A Record a Week: Liars - We no Longer Knew Who We Were

SIDE 1:
WE GOT COLD, COUGHED AND FORGOT THINGS
YOU KNOW I HATE STUPID PHONES
EVERY TWO HOURS WITH A DUCKS FAN

SIDE 2.
-BLANK-










Before their style experimentation took flight over the last few albums, Liars had a steady (although experimental in its own right) sound. Back in the days of front-man Angus Andrew's relationship with Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), this record was amongst the beginning of the cult-famous career of Liars. In those days, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars both had a similar underground popularity, but as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs progressively got more radio-friendly, Liars were influenced by witch documentaries and experimented with different sounds, only occasionally dipping their feet back into music that swims closer to radio-play.

This record, though, was before all of that. With one LP under their belt, the indie/dance-punk band created a short burst of energy that walks the line right up to hardcore music, but showing the calm collected restrained of indie music. The end result is a indie record that sounds like it was written by angry punks, but can still make you dance. It was not long after this that I first saw them perform and they don't hold back anything in their live performances. You never know exactly what to expect, with the possibility of Andrew in a dress or other interesting attire, the percussion being rigged up through any number of electronics/triggers, or an entirely stripped down performance. It was a nice quick listen and a throwback to a time when I was constantly playing and going to concerts of this nature.