Mic Check: Liars at the Dionysus Discotheque on Wednesday

Back in the day, indie-rockers Liars used to make really pretentious records with unwieldy titles, like They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top and They Were Wrong, So We Drowned. They were concept records, based on heady subjects like struggling with the creative process and finding sympathy for German witches. But last year, the trio – which first met in Los Angeles, generated buzz in N.Y.C., relocated to Berlin, and are now back in L.A. – stripped down and got simple. They wrote self-contained songs. They kept the tunes under four minutes. And they called the CD Liars. (For a detailed account of the new album, read our interview with frontman Angus Andrew.) It’s the band’s most accessible work, even if it is bound to piss of old fans who like sifting through songs called “Nothing Is Ever Lost or Can Be Lost My Science Friend.” And the new stuff should sound mighty fine onstage, where the lo-fi straightforwardness oughta shimmer. — Michael Gallucci Liars perform at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, February 6, at Oberlin College’s Dionysus Discotheque, 135 West Lorain Street in Oberlin. Tickets are $13, available by calling 440-775-8201. For a preview, listen to “Houseclouds” below.

This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 5, 2008.