''Drum's Not Dead'' is the third album by

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

band Liars, released on February 20, 2006 through

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...

. It was recorded at the Planet Roc recording studio in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and produced by

Angus Andrew Liars (stylized as LIARS) are an Australian-American experimental rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2000. Angus Andrew is the founding and only constant member of Liars, currently joined by multi-instrumentalist Cameron Deyell and drum ...

. The album's atmospheric sound is characterized by pounding drums, highly distorted guitar drones, and falsetto vocals. Upon initial release, the album featured a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

with three different long-form

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s of the entire album. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' ranked the album number 6 on their list of the Top 50 albums of 2006.

Background

''Drum's Not Dead'' emerged in 2004 as a loose

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

following the recording of a shelved album, which the band then used as a musical blueprint. The album's title and several track names refer to two fictional characters—Drum and Mt. Heart Attack—who, according to the band following the album's release, represent a state of being, à la

yin and yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...

. Drum is assertive and productive, the spirit of creative confidence. With two drum kits integral to many of these percussive, propulsive, highly rhythmic convulsions, Drum came to be acknowledged as a fourth member of the band. Conversely, Mt. Heart Attack is the reaction to Drum's action, the embodiment of stress and self-doubt. Both became key characters in the creative process of the album.

Track listing

# "Be Quiet Mt. Heart Attack!" – 3:28 # "Let's Not Wrestle Mt. Heart Attack" – 4:31 # "A Visit from Drum" – 4:19 # "Drum Gets a Glimpse" – 4:14 # " It Fit When I Was a Kid" – 4:02 # "The Wrong Coat for You Mt. Heart Attack" – 3:59 # "Hold You, Drum" – 4:42 # "It's All Blooming Now Mt. Heart Attack" – 3:09 # "Drum and the Uncomfortable Can" – 4:55 # "You, Drum" – 1:15 # "To Hold You, Drum" – 4:04 # " The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack" – 4:45 ;DVD # "Drum's Not Bread" (directed by Julian Gross) # "The Helix Aspersa" (directed by Angus Andrew) # "By Your Side" (directed by Markus Wambsganss)

References

External links

Mute.com
2006 albums Liars (band) albums Mute Records albums {{2000s-indie-rock-album-stub