Liars
Drum's Not Dead (4 stars)
Prior to recording second LP They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, Brooklyn's Liars descended into New Jersey's dark forests at night for inspiration, scaring the bejesus out of one another to channel the witch trials-themed disc's spooky vibe. This time out, the art-rock trio journeyed even farther outside its comfort zone, putting an ocean between itself and home by relocating to Berlin.
Listening to Drum's Not Dead, it's apparent those new surroundings played a key role reshaping the band's sound yet again. Though the sonic shift isn't as drastic as between albums 1 and 2—when Liars transformed from noisy dance-punks to clanging, jarring eccentrics—it's an umistakable mutation nonetheless, toward moody, elemental territory marked by an emphasis on percussion. In short, a Germanic makeover.
Where They Were Wrong was challenging and demanding, Drum's Not Dead makes for a surprisingly tranquil trip. Strange and supernatural, sure. But also quite comforting, in an oddball sort of way. A commanding rhythmic pulse weaves in and out of most cuts, including primo first single "It Fit When I Was a Kid," but frontman Angus Andrew also mines Radiohead's atmospheric soundscapes on a few other tunes, most notably the centerpiece, "The Wrong Coat For You Mt. Heart Attack."
A companion DVD showcasing 36 videos—three for each track on the CD—feels less like a bonus offering than an integral component, opening a window into the lives and minds of this most mysterious of bands. All of which leaves us wondering: Literally and figuratively, where in the world will Liars travel next?
Mudhoney
Under a Billion Suns (3 stars)
Grunge also-rans Mudhoney have never gotten their proper due. Yes, they're from Seattle, were on the Singles soundtrack and were part of the same scene that spawned Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. But Mudhoney's sound was always more garage than metal, looser and less heavy than many of their counterparts. Without a mainstream hit, the band was usually relegated to "also these bands" sidebars in coverage of grunge, although they released four albums on major label Reprise before heading back to venerable Seattle-based indie Sub Pop in 2002.
Mudhoney's seventh album doesn't sound much different from their last six, and that's both the band's blessing and its curse. The consistency means that there are still plenty of dependably infectious fuzz-guitar riffs and some genuine grunge gems (the sardonic "Hard-On for War" and the surfy instrumental "A Brief Celebration of Indifference," especially). It also means that this album sounds like it could have come out in 1992, making it oddly quaint, even with the added horn sections on four songs and stabs at political commentary. Then again, it's hard not to like a band that sings "It's our patriotic duty / To make sweet love tonight."
Josh Bell
DJ Boris
Boris Believe (2 stars)
With fortuitous timing, Boris Inzhin is releasing his third album just as he's nominated for Best Resident DJ at the 2006 World Club Awards for his work at New York's Crobar. A mix CD, it's inspired by his sets at the mega-club, some of which stretch on for 12 hours or more.
Perhaps best known for his remix of Pink's "Get the Party Started," Boris serves up 16 tracks of distinctly techno-sounding house tunes. The album is a New York state of mind: urban, dark and edgy.
Opening with some amusing vocal samples in "Is Killing Me" that sometimes sound like extended belches, Boris blends into an unrelenting series of pulsing numbers, including Sergio Fernandez's tribal-tinged "Unforgettable Summer," DJ Rooster and Sammy Peralta's "Move Your Body" and Da Hool's "Meet Her at the Love Parade."
But in the nearly 76 minutes of music, the tracks start to blend together a bit too well. While there's nothing here that will disappoint Boris' fans (and he's got them, packing the Crobar to 5,000 or more on any given night), there's nothing that jumps out as distinctive or catchy to the casual listener. Instead, it seems to be an album destined for the iPod shuffle. It's great to have an occasional number drop in on you, but after awhile, unrelenting becomes, well, unrelenting.