WZBC recommends Liars, Yeahs

It makes sense that the Liars and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs should release their highly anticipated new singles at nearly the same time. Both bands are straight out of the burgeoning Brooklyn scene, have toured frequently with each other over the past year, and the two lead singers even share a bed, making for one of the coolest dating duos since Sid and Nancy. Their musical styles tend to differ, as the Liars boast an art-punk-funk-dance outfit while the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a bluesy garage rock band centered around the sexy howls of lead singer Karen O. But the two share a similar aesthetic, born out of the DIY attitude of their adopted homes in Brooklyn.

With their new album, Machine, the YYYs continue to hone the sound they developed with their self-titled debut. The title-track begins with the hushed vocals of Karen O., beckoning the listener closer before the rest of the band explodes with a driving, heavy guitar riff and pounding, two-step drums. The band loses some of their originality on this track, sounding more like a mix of Blonde Redhead and PJ Harvey than ever before. Yet the second track, "Graveyard," brings the band back to what it does best: short, bluesy rock. Fast paced with the distorted vocals dripping with attitude, this track packs more muscle and energy into 1:29 than the rest of the single combined. Unfortunately, it's followed by "Pin Remix," a rather forgettable track that shows the band experimenting with echoing guitar lines and looped vocals.

One band's downfall may be another band's strength. With their new single, the Liars continue their cacophonous experimentation of blending multiple genres into a dark and menacing post-punk aesthetic on Fins to Make Us More Fish-Like. While keeping their trademark sound, the Liars have also managed to change the structure just enough to remain one of the most interesting bands on the indie scene today. "Pillars Were Hollow and Filled With Candy, So We Tore Them Down" maintains the noise and experimentation of their earlier work minus the expected dance groove, due mainly to the absence of any bass lines.

The next track, "Everyday's A Child With Teeth," sounds like the beginning of many Liars songs, but refuses to break out into a typical rhythm, instead opting for a harsh, start/stop structure around heavy guitars, noise, and screaming vocals. This refusal to compromise shows the Liars perfecting the sound they launched with their debut full-length album, They Threw Us All In A Trench and Stuck A Monument On Top, while furthering it through more adventurous sounds and atypical song structures.