Independent rock band Liar Thief Bandit released its latest studio recording this month, a little more than a year after the release of its then latest album, Deadlights in the form of Diamonds. Released through The Sign Records, the band is marketing the seven-song record as a new “mini-album.” In other words, the 27-minute record is an EP. This EP is a fully engaging and entertaining new offering from the band, too. That is evidenced through its musical and lyrical content alike. The record’s early entry, ‘Better Days,’ is just one of the songs that serves to make that clear. It will be discussed shortly. The band’s cover of Graveyard’s ‘Ain’t Fit To Live Here’ is another notable addition to the record and will be discussed a little later. ‘Send Me Home,’ the EP’s closer, is yet another way in which the record’s collective musical and lyrical content makes it interesting. It will also be examined later. All three songs noted here are interesting in their own way to the whole of the record. When they are considered alongside the record’s other entries, the whole makes Diamonds another welcome addition to this year’s field of new EPs.
Diamonds, the new EP from independent rock band Liar Thief Bandit, is another enjoyable offering from the band. The band’s fourth studio recording, it is being marketed as a “mini-album,” which everyone knows is just a euphemism for EP. EP or album, it is another enjoyable offering from the band. Its musical and lyrical content collectively make that clear. That is evidenced early in the record’s run in the form of ‘Better Days.’ The musical arrangement featured in ‘Better Days’ presents an intriguing blend of classic rock influence (which should come as no surprise considering that The Sign has a lot of neo-classic rock bands on its roster) and the band’s more familiar garage rock approach. Right from the outset of the three-minute-plus song, the dual guitar approach immediately conjures thoughts of Thin Lizzy’s timeless hit song, ‘The Boys Are Back in Time.’ The choruses that follow also present that comparison while also giving the song its own unique identity with even more classic rock influence. The verses meanwhile present more of the noted garage rock leaning. The overall musical presentation makes this song completely infectious.
The positive sound and style of the musical arrangement featured in ‘Better Days’ is a good fit with the song’s lyrical theme. The clear lyrical theme here is that of knowing our limits and not setting ourselves up for disappointment, by connection. This is inferred in the song’s lead verse and chorus, which state, “We’ve been making efforts/But nothing seems to change/All our past decisions/Led us to where we are/And we go too far/Better days are really hard to come by/Taking a stand is better than to stand by/We had it all figured out/Why can’t we just be satisfied.” The inferred theme continues in the song’s second verse, which states, “In constant search for shelter/We found our own way/It took a while to settle/For less than a shooting star/But this is who we are.” This line makes that seeming theme even clearer. It comes across as a statement of how we as a race had to learn to not set our expectations too high, but that that is just who and what we are, wanting instinctively to reach too high. It is as if the song is a reminder that it is okay to reach high and have certain expectations in life, but at the same time to know our limits. The seeming message, paired with the positive mood set in the song’s musical arrangement makes the song overall a positive addition to the record and just one of the songs that stands out here.
Liar Thief Bandit’s cover of Graveyard’s ‘Ain’t Fit To Live Here’ is another notable addition to the record. Liar Thief Bandit’s take on the song, which is featured in Graveyard’s 2011 album, Hisingen Blues, largely stays true to its source material right down to the frenetic drum solo that opens the song and the stoner rock approach taken in the original song. Even the subdued choral effect used in the song’s bridge is here, just as in the original song. The whole is a little more amped up in terms of the production, but overall, it is right in line with its source material, just amping it up even more. What’s more, the song clocks in at three minutes, 15 seconds, just 10 seconds longer than the original, so that shows even more just how closely this cover sticks to the original, paying full tribute to that work. It is just one more notable addition to Liar Thief Band’s record that audiences will appreciate.
‘Send Me Home,’ which closes out the EP, is one more notable addition to Diamonds. This song’s musical arrangement is completely unlike anything else on the record. The bass-driven composition almost immediately lends itself to comparison to so many vintage works from Black Sabbath. That is especially when the pairing of that bass line and the controlled guitar is coupled with the vocal delivery here. Even with the comparison clearly there, the song still boasts its own identity separate from the noted similar works, making the arrangement all the more enjoyable.
The lyrical content that accompanies the song’s musical content makes for its own enjoyment. Lyrically, this song is a deeply contemplative work. The lead verse and chorus state, “I’m giving up on getting further down the line/I’ve watched the second sunrise far too many times/Life is wasted on the living/The gift that keeps on giving/I’m giving in my resignation/I’m way past an explanation/I’ve been looking for a decent road to roam/I’m through/Searching for a reason/Send me home.” This brooding contemplation comes across as being from the point of someone at a very low point in life; someone who has just gotten fed up with so much. As the song progresses, the second verse adds, “Infatuation means there’s a reason to hold on/Six degrees of desperation takes over once it’s gone/There’s poetry in motion/But I’m not ready for such devotion.” This line leaves itself open for interpretation, clearly. The third verse adds, “Those who will not move/Never notice their own chains/Naïve behavior leaves you abandoned with the remains/People don’t change/They just get older/Standing by as the wind gets colder.” Taking this verse into account with the other two verses, what audiences get here is something along the lines of an existential rumination of sorts. It is a work that is certain to connect with specific audiences. The addition of the song’s musical arrangement to the mix makes for even more interest. The whole makes the song overall yet another noteworthy entry in this latest offering from Liar Thief Bandit. When it is considered alongside the other songs examined here and with the rest of the record’s entries, the whole makes the record overall another mostly successful offering from Liar Thief Bandit.
Diamonds, the latest studio offering from Liar Thief Bandit, is another engaging and entertaining offering from the independent rock band. That is due to its musical and lyrical content featured throughout the record. When those songs are considered along with the res of the record’s songs, the whole makes Diamonds another welcome addition to this year’s field of new EPs.
Diamonds is available now through The Sign Records. More information on Diamonds is available along with all of Liar Thief Bandit’s latest news at:
Website: https://www.liarthiefbandit.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiarThiefBandit
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