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They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
by
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
They Were Wrong, So We Drowned Image
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 30 Ratings

  • Summary: The New York punk outfit moves even further away from the mainstream on this sophomore effort (a concept album about witch trials), which also sees them with a new rhythm section.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 31
  3. Negative: 3 out of 31
  1. AllMusic
    90
    By not just defying but denying the expectations about what their music should be like, the Liars have created one of the most fascinating, confrontational albums of the 2000s.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Fewer thrills, more chills. [27 Feb 2004, p.98]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. Splendid
    80
    A fascinatingly cinematic, image-laden and claustrophobic album that feels like the someone else's nightmare.
  4. Trouser Press
    70
    Less punkish than its predecessor, the Liars’ second effort, although marred by Wagnerian excess, lyrical inanity and overlong atmospherics, is still a record of non-commercialized large beats and immense technical skill.
  5. Pitchfork
    63
    Contrary to what some have claimed, They Were Wrong is listenable, and intentionally so: the band frequently finds ways to successfully straddle the fence between form and noise... though most of the time, it's admittedly impenetrable and alienating.
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    Ultimately, we’re left wondering: have Liars lost it, or found themselves?
  7. Spin
    0
    Unlistenable. [Mar 2004, p.96]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 31 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. BrianC.
    May 2, 2008
    10
    My favorite cd of all time, and certainly the best liars cd as well in my opinion.
  2. PIRANHAg.
    Mar 31, 2004
    10
    Shit this is so wired but i like it
  4. AViewAM
    Nov 2, 2006
    10
    Hehe...Rolling Stone dropped the ball on Pinkerton and they did it again here. Spin and Rolling Stone just keep on proving why no one with Hehe...Rolling Stone dropped the ball on Pinkerton and they did it again here. Spin and Rolling Stone just keep on proving why no one with more than half a brain even reads their magazines anymore. They Were Wrong is one of the more challenging albums I've ever come across and after wrestling with it for, what, two years now? I've come to the unmistakable conclusion that it's probably the best alubm ever, only in disguise.… Expand
  5. johns
    Mar 1, 2004
    9
    It is no surprise that Liars have been so roundly scorned by mainstream music press for this cd. Unlike during the no-wave era of the It is no surprise that Liars have been so roundly scorned by mainstream music press for this cd. Unlike during the no-wave era of the late-70s and early-80s, today there are far fewer journalists out there willing to challenge themselves with music so willingly atonal, and, certainly, conceptually imaginative. Liars evoke a bleak and spooky audio version of Milller's "The Crucible" crossed with the mood of one of Nathaniel Hawthorne's horror tales from early New England. If you liked the first CD only because of its danceable bass lines and don't care for experimental and/or concept albums, then this is probably not for you. Again, no surprise that this Cd has so polarized the critics since most critics are only interested in melody, groove or the "prettiness" of ambient sound in post-rock. If you want to seriously open your horizons to one of the better Cds of 2004, light some black candles, dim the lights and put this in your cd player for half an hour.… Expand
  6. JeffW
    Apr 30, 2004
    9
    The best CD (and probably the only) to rip off the first This Heat album wholesale right down to the multitracked flat harmonies. You can The best CD (and probably the only) to rip off the first This Heat album wholesale right down to the multitracked flat harmonies. You can always depend on Rolling Stone and Spin to be a reverse barometer on challenging music.… Expand
  7. MarkB
    Apr 5, 2004
    8
    Not as propulsive as "They Threw Us..." but also not as easy to ignore. I would recommend this to anyone who liked SY's EVOL &/or Bad Not as propulsive as "They Threw Us..." but also not as easy to ignore. I would recommend this to anyone who liked SY's EVOL &/or Bad Moon Rising, Pavement's first 7" EP or Pere Ubu's New Picnic Time &/or Dub Housing. My ears hear much more in common with these bands than the classic no-wave acts Liars are so often compared to. There *are* weak spots but overall the recording holds together remarkably well for me and is incredible headphone fodder. When you consider the pressure a second recording places on a band, "They Were Wrong..." is a miracle and a gift.… Expand
  8. NickY
    Jul 2, 2004
    0
    Utterly unlistenable crap

See all 17 User Reviews

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