As soon as the shimmeringly inviting opener 'The Exact Colour of Doubt' gears up, you're drawn into what this band, and more particularly this singular record, has to say. However once the grandeur of 'Doubt' fades, you're assailed by the percussive jabs & throbs and unmoved vocals of 'Octagon', a sinister (yet superbly atmospheric) track very much unlike its forerunner. This is typical of Liars, a band renowned for their refusal to surrender to generic trappings or to stick to any one musical style or tone.
However WIXIW does have a continuum of relative quietude (especially when compared to their more clamorous output prior to this work), and it perhaps more effectively than ever before, sustains a sense of unease, foreboding and trepidation. More accessible and pleasing in a traditional sense is 'No. 1 Against the Rush' which has a lovely buildup and more overt hooks, however, the next track- 'A Ring on Every Finger' extinguishes any sense of familiarity or agreeability with its jolty, hesitant-sounding beat and vocal assertions like "You're no better than you were." It's perhaps one of the record's finest tracks in all its cutup sighs, white noise buzz and overall moodiness. The albums flirts with psychedelia on the title track before once again returning to darker, self-doubting, more mysterious fare on 'Flood to Flood'.
That track abruptly segues into 'Who Is The Hunter' which sees versatile lead singer Angus Andrew adopt a higher pitch to justify "I only blew my gun to see which beasts still run", underlaid by whistles, synth, ticks and subtle claps. It's an evocative, pretty and reasonably understated track, which means that In trademark Liars fashion, the ensuing track is sure to be markedly different. And it is- after a slew of subtler, textural, mood pieces, WIXIW poleaxes you with 'Brats', a high-energy, pulsating rave track wildly different from the rest of the record. It's also highly enjoyable, in it's standing as the clearcut black sheep of WIXIW- a thundering romp with a dance bent.
The comedown from the penultimate track is the relaxing 'Annual Moon Words', which in its acoustic strums and slowed vocals, has a sort of pacifying effect following the pulse-pounding 'Brats'. "I'm on my way down", indeed. WIXIW is essential listening, yet will likely fly under the radar. The album has been compared to the Radiohead masterpiece 'Kid A', and whilst sonic similarities are detectable, WIXIW is more introspective, and everyday in terms of the dilemmas it confronts, whilst Kid A tackled broader themes and issues. WIXIW comes highly, highly recommended, a fascinating, nervy and delicate listen that'll reward listeners with each and every play.
9.1
Jacob Dunstan
