Columnist Spencer Patterson: ‘Wrong’ is right call for Album of the Year

Friday, Dec. 17, 2004 | 8:50 a.m.

The more music I hear, the more I yearn for something different.

That probably explains why Feedback's Album of the Year is also the strangest disc I ran across in 2004.

I've been fascinated with "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned" -- the second full-length effort from Brooklyn, N.Y., band Liars -- from the moment I first heard the immortal lyrics to its opening track back in February.

"I no longer want to be a man / I want to be a horse / Men have small hearts / I need a tail / Give me a tail / Tell me a tale of the children that stood in the way of the endless winter of the white witch's longing to cripple and pale."

Huh?

And it only gets weirder from there. One "song" is mostly the sound of a pencil writing on parchment while a thunderstorm rages in the background.

That actually might be my favorite track on the disc. Without using a single word, it captures the spooky current running through "Wrong," a concept album centered on the 16th century's Germanic witch trials.

I also dug Liars' first LP, 2001's "They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top." Despite that disc's avant-garde approach, however, it was far easier to get a handle on, leaning toward the off-kilter dance-punk of New York peers such as the Rapture and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Hoping to distance themselves from that scene, chief Liars Angus Andrew and Aaron Hemphill sacked the rest of their band, brought in new percussionist Julian Gross and retreated into the woods of New Jersey to craft their dark masterpiece.

"Our house in New Jersey is deep in the forest, away from people and distractions," Andrew, the group's lanky, Australian-born vocalist, wrote on the Liars' official Web site. "We tried to freak ourselves out as much as possible, taking long walks at night through the forest, just trying to get into the right mindset."

The unusual technique worked wonderfully. "Wrong" is danceable in parts, particularly on first single, "There's Always Room on the Broom," but maintains its curiously creepy mood throughout.

Not surprisingly, most mainstream publications didn't get it. Rolling Stone awarded it one star out of five, decreeing, "Making a record about fear is one thing; making a record you fear listening to is quite another."

Wimps.

Then again, they'll probably tap Avril Lavigne's latest for their album of the year.

Overall, 2004 was a strong year for new music, with at least a few dozen releases I expect to be in my regular rotation for quite some time.

There were big breakouts, such as the acclaimed debuts from Franz Ferdinand and Las Vegas' own the Killers, and an unexpectedly embraced album by veteran indie-rockers Modest Mouse.

The year was also home to return-to-form efforts from familiar names, including Loretta Lynn, Morrissey and Patti Smith.

And there were disappointments, discs from Wilco, the Hives and the Thrills among them.

Here are Feedback's picks for 2004's best albums. Remember, while I heard all or parts of a few hundred discs this year there were plenty I didn't get to check out, so this list is always subject to change.

1. Liars -- "They Were Wrong, So We Drowned" (Mute): Listen to it late at night, with all the lights out.

2. Interpol -- "Antics" (Matador): Every track has at least one spine-tingling moment on the New York buzz band's mighty follow-up to 2002's brilliant debut, "Turn on the Bright Lights."

3. Sonic Youth -- "Sonic Nurse" (Geffen): Don't call it a comeback. These noise-rock stalwarts craft quality albums years after year, and "Nurse" is no exception.

4. The Black Keys -- "Rubber Factory" (Fat Possum): Ohio's blues-rock duo churn out some mean blues-rock on this, their third album.

5. Arcade Fire -- "Funeral" (Merge): I can't get enough of this emotionally gripping full-length debut from Montreal's "It" indie-rock collective.

6. Neko Case -- "The Tigers have Spoken" (Anti): Lynn's excellent "Van Lear Rose" got all the press, but this live set from alt-country singer Case is even more enchanting.

7. Comets on Fire -- "Blue Cathedral" (Sub Pop): The Northern Californians' brand of heavy psychedelic rock stays spellbinding from start to finish.

8. Kanye West -- "The College Dropout" (Roc-A-Fella): The uber hip-hop producer loads up on all-star guests, catchy beats and intelligent rhymes for his solo rap debut.

9. Air -- "Talkie Walkie" (Source): More mellow mood music from France's atmospheric electronic-pop duo.

10. PJ Harvey -- "Uh Huh Her" (Island): The bleak singer-songwriter ups the ante musically on her first album in nearly four years.

Honorable Mention: The Fall -- "The Real New Fall Album" (U.S. version); Franz Ferdinand -- "Franz Ferdinand"; Ghost -- "Hypnotic World"; Guided By Voices -- "Half Smiles of the Decomposed"; Loretta Lynn -- "Van Lear Rose"; Mission of Burma -- "OnOffOn"; Madvillain -- "Madvillainy"; A.C. Newman -- "The Slow Wonder"; Patti Smith -- "Trampin' "; TV On the Radio -- "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes"; Brian Wilson -- "Smile".

On sale

Rod Stewart returns to the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 2. Tickets are $50, $100 and $150 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

The "Sno Core Tour" featuring Chevelle, Helmet and Crossfade lands at The Joint at the Hard Rock on Jan. 25. Tickets are $20 and are on sale now at the Hard Rock box office and through Ticketmaster.

Social Distortion plays The Joint on Feb. 3. Tickets are $24 and are on sale now through the Hard Rock box office and Ticketmaster.

Snoop Dogg holds court at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Jan. 22. Tickets are $40 to $50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through Ticketmaster.

Rise Against shares a House of Blues bill with Tsunami Bomb, Alexisonfire and Only Crime on Feb. 5. Tickets are $12 and are on sale now through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.

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