Liars
Mess
???1/2
Electronic rock
Liars’ Mess is a complete change of pace from its last album, WIXIW, which the band produced only two years ago. The tracks on the new record are much longer, more agitated and more intense.
Mess is a collection of songs that sound like demonic rave music. It’s like someone remixed a Marilyn Manson album into a dance set. As strange as that sounds, the combination of deep baritone vocals with electronic, bass-heavy beats is intriguing. The vocals blend nicely with the electronic music, and the album flows well from beginning to end.
Much of the album has an industrial sound, but uses these styles in a way that is modern, rhythmically smooth and easy to dance to.
The record starts with “Mask Maker,” a bold way to open an album since the first lyrics, “Take my pants off, use my socks, smell my socks, eat my face off,” are all heard within the first ten seconds of the song. Many of the following tracks also give off a sense of uneasiness and intensity. “I’m No Gold” begins with clashing, dissonant harmonies, and “Can’t Hear Well” has an uneven, pulsating feeling that can be a bit nauseating after a while.
But don’t be turned off immediately by this. The record may sound like a Mess at first, but it does mellow out toward the end.
The album ends with “Left Speaker Blown,” a soothing electronic soundscape that ends the otherwise tumultuous album smoothly and softly. Mess probably sets the limit as the most unsettling dance music that you could play at a party without freaking everyone out.
— Stephanie Zimmerman
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