Liars / Oneida

Liars/Oneida: Atheists, ReconsiderAtheists, Reconsider (2002)
Arena Rock Recording co.

Reviewer Rating: 2

Contributed by: relay1112relay1112
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on June 24th 2003A warning to the infidels: Liars and Oneida have donned their Crusade-era armor and lifted their lances in a valiant effort to convert the masses. The two seemed like a logical combination for an EP; Liars' danceable art-punk would fit quite nicely alongside Oneida?s lo-fi rock assault. Would. Un.

A warning to the infidels: Liars and Oneida have donned their Crusade-era armor and lifted their lances in a valiant effort to convert the masses. The two seemed like a logical combination for an EP; Liars' danceable art-punk would fit quite nicely alongside Oneida?s lo-fi rock assault. Would. Unfortunately, the angels have inspired Liars to experiment with unfriendly or even nonexistent melodies. Can Oneida be the savior for a plague of an EP? Only God knows. Well, until the end of this review.

What's that? Don't like God? Not a big fan? Try to sustain that skepticism after being graced by this gospel of conviction! It's called Atheists, Reconsider, and it is 100% guaranteed to convert! But just how does it convince a lifelong atheist to suddenly believe in something they can neither see nor touch? Let's examine.

Liars kicks off the Jesus party with 'Rose and Licorice,' a cover of a song originally written by Oneida. Liars really doesn't do too much with it; of course, they showcase their hallmark distorted vocals and drum machine mixed with 'real' drums, but the song remains largely the same. Oneida strikes another blow for Christianity with 'Privilege,' a hard-hitting minute-and-a-half hi-hat-a-thon. They clang, bang and chant their way to the Heavens and back faster than you can say Corinthians 5:18.

Liars contributes to the Crusade with their first original song of the record, 'All in All a Careful Party.' Gone is the danceable art-punk groove of They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top; the brooding, clanging, awkward anti-song is here. Abrasive noise and chanting vocals cover banged out percussion with a bouncing bass line popping in for a minutes? visit like Jesus to the Disciples. The only thing that saves this otherwise pitiful song is the infectious chant gracing the middle.

Oneida's 'Fantastic Morgue' and cover of Liars' 'Every Day Is a Child with Teeth' are quite possibly the only things that really justify this EP's existence. 'Fantastic Morgue' is Oneida's best song in recent memory, but still falls short of anything special. Oneida keeps the two-chord grandiose of Liars' 'Every Day Is a Child with Teeth' and really contribute nothing but their characteristic sound to it.

The final commandment is the 'This Dust Makes That Mud' (a five minute song followed by 25 minutes of one repeated loop on their full-length) of Atheists, Reconsider. At seven and a half minutes, it's not as long, but it's just as useless. More clanging percussion (apparently they were on a budget for this EP and went drum-less, relying instead on kitchen spoons and metal tables for percussion) is the only real musical element here. The rest of the sonic waste that is 'Dorothy Taps the Toe of the Tinman' consists of fuzzy, tuneless guitar and background conversation. It remains basically unchanging for the duration of the 'song,' disregarding the highly distorted, slightly tuneful keyboards in the final 15 seconds.

If you aren't convinced by the end of this EP, you DESERVE eternal damnation! Err? Honestly though, I have never been a fan of Oneida. I bought this EP for Liars' tracks. After They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, they'd have me buying anything. Sadly, though, it is Oneida that carries this EP, and while Liars could have entertained a lo-fi fight to the death for sonic supremacy, they forfeit before the match even begins. Who knows? Maybe Liars was just pissed off about being called 'The biggest cachet of cool since the White Stripes and the Strokes played together last summer' (MTV.com), but really, that's no excuse to release an EP chock-full of experimental shit. I don't know who they were trying to convert with this junk, but if this is divine inspiration, I'd rather they work alone.

Vocals - Liars 7.4 Oneida 7.0
Lyrics - Liars 5.4 Oneida 6.5
Instrumentation - Liars 1.3 Oneida 6.9
Production - Liars 3.9 Oneida 7.0
Cover Art/Booklet - 7.0

Overall score (not an average): 4.2

10.0 - Flawless
9.5-9.9 - Nearly perfect
9.0-9.4 - Essential
8.5-8.9 - Spectacular
8.0-8.4 - Highly recommended
7.5-7.9 - Impressive
7.0-7.4 - Very solid
6.5-6.9 - Consistent, but not without its flaws
6.0-6.4 - Enjoyable
5.5-5.9 - Better than average; not many standout qualities
5.0-5.4 - Nothing special, but nice enough
4.0-4.9 - Listenable; only a few enjoyable moments
3.0-3.9 - Not worth the price
2.0-2.9 - Pitiful
1.0-1.9 - Terrifying
0.1-0.9 - Redefines awful
0.0 - Avoid it like the plague

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (November 24, 2005)

what book was it? http://www.trinitytc.com/888/casino-directory-2005.html

Anonymous (June 30, 2003)

you can't fuck with the ramones...it doesn't matter how old you are or what you listen to

Anonymous (June 30, 2003)

Um...I would just like to make this official. The Bullshit Detector is the stupidest fuck ever. You dont like the Ramones so you dont like punk? Words fail to describe how fucking dumb you are. Im speechless.

