Thalia Zedek Band Issue #36

Liars and Prayers (Thrill Jockey)

By Katerina Herodotou
Published: August 1st, 2008 | 10:56am

Don’t let the “Band” part fool you — Liars and Prayers is pure Thalia Zedek, throaty growl and all. The band is merely there to complete the vision with additional instrumentation. Zedek’s latest release on Thrill Jockey is as bittersweet as any of her work and also as grungy as her previous releases — unfortunately, dating the sound of the entire record.

Zedek has been making music since the 1970s, and her resume reads like a true indie rock pioneer: Playing with Dangerous Birds, Uzi, Live Skull, and Come before branching out to solo projects in 2001. Her gothic proto-emo, all sore passions and wrenching snarls, is as moody as ever on Liars and Prayers. Yet Zedek and her band have lost the punk edge that defined her earlier work — as indie rock has evolved through the ’90s to betray pop sensibilities — and her trademark abrasive sound is overwhelmingly dated and out of place. There’s too much viola and too much piano throbbing on each of the 11 tracks, causing Zedek to sound strained in her vocals.

Not afraid to get political, tracks like “Next Exit” and “Begin to Exhume” are inspired by the current political climate in the US; No, not the election, but the liars and prayers (ahem) of the Bush administration. Zedek’s raw voice, complete with scratchy violent and bluesy undertones, is perfect for such an undertaking, but the sludgy tracks can’t overcome their own long-windedness. Hopefully Zedek has another 30 years of music making ahead of her and will grow with the times.