CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Music

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

55 3 Doors Down
69 9th Wonder & Buckshot
69 Adele
70 Adem
75 Alkaline Trio
78 Animal Collective
64 Anti-Flag
69 The Apples In Stereo
54 Ashanti
69 Atmosphere
67 The Black Angels
77 The Black Keys
83 Bonnie "Prince" Billy
75 Boris
71 Billy Bragg
74 The Breeders
47 The Brian Jonestown Massacre
83 Bun B
64 T Bone Burnett
65 Mariah Carey
87 Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
68 The Charlatans
68 Clinic
72 Coldplay
78 The Constantines
79 The Cool Kids
78 Elvis Costello & The Impostors
60 The Courteeners
79 Cut Copy
53 Craig David
73 Death Cab For Cutie
47 Def Leppard
61 Gavin DeGraw
66 dEUS
79 Neil Diamond
63 Dirty Pretty Things
57 Disturbed
59 Does It Offend You, Yeah?
73 Dresden Dolls
69 Dub Pistols
71 Duffy
68 The Duke Spirit
81 Jakob Dylan
79 Earlimart
70 Ecstatic Sunshine
65 El Perro del Mar
82 Elbow
85 Alejandro Escovedo
73 Estelle
72 The Explorers Club
79 The Fall
54 Feeder
72 Firewater
77 Tim Fite
88 Fleet Foxes
79 Flight Of The Conchords
74 Foals
79 Robert Forster
75 Four Tet
47 Foxy Brown
64 The Fratellis
59 Free Kitten
71 French Kicks
79 Frightened Rabbit
73 The Futureheads
68 The Gossip
81 Al Green
51 G-Unit
72 Ed Harcourt
79 Emmylou Harris
82 HEALTH
59 Heloise And The Savoir Faire
85 Hercules And Love Affair
77 John Hiatt
65 Vanessa Hudgens
77 James Hunter
70 Islands
69 Jewel
79 Joan As Police Woman
71 Joan Of Arc
58 Scarlett Johansson
69 John & Jehn
59 Judas Priest
75 Kidz In The Hall
71 Fern Knight
65 The Kooks
69 Lady Antebellum
74 Ladytron
65 Langhorne Slim
77 The Last Shadow Puppets
67 Cyndi Lauper
66 Les Savy Fav
64 Leona Lewis
72 Jamie Lidell
71 Lil Mama
83 Lil Wayne
72 Local H
73 The Long Blondes
80 Los Campesinos!
45 Los Lonely Boys
66 Lyrics Born
69 M83
65 Madonna
74 Man Man
79 Aimee Mann
80 Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
67 Mates Of State
79 Matmos
80 James McMurtry
70 Colin Meloy
71 Midnight Juggernauts
65 Kylie Minogue
63 Moby
63 Alanis Morissette
69 Van Morrison
57 Motley Crue
66 Jason Mraz
74 The M's
79 Mudcrutch
77 Mudhoney
49 The Music
71 My Brightest Diamond
70 My Morning Jacket
64 N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]
76 The Night Marchers
66 Nine Inch Nails
77 Nine Inch Nails
78 No Age
80 Jim Noir
76 The Notwist
54 The Offspring
72 Old 97's
87 Opeth
59 The Orb
62 James Pants
48 Katy Perry
71 Phantom Planet
84 Sam Phillips
56 The Pigeon Detectives
72 Plies
69 Robert Pollard
83 Ponytail
85 Portishead
65 The Proclaimers
75 Prodigy [of Mobb Deep]
71 Pyramids
79 R.E.M.
48 The Rascals
86 Robyn
72 The Rolling Stones
79 The Roots
48 Gavin Rossdale
72 Russian Circles
66 RZA
76 Santogold
86 Shearwater
81 Sigur Rós
78 Silver Jews
60 Carly Simon
62 Ashlee Simpson
76 Sloan
73 Sam Sparro
77 Spiritualized
89 Steinski
75 Subtle
66 Donna Summer
81 Sun Kil Moon
66 Supergrass
71 The Sword
61 Tapes 'n Tapes
64 Three 6 Mafia
76 Thrice
76 Tilly And The Wall
64 The Ting Tings
51 Tokio Hotel
67 Tokyo Police Club
65 Usher
76 Vetiver
69 The Virgins
76 Martha Wainwright
75 Was (Not Was)
67 The Watson Twins
64 We Are Scientists
65 The Wedding Present
64 Weezer
76 White Denim
81 Cassandra Wilson
88 Dennis Wilson
61 Steve Winwood
78 Wolf Parade
63 The Zutons

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Drum's Not Dead
by Liars

Liars reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 79 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.9 out of 10
based on 29 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 50 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

The third album for the now Berlin-based experimental trio includes a DVD with (count 'em!) three videos for each of the dozen songs on the CD.

LABEL: Mute
RELEASE DATE: 21 March 2006
DISCS: 1 CD + 1 DVD
GENRE(S): Indie, Rock

NOTES: UK release 20 Feb 2006.


What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Delusions of Adequacy
A stunning achievement and the first exceptionally great album of 2006.
Read Full Review
100
Tiny Mix Tapes
So come now fans of insidious and wily (yet cerebral) rock, Liars have delivered just what you need... even if you don't realize it yet.
Read Full Review
100
Alternative Press
The disc may be too weird for people who like their music categorically cut and dried, but adventurous listeners will want to bang Liars' Drum often. [May 2006, p.178]
100
Urb
Unequivocally recommended for the open-minded among us. [Apr 2006, p.86]
91
Stylus Magazine
A manically strange, darkly and violently beautiful, and deliriously pop album.
Read Full Review
90
Pitchfork
Drum's Not Dead is a majestic victory lap, and on all levels, a total fucking triumph.
Read Full Review
90
Playlouder
This is music that relies entirely on feeling, and while not for everyone it is music at its most impulsively, spontaneously creative.
Read Full Review
90
Drowned In Sound
With their third album, Liars have succeeded in creating the near-impossible; a conceptual work that speaks to the emotions and the intellect simultaneously.
Read Full Review
83
Entertainment Weekly
There's a subtle beauty amid the madness. [24 Mar 2006, p.70]
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Drips with a sense of myth and mystery.
Read Full Review
81
cokemachineglow
Perhaps it took a grueling creative journey and a battle with self-doubt to get there, but the end result is a band that has retained its brash experimental flare while discovering its heart.
Read Full Review
80
Dot Music
Through the course of "Drums Not Dead", you'll endure an unsettling, slightly terrifying experience, the likes of which is rarely committed to record.
Read Full Review
80
Mojo
The trio's chanting, loops and metal-bashing framework is now fleshed out by some beautiful ambient-noise balladry. [Mar 2006, p.106]
80
Paste Magazine
Drum is a challenging listen... But as the songs flow one into the next, a powerful tension builds, released finally by the gorgeous closing ballad. [Apr/May 2006, p.108]
80
Slant Magazine
Every minute of the album demands patience and something resembling concentration.
Read Full Review
80
Under The Radar
Admittedly, the tracks take multiple listens to truly grasp beyond their primal appeal. [#13, p.92]
75
Almost Cool
Despite some tracks that take immediate hold, it's another album that takes a little bit of simmering to really sink in.
Read Full Review
74
ShakingThrough.net
Despite isolated moments of brilliance, Drum’s Not Dead fails to mesh.
Read Full Review
70
New Musical Express
Out there, sure--but this is the sort of experimentalism Radiohead scoop plaudits for. [18 Feb 2006, p.35]
70
PopMatters
It is clear that Liars are, just now, coming into their own musically, making music that ebbs and flows and might actually invite emotion as much as it does analysis.
Read Full Review
70
The New York Times
Pretentious? Absolutely. But the music can also be genuinely eerie. [27 Mar 2006]
70
Prefix Magazine
It's true that many of these tracks are not for the casual listener, but that's also not the point.
Read Full Review
70
All Music Guide
Drum's Not Dead is undeniably interesting, but somehow unsatisfying.
Read Full Review
67
Spin
Kraut-rock drones run together into one long, thudding hum. [Mar 2006, p.95]
60
Blender
So goofy and heartfelt it's endearing. [Apr 2006, p.114]
60
Uncut
Much of Drum's Not Dead suggests a Ligeti score for The Blair Witch Project as played by The Residents. [Mar 2006, p.88]
60
The Guardian
It seems the group have ditched their purposefully disturbing sound for something at once more experimental and listenable.
Read Full Review
40
Q Magazine
The dual-drumkit, tribal incantations and ominous drones have a pleasing menace but when you factor in the "concept"... patience starts to wane. [Mar 2006, p.111]
10
Filter
One long ridiculous story/art project gone horribly wrong. [#19, p.92]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this album is 8.9 (out of 10) based on 50 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

R G gave it a9:
the world created by this album begs a listen from anyone interested in the concept of an album. with just the drums a minimal riff and that dudes voice, a world of mountains vs drums is brought to life. through the course there are abstract pictures of varied themes that echo themselves. one of the best in 2006, great live act as well

AView AM gave it a9:
Does anyone even read Filter? God knows I never have. Not as immediately abrasive as They Were Wrong, so not as good *L* but still a triumph on many levels.

Seamus S gave it a10:
I went most of the year thinking that it was a time for the older artist to come back into the true spotlight. Johnny Cash produced what may arguably be his best (at least most human) album ever, American V. Morrissey pulled out a surprisingly well kind of punch with his Tony Visconti produced Ringleader Of The Tourmenters and I had seen nothing in the ways of youth and good music. Beyond Islands I had heard nothing of a younger artist that was worth taking notice until this. Liars "Drums Not Dead" is a primal and great kind of totally ambitious album that doesnt appear much these days. As punishing as it is gorgeous, it's a delicate decent into a darker art rock that hasnt been heard since David Bowie. A Truely beautiful and effecting album.

Alex A gave it a0:
Probably worst album ever. This year's definately.

Mihai V gave it a10:
Best album of 2006. Dark, twisted, angry. A concept album stands alongside Kid A.

xavi r gave it a9:
More personal than the 1st (too much of Gang of Four) and more cohesive than the second (too much of Sonic Youth). Ambitious and audacious, excessive but brilliant. Kind of contemporary music with primitive drums. One of those "you-love-it-or-hate-it". I love it. Liars are definetely one of the most exciting bands I've heard in the last decade.

Danny B gave it a10:
I have got to agree with Matthew S on this one. A truly great album, it is beautiful, menacing, ominous, heartfelt, and timeless. My seeing them perform at the Pitchfork Music Festival only served to more clearly amplify the drastic step they are above every other band out there right now. A true and worthy successor to Kid A and possibly the best album of the new millenium.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: World News | Fantasy Football | Amy Winehouse | Baseball | E3 | Batman | Firefox 3 | iPhone 3G

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use