By Cam Lindsay"If we aren't confusing people, it's not us. If we aren't confusing ourselves with what we do, then we've failed." Those words from goliath Liars frontman Angus Andrew give some perspective into the unpredictable gauntlet this Brooklyn, NY trio have thrown down for the last dozen years. Moving to Los Angeles to make 2010's Sisterworld, the band remained in the city to record sixth album WIXIW (pronounced "wish you") after Andrew and Aaron Hemphill wrote it in a remote cabin in the mountains. That rustic environment proved to be an unlikely source of inspiration, as WIXIW ventures deeper into an electronic realm than any previous album. Assisted by label boss Daniel Miller, Liars continue to stretch their boundaries while maintaining the characteristics that have made them so identifiable to this point. Opener "The Exact Colour of Doubt" is a nebulous ambient track that mutates into the ominous IDM of "Octagon," much like Richard D. James does at the drop of a hat. But it keeps evolving, as the title track surges forward with synthesizer oscillations and intermittent polyrhythms, "No. 1 Against the Rush" unabashedly yet brilliantly manipulates Krautrock, and the fist-pumpin' "Brats" presents a would-be club banger, were it written by virtually anyone else. Each Liars album has kept us guessing and WIXIW is no exception, offering us another glimpse of Liars' infinite supply of uncompromising, yet succesful ideas. (Mute)
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