I’ve been listening to the new Liars album, Drum’s Not Dead rather obsessively. At first I just didn’t really get it at all but I wanted to because I loved their first album and really like parts of their second album. Most critics have been mentioning how the album is some sort of concept album about two characters: a drum named “Drum” and a mountain named “Mt. Heart Attack.” Also, apparently the album details some sort of clash between these characters, either a physical clash or a clash of ideals. Since most of the song titles have either the word “drum” or “Mt. Heart Attack” in it, I’d say these conclusions whether they are based on actual critical analysis or press kits, may or may not be right.

I don’t care.

The album is magnificent. From a purely sonic standpoint the album is magnificent. It doesn’t go down easy by any stretch of the imagination but it’s pretty satisfying once it's ingested.

It’s a lot like whiskey. Or Brandon.

Where I really discovered how awesome this album is was in my headphones. If you only listen to this album on a stereo you still may dig it, but the first time you listen to it on your headphones you’ll swear that you’re hearing this album for the first time. It’s interesting because most of the songs are loud, slightly violent and more than a little disturbing but there’s just enough subtlety in the composition of the songs, their placement within the album and their relationship with each other to make the entire experience rewarding.

The key is the very last track “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack.” Sounding nothing at all like anything that came before it, “The Other Side...” is this beautiful melodic (and haunting) ballad that blindsides you with its beauty. So much so that you immediately hit the “repeat” button – not to repeat the song but to repeat the whole album – because, well, you want to make sure you’re still listening to the same album. And that’s where Drum’s Not Dead gets you. Upon the second (and third and fourth) listens that’s when you start to pick up the subtle little sounds hiding underneath the more disturbing dominant ones and the final track doesn't blindside you as much anymore. When you know it's coming it heightens your anticipation throughout the rest of the album. (Oh and this is an album that you MUST listen to in its entirety.)

It’s like Terence Malick’s The Thin Red Line . Amidst all the violence, pain and suffering of war, Malick continually inserted these odd silent moments of extreme natural beauty. I never really got that movie until recently. I hadn’t watched it recently. I don’t think I’ve seen the move but twice since it came out nearly ten years ago.

But I digress. The point is, Drum’s Not Dead is not the easiest album in the world to digest. If you’ll notice I don’t make any comparisons to any other albums and/or bands because honestly, I just don’t know that there are any. I’m not saying there aren’t any, I’m just saying that if there are albums that sound like this then I haven’t heard them. I don’t care though. This is about this album right now. Within the singular framework of this album right now, I wouldn’t go so far as to throw the “masterpiece” word out as so many critics have already done, this is the best album Liars have made in their young career and will probably be looked back upon as one of the best of this year.