If Liars were not on Mute, listeners would have to start a letter-writing campaign to make it happen. Good thing they already are, as the new record, out on the label today, sounds tailor-made for this label and its rich legacy. The Apple Drop, with its mix of unsettling vibes and sleek surfaces recalls many a release on this imprint, and that's also meant to be a huge compliment indicating the quality of this record.
Angus Andrew oozes his weird power all over numbers like "Slow and Turn Inward" and "Sekwar", two early highlights of The Apple Drop. And while he's not alone thanks to contributions from drummer Laurence Pike, multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell, and lyricist Mary Pearson Andrew, the project is largely his vision. And what's here, like the supple "Big Appetite, suggests a youth spent curled up with Fad Gadget records. Andrew's brand of post-punk unsettles, sure, but rather than provoke a listener like Tovey did sometimes, he seems instead intent on momentarily soothing them, even as the chord progressions and down-tempo rumblings here seem the soundtrack to a particularly memorable nightmare.
And all that is to say that The Apple Drop isn't a release with a tremendous amount of variety on it, but that's what here is exceptionally well-done. Whatever this genre is (and it's one Barry Adamson seems to have pioneered), Angus Andrew makes it nearly his own. The Apple Drop has a persuasive force, from an almost lovely cut like "From What the Never Was" and on to "My Pulse to Ponder", a rougher offering. Andrew's greatest talent here, however, may be not his ability to conjure up such a dark mood while sustaining it, but in making something that feels a bit transgressive, even as it remains wildly listenable. If this is the avant-garde side of post-punk, it's one we can all easily get lost in.
The Apple Drop is out today via Mute.
More details on Liars via LiarsOfficial.com/ [Photo: McLean Stephenson]