The third album by Cincinnatti's
Wolverton Brothers, 1992's
Liar Man pairs the group with producer and eventual key member
Jon Langford, whose mixture of spiky punk,
Captain Beefheart influences, and love of traditional country, was perfectly matched to the group's burgeoning aesthetic. Although the seven-song album is over in under 27 minutes, that's just enough time for the group to range from the post-punk thrum of the obsessive, pounding "Vampyre," to the impressive, jangly, heartland rock of the anthemic "Xanadu." The highlights are the churning "Blackout," which combines the two sides of the group's musical personality the best of these seven songs, and the outstanding "Max Gomez Love," which pairs the arpeggiated mystery of early
R.E.M. with the keening passion of a classic
Mekons song.