Jeff Miers from the Buffalo News is the latest to heap praise on 'Liars' with yes, yet another 4 star rating 'Liars', he says is "one of his absolute best...marrying some of his most gorgeous melodies, elegant harmonic platforms, and soulful singing to electronic musical beds that avoid being clinical on the strength of Rundgren's impossible- to-miss human touch". He saves most of his praise for the albums title track, where "Rundgren marries an Eastern modality to a two-verse slab of dark electronica that stealthily equates Islamic fundamentalism with Western dogma. Understated but brimming with emotional investment, it's simply one of the most powerful songs he's ever written"
Whilst the Decemberists have been around for a number of years, and a friend of mine is a big fan, I have to confess - a few tunes aside - they have never really made much of a splash with me. With their fifth album - 'The Hazards of Love' - a 17-track concept album that sort of tells a story about a fair maiden ravished by a shape-shifting demon (no, really) - however, I am suddenly find myself surprisingly won over. On some levels - like most concept albums - it is utter tosh, but with its repeating musical motifs and reprises, making you quickly think that actually there are only about five actual songs on the album - a clever trick. Like with all good concept albums this makes listening on shuffle not the ideal way to digest this album - especially as their are short 'interlude' pieces joining all the songs too. Added to all this the fact that the band seem to have a love for early 70's British folk/prog/heavy metal and this walks right up my street - and will ...
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