Liars/ Sisterworld

Liars
Sisterworld
(Mute)

Those of a nervous disposition beware: Liars' fifth LP is both brilliant and brilliantly intense. Recorded in LA, Sisterworld apparently conceives a coping mechanism netherworld for the city’s fraught inhabitants. And we're into serious territory from the off, as opener ‘Scissors’ unravels violently to the narration of a haunted, resigned voice over.
The tone may be dark then, but somewhere during its course, Sisterworld’ also becomes compelling. This is largely thanks to the music, which feels like ‘Rat’ era Walkmen re-imagined by amusing dark prog-rockers Van Der Graaf Generator. Walls of guitars, seemingly recorded in a room down the hall, create a pervasive sense of alienation. They may call it Sisterworld, but it'd more accurately be described as Liars World: labyrinthine and dark, as puzzling as a Rubik’s cube.
With ‘Drip’ we get four minutes of cold, clammy textures, all tune-free but utterly compelling. Elsewhere there are (whisper it) tunes, with ‘Proud Evolution’ being in particular a giddily propulsive slice of modern joy, like a cooler Secret Machines. ‘Scarecrows On A Killer Slant’ on the other hand, offers up some fierce noise rock.
As you can imagine, Liars World is a pretty harsh place to visit, but sometimes a culture shock can be good for the soul - and Liars make for excellent tour guides.