the former fans of Liars and the MTVindie-loving music reviewers need to stop whining about this brilliant release by Liars. This album is an amazing combination of ritualim dissonance and pure creepiness, that makes for an edge-of-your-seat listen.

DON'T LISTEN TO THE NAYSAYERS.......2006-01-22

I am a huge sceptic these days. It really takes alot to wake me up and make me take notice anymore. Jaded? Bored with rock? Depressed at the state of music in general? Yes, that's me. Some will say, "Then why review anything Mr. Bummer?" I'll tell you why...This record is brilliant. Comparisons to PIL are ridiculous in my mind. And I don't lump the Liars in with the second generation new wave crap that's been flowing the last few years. Starting with this record (I actually didn't like their earlier stuff, so I consider this their first fully realized record), the Liars have become one of the elites in my book. I have heard the new one, due out in February '06, and it builds on this one even more. They have the inspiration and vitality of early Sonic Youth, without sounding derivative of anyone in particular. Come to this record with an open mind. Don't over-analyze it or compare it to some stuff from the eighties (even though I just did)...Just take them for what they are: three guys obviously having fun making some dark, visceral, beautiful music.

Similar to a noise generator to induce a confession. .......2005-06-24

I like The Liars "Monument"
Its not great. But its good at what it is, and its intended audience will definitely enjoy it.
That album gets better with age.
That being said, I don't know who would like this album.
This album is painful to listen to.
It makes you feel nauseous.
While I distrust music that I like the first time, I can't imagine ever liking this over time. Its grating, intentionally off beat, and makes you feel sick.
The only time I would use this CD is to haze pledges in a fraternity by making them listen to this on repeat for 8 hours. But as im not in a fraternity, and im not a cruel person, I have no use for this CD. I don't think you will either.

There's Always Room on the Broom for Liars (4/5).......2005-03-15

When Liars hit the music scene in 2001, the name of their album and song titles weren't the only thing that seemed a little peculiar to everyone. This was a band that had chewed up the mass of their influences and spit them out in an entirely new fashion. With only one record, they created a buzz that even they couldn't get rid of if they wanted to. Upon arrival of their unique debut release, They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, critics and fans alike were fast to realize Liars was stylistically similar to a lot of the other NYC-based bands revitalizing the late 70's/early 80's post-punk dance scene. Even so, while they were immediately pigeonholed into this category, they were able to add an edgy, almost avant-garde, boldness that the others were simply not exploring.

The same can also be said for They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. The only thing here that's similar to their debut is that the song titles and album name are still very unique (both albums start with the word `they'). With that aside, the primary thing you'll discover once you listen to this album is that things have drastically changed - for the better. The envelope has been moved in an entirely new direction, and the band wouldn't have it any other way. Liars take great pride in breaking out of the genre-defining boxes they're thrown in. In the same way Radiohead took an impeccable album like OK Computer and stepped into unfamiliar territory with Kid A, Liars have sidestepped the majority of their familiar styles and broken free towards new explorations. Now, I won't go so far as to say They Were Wrong sounds like Kid A, but it definitely gives me the same feelings I had the first time I heard that album.

There's a detached coldness that emanates in They Were Wrong. Perhaps it's due to the fact that a type of German witchcraft, known as Walpurgisnacht, inspired the album. Whatever the reason, the album is very dense, imaginative, and executed with chaotic precision. "Broken Witch" begins with disconnected electronics and a drum machine that has you immediately finding this record more electronic than it's predecessors. In many cases, the drums have been played live, recorded, and then manipulated to assist in this concept. "There's Always Room on the Broom" is a distorted beauty with its heavy microphone feedback and high-pitched vocals. The best track, "We Fenced Other Houses with the Bones of Our Own," is easily the most sinuous moment of the album, and simply impossible not to compare to the same approach Radiohead took on Kid A. The instrumental "Read the Book That Wrote Itself" is a collection of eerie keyboard sounds with ritualistic drumming and pencil writing. As with They Threw Us All In a Trench, the longest song, "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" is saved until the end of the album. Although I really tried to stay away from this comparison, I can't help but think it's strikingly similar in some ways to The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." It's then slowly faded away to the sounds of birds and minimal instrumentation.

They Were Wrong, So We Drowned is an incredibly tight album, and it's surely going to be one of the year's first greatly admired albums. Each song is independent to the others, yet collectively this album is very cohesive. Since the songs all bare similarities in visual terms, I guess you could say it's a concept album of sorts. If breaking free from their own mold is this band's forte, then I imagine we are going to hear quite an array of sounds in future releases. One thing you'll always be assured of is that Liars show up to give a great and lasting impression whenever they enter the studio. They prove once again that even with their rotation of musicians, they are capable of taking the scene by the hair and utilizing their talents in every way possible to remain one of the most exciting bands around.

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