Whether they're attempting to revisit the ’90s or just never left them behind, Blood On the Wall are making a pretty awesome racket. On Liferz, their third album and the followup to their 2005 breakthrough Awesomer, siblings Brad and Courtney Shanks continue to be a successful vