aaamusic | On 24, Jan 2011

The Tenebrous Liar return with “Run Run Run” the follow up to the fantastic “Jacknifed and Slaughtered” LP and it is an unexpected treat managing to be create an ominous atmosphere without ever falling into anything that could be considered teenage brooding.

‘Theme Tune’ is a strong opener; packing a punch right from the offset with an urgent rhythm and a gritty sound that is missing in the modern day. Entirely instrumental, it is certainly an impressive start to an album that manages to do menacing in a way that has an almost sordid feel. “Out” carries on where ‘Theme Tune’ left off but allows a very lo-fi vocal that sounds desperate without ever sinking into the realm of theatre. “The Sickness” begins basically enough but builds into a monster that moves through your speakers until it has infiltrated all of the space around you. “Desire” presents Gullick’s vocal as slurring yet undeniably pure; a sort of Johnny Cashesque clarity that will surely alienate a few. This album is intense yet its hypnotism never becomes too much; there is space for reflection here as well as times when the music feels as though its right on top of you. ‘Realise,’ for example, has moments of true subtlety juxtaposed against an unstoppable force marked by feedback and white noise.

“Run Run Run” is an album which sounds familiar; this sort of gritty rock is nothing that hasn’t been done before, however, it has never been done quite like this. There is a threatening underbelly that sets it above its peers from the past and manages to be dark enough to stand out at the same time as never being so left wing that it is incomparable to the current rock in vogue. An interesting addition to any collection.

Author: Josie Payne