WIXIW

Last updated
WIXIW
Liars - WIXIW.jpg
Studio album by
Liars
ReleasedJune 4, 2012 (2012-06-04)
Recorded2011–2012
Genre Experimental rock, electronica
Length43:04
Label Mute
Producer Daniel Miller [1]
Liars chronology
Sisterworld
(2010)		WIXIW
(2012)		 Mess
(2014)
Singles from WIXIW
  1. "No. 1 Against the Rush"
    Released: 28 May 2012
  2. "Brats"
    Released: 15 October 2012

WIXIW (pronounced "wish you") [2] is the sixth studio album by experimental rock trio Liars, [3] released on June 4, 2012. [4] It was written in Los Angeles and in a remote cabin in the mountains around the city. [5] [4] Recording took place in Liars' private studio below U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles [5] under the guidance of the band's label boss, Daniel Miller. [1] Writing for The Quietus , Luke Turner described WIXIW as the band's "most accessible album to date" as well as their most electronic record ever. [1] Reflecting on WIXIW's themes of longing and doubt, Angus Andrew said "You find that throughout the record, even within single songs, there's this duality of wanting to be close to someone but at the same time being afraid of that and thinking it's best that they leave." [6]

Contents

The video for "Brats" by Ian Cheng was the second featured video on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim series Off the Air in the episode "Nature".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10 [7]
Metacritic 81/100 [8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The A.V. Club A− [10]
Consequence of Sound Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
NME 8/10 [13]
Pitchfork 7.8/10 [5]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Spin 8/10 [16]
Uncut 7/10 [17]

WIXIW was well received by music critics, and garnered a score of 81 on the review site Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim". [8]

In a review for BBC Music, John Doran called the album an "unqualified success" and suggested Liars' newfound kinship with Aphex Twin and Radiohead circa 1999 established them in a field all their own, [18] while Turner referred to the song Brats as a "juddering drunk punk masterpiece". [1] Journalist Emily Mackay of the NME likened the palindromatic album title to the band pursuing a new creative approach to reconnect with their multi-faceted essential nature. [13]

Accolades

PublicationRankRef
BBC Music 16 [19]
Clash 23 [20]
Consequence of Sound 26 [21]
DIY 1 [22]
Exclaim! 45 [23]
Filter 12 [24]
The Fly 36 [25]
musicOMH 8 [26]
NME 39 [27]
Time Out London 15 [28]
Under the Radar 24 [29]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Angus Andrew; all music is composed by Liars

No.TitleLength
1."The Exact Color of Doubt"4:07
2."Octagon"4:38
3."No.1 Against the Rush"5:10
4."A Ring on Every Finger"3:18
5."Ill Valley Prodigies"2:03
6."WIXIW"6:12
7."His and Mine Sensations"4:40
8."Flood to Flood"3:30
9."Who Is the Hunter"3:47
10."Brats"3:02
11."Annual Moon Words"2:37

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Turner, Luke (May 30, 2012). "Liars: WIXIW". The Quietus . Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  2. ↑ Moores, J. R. (May 30, 2012). "Album Review: Liars – WIXIW". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  3. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Larry (April 2, 2012). "The New Liars Album Gets a Title: WIXIW". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Goble, Corban (May 14, 2012). "Liars Explain WIXIW In This Short Film". Stereogum . Retrieved May 28, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Fitzmaurice, Larry (June 4, 2012). "Liars: WIXIW". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  6. ↑ Turner, Luke (May 14, 2012). "The Power Of Doubt: Liars' Guide To New LP WIXIW". The Quietus . Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  7. ↑ "WIXIW by Liars reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Reviews for WIXIW by Liars". Metacritic . Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  9. ↑ Phares, Heather. "WIXIW – Liars". AllMusic . Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  10. ↑ Schild, Matt (June 5, 2012). "Liars: WIXIW". The A.V. Club . Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  11. ↑ Kivel, Adam (June 4, 2012). "Album Review: Liars – WIXIW". Consequence of Sound . Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Liars: WIXIW". Mojo (225): 91. August 2012.
  13. 1 2 Mackay, Emily (June 1, 2012). "Liars – 'WIXIW'". NME . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (June 18, 2012). "WIXIW". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  15. ↑ Cataldo, Jesse (June 3, 2012). "Liars: WIXIW". Slant Magazine . Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ Beta, Andy (June 8, 2012). "Liars, 'WIXIW' (Mute)". Spin . Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Liars: WIXIW". Uncut (182): 77. July 2012.
  18. ↑ Doran, John (June 6, 2012). "Liars WIXIW Review". BBC Music . Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  19. ↑ Diver, Mike (December 6, 2012). "BBC Music's Top 25 Albums of 2012". BBC Music . Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  20. ↑ "The Top 40 Albums Of 2012". Clash . December 6, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Top 50 Albums of 2012". Consequence of Sound. December 14, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  22. ↑ "DIY Albums Of 2012: 10 - 1". DIY . December 7, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  23. ↑ Keast, James (December 21, 2012). "Top 50 Albums of the Year". Exclaim! . Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  24. ↑ "FILTER's Top 10 of 2012: Staff Picks". Filter . December 3, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The Top 50 Albums Of 2012". The Fly . November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 24, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Top 100 Albums Of 2012: 50-6". musicOMH. December 15, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  27. ↑ Lewis, Luke (November 20, 2012). "50 Best Albums of 2012". NME. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  28. ↑ "The 50 best albums of 2012". Time Out London . December 18, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2012". Under the Radar . March 27, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
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