iars most recent release They Were Wrong, So We Drowned could have easily been titled They Liked The First One, So We Dropped This on Them. The bass has been replaced with staticy keyboard glitch loops and Angus Andrew's lyrics have gotten even more nonsensical. Apparently the theme behind this album, as evidenced by the album title and subsequent song titles such as ?Broken Witch,? is Witch Hunts. Still, the disco beats shine through on the occasional track. Fans of the first album should be thankful for that, if for the only reason that they might find something likeable on this one.

Now, in all fairness, let it be said that Liars have lost two members. The Nebraskans, bassist Pat Nature and drummer Ron Albertson, split. These two were the glue that held their live shows, and apparently their albums, together. And now Liars are three. Angus and Aaron Hemphill have added Julian Gross.

These Liars, they sure know how to tease. The first track, ?Broken Witch?, starts off with a repetitive bell-like sound, an 80's synth played randomly, and a drummer that sounds as if he is about to lay down a great beat. They don't give in that easily though. After a few starts and stops things get going in typical Liars fashion only to stop again. The missteps are made up for in the brilliantly named, ?They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids.? Where Liars once reveled in 80's punk-funk, they've since moved to synth pop.

Another punk-funk album would have been predictable. Songs like, ?Mr. You're on Fire Mr.,? and ?We Live NE of Compton ,? from their first album, are prime examples of how good they were in that genre. So what do Liars do now? They dismantle. And what is the result? Stuttered drum loops, beats just barely making time, and lazy vocals. There's even a nature-scape thrown in for good measure at the end of ?Flow My Tears the Spider Said.?

Surely there will be a backlash against this album. That's standard with bands that try for different sounds. The songs are highly inaccessible and short on consistent rhythms. However, the groundwork has been laid. What will be most interesting though is where they go from here.