-GreenVandal

dignin (June 29, 2003)

I agree with fortyminutes west, you can appreciate what the ramones did for music but not really care to listen to them. A sidenote, I see so many ramones shirts on kids who listen to sum 41 it makes me sick.

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

Haha... I don't like to resort to name calling over the internet, but if I did, I might be obliged to insult you. It's nice how you're so fucked up that you think you can get a physical description of what I wear and who I hang out with from a few posts on the internet. I don't belong to the scene, kiddo, and if I did I wouldn't be defending any old bands...

Who did invent punk, if not the Ramones? WHO CREATED THE MOVEMENT?

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

Oh yea,& don't blame the internet for your inability to comprehend sarcasm.
Now, put on your black hoodie & go back to your "crew", you may have earned some scene points. Geek.

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

Christ, what are you Bullshit Detector, the fucking scene police?

"I'm saying since the Ramones created punk..."

credibility....slowly....slipping....away....

Anonymous (June 27, 2003)

this record is actually pretty good, but the score is for this crap review.

what's with biting a score key from pitchfork, couldn't think of anything on your own?

FortyMinutesWest (June 26, 2003)

I don't care if you question my taste in music, honestly. But the fact is that you keep beating this issue into the ground, we've been over this before. We disagree, the end.

Anonymous (June 26, 2003)

This scene is not uber cool... It's bull shit. Sarcasm doesn't cross too well over the 'net, buddy.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you're allowed to diss every band that you don't like, be ready for someone to question your somewhat crappy taste in music.

Liars suck, but at least they aren't churning out more radio friendly crap or generic metal. Yes, I would rather a band be deliberately different (oh, what a sin!) than the same as everythingelse.

-BSD

FortyMinutesWest (June 26, 2003)

I said that I don't like the Ramones. I said that there were alot of other bands I'd listen to before the Ramones. I said that I don't think they're the greatest band ever. Don't agree? Fine. I'm entitled to my own opinion and you're entitled to yours. I never said they sucked, or they weren't influential. I respect them for all that they did, I just don't enjoy their music all that much. If this disqualifies me from this uber cool scene, then so be it, I don't give a fuck.

Oh, and the comment about Korn was sarcasm, you jackass. If you can't detect obvious sarcasm then I don't know what to tell you. Hey, I'll even help you out. I think the Korn comment was in a Hot Hot Heat review, or one of those shitty bands anyway.

Anonymous (June 26, 2003)

No, but you can't say you like punk rock, but not the Ramones. That's so totally contradictory it's like me saying I'm really into metal, but I only listen to modern bands that suck. I don't listen to just punk. I listen to dub, techno, reggae, ska (yeah even though the trend is out), post punk, folk, hell, even some psychedelic music. I'm not your average "Hey man, its against the rules to diss the Ramones" argument, I'm saying that since the Ramones created punk, they are the embodiment of what it is and means. To say you like punk, but not the Ramones (and yes, if I felt like it, I could find your many quotes about how "overrated" they are) is so totally, totally ignorant... Please, trust me. You're just a little third gen twerp with no real musical knowledge. I was there when it all began.

By the way, you said before that KoRn was what "hardcore" was all about... I don't feel like going and getting that quote right now, but if you lie about your love for them again, I'll be forced to.

The Bullshit Detector

Anonymous (June 26, 2003)

Cant we all just get along? Like some scenester robots maybe?

FortyMinutesWest (June 26, 2003)

You're an idiot. I never said that The Ramones couldn't play, I said I'm not a Ramones fan. I'm so sorry, maybe I should pretend to like them because I'm supposed to and because everyone else does. Yeah, that's punk rock.

What the hell does Korn have to do with anything? They're pure trash. They aren't hardcore, they aren't metal. If you think they are then maybe you should try listening to some music other than punk.

And where exactly did I say I liked pop punk?

Anonymous (June 26, 2003)

"I really dislike'Liars. So pretentious."

Shut the hell up... "Pretentious" is metalheads like you who go around saying they like punk because they listen to fuckin' pop-punk and Shai Hulud. "Pretentious" is KoRn, a bunch of talentless fucks with nothing but crap to contribute to the world of music. "Pretentious" is a reviewer on a punk site who critisizes the Ramones because they "can't play".

By the way, Liars do suck. Skip them, go straight to the source: Gang of Four.

lieutenant (June 24, 2003)

The word pretentious may be overused, but often only to fit the overdone artsy approach.

FortyMinutesWest (June 24, 2003)

Pretentious is overused, but not in this case.

relay1112 (June 24, 2003)

If you're interested in Liars, check out They Threw Us in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, their full length. It's really good. Review here:

http://www.punknews.org/reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=18 73

lackofsleep (June 24, 2003)

shopping spree?

Anonymous (June 24, 2003)

quit using the word pretentious. thats my advice for everyone visiting this page or writing for it. is that the new buzz word of the year for punks this year? its seems such an easy way to put down anything that isnt traditional punk. most people are using it at the wrong time too (not saying it was in this instance). if i hear one more kid throw around the word im gonna go on a spree

FortyMinutesWest (June 24, 2003)

I really dislike'Liars. So pretentious.

Anonymous (June 24, 2003)

OH MAN I CAN'T WAIT TILL THURSDAY NIGHT, IT'S GOING TO BE AMAZING.

who's with me?

inagreendase

Anonymous (June 24, 2003)

no sir, i dont like it.