You know the drill, nerdmongers! Today I have newish releases from Liars, Rivers of Nihil, and Faye Webster! Words words words!

Liars – The Apple Drop
(August 6, 2021)

I’ve been following Liars’ career for a long time. Fans are apt to compare the band to Radiohead because of their similar moods and their ability to constantly evolve their sound between albums without sacrificing their identities. Liars, however, is less accessible. Once you penetrate through their harsh, somewhat unwelcoming exterior, their whole discography becomes a real treat.

I’m pretty forgiving of even the worst that Liars has to offer, but the Apple Drop is another solid entry in their catalog and I’m here for it. Angus Andrew, the only original member left, was flying solo for a couple years on the Liars project. It’s possible that he’s still alone here since most of the instruments are synthetic, but I’m unsure. His distinctive voice alone always elevates this music above writing off the band as a Radiohead pastiche, but the similarities are hard to overlook.

The Apple Drop is brimming with complex melodies that are fighting hard to remain abstract. Andrew takes his time with his words while the drum patterns want to rush ahead, especially on songs like “Sekwar” where he fucking dares the crunchy and angular drums to go faster. It’s like the older, more chaotic version of the band is trying to break out and trample the newer, more reigned-in and orderly version of the band. And, occasionally, the older version wins. Like on “My Pulse to Ponder”, where Andrew belts out the lines caveman-style (“I found a blade and I sharpened it way close/So it glistened in the moon WHEN I CUT YOUR THROAT!“). He sounds like Thurston Moore gettin’ mean!

And then there’s plenty of what Liars does best: fresh takes on curious, exotic sounds and instrumentation. The opener “The Start” has some electronic, robotic powering-up bloopy-bleepy noise that goes as quickly as it came. Or that cool, peculiar synthetic marimba on “Slow and Turn Inward”. I particularly like “Star Search”, which progresses on alternating tense low/high piano notes, low dynamic rumbling drums, a slight vinyl record hiss, turning into a some free jazz saxophone way low in the mix…and then the coda sounds like something right out of a Man Man album! Or, if you will, Paul McCartney’s “Monkberry Moon Delight”. Fun stuff.

And yet, I give it a smiley face instead of big grinning happy face because this album is an obvious grower. And like all the best Liars albums, the grow is slow.

Early Verdict:

Rivers of Nihil – The Work
(September 24, 2021)

Rivers of Nihil plays a version of technical death metal that doesn’t focus on the dizzying speeds that makes the genre attractive to people who just like their heavy metal fast fast fast fast fastfastfastfastfast. Instead, they build their quick, angular, palm-muted djent riffage around mid-tempo walls of sound and vocal textures, leaning hard into straight-up progressive metal without being completely fucking corny. And with each successive album, they lean a little harder.

Right now, they need to stop leaning. I think The Work strikes the perfect dynamic balance between the clean and harsh singing; the alternating of the soft, delicate, and guarded with the rough, abrasive, and punishing. Sometimes, they even spew forth a pure tidal wave of noise (like the end of “Dreaming Black Clockwork”). Their insular world seems fully developed and realized, and I’m right there in the middle of the space-y, icy scenery that is limned by cover art. Well, not right in the middle. I’m in the cozy little house!

Rivers of Nihil’s distinctive trademark is the occasional use of the Kenny G. smooth saxophone, which has been a point of ridicule for many. But I love the contrast every time! It adds even more nuance and texture, and it avoids bringing to mind the usual tech-death tropes of machinery or, like, blood and guts. Even the cheesy balladry or power chords that pop up from time to time are allowed room to make sense in the context.

And the best part? This is a death metal record that is very melodious – and it’s not at all a melodic death metal record! We have a winner.

However, Rivers of Nihil? Why not “Nihil River”? What a missed opportunity.

Early Verdict:

Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny haha
(June 25, 2021)

Faye Webster has put her last two albums out on the Secretly Canadian label, but there’s nothing secretly Canadian about her. THAT I KNOW OF! She’s from Atlanta, which is pretty far from Canada. Unless something changed??

Secretly Canadian or not, Webster has made another album of slow, indie, soul-tinged, folky, singery-songwritery music. Maybe it’s the color palette of the album art, but the music evokes strong lazy summertime-at-the-beach atmosphere moreso than her previous album Atlanta Millionaires Club, which evokes strong…I dunno, visions of a woman eating shit, I suppose? Don’t worry! You can click that link, it’s just the album cover! I promise! No seriously! Go ahead! I dare ya.

Anyway, I Know I’m Funny haha has almost nothing but slow tempos, mid/upper register jazz fusion-y piano and/or organ over shuffling drums, twangy guitar melodies, and melancholy singing about shitty relationships and general depression. Honestly, the most interesting parts happen where Webster doesn’t sing at all and the instruments can break out and roam free for a bit of time. Sometimes there are surprises, like the pretty strings and acoustic noodling on “In a Good Way”, and the assertive drumming and guitar-scale melody on “Cheers”. But, most of these songs maintain a clinically even-keeled mood whether she’s singing about love anxieties (“Kind Of”) or loneliness (“Both All the Time”), always with instruments dancing delicately on the cheery edge of the fence.

And that’s fine, it’s on purpose and everything, but as a listening experience I feel as numb as she sounds while she’s singing in my ears. That is to say, perhaps this slow-core indie country singer-songwriter soul stuff isn’t for me. But hey I tried haha

I’ll end with less snark: I caught myself humming the title track when I woke up this morning, and that’s saying something, so more time and an open mind might cause a breakthrough some day. Right now, it’s not the right time.

Early Verdict: