Tracks such as If Your (sic) A Wizard, Then Why Do You Wear Glasses? and We Fenced Other Houses With The Bones Of Our Own are less titles and more outlines to elaborate rock operas.

But Liars steer well clear of Mercury-inspired histrionics. Jarring, menacing and, at times, frankly bizarre electro-dance tops the bill on a second album inspired by medieval German witch trials. And true to form, Liars' avant-garde cauldron bubbles over to the sound of US art punks perversely evading simple categorisation. If you like your walks dark and wooded and your music creative but served with an unlistenable side salad of hacksaw guitars and light sabre-style electronica, Liars are your next Sonic Youth. But this witch-inspired LP failed to cast a spell on this reviewer.

Updated: 08:47 Thursday, April 22, 2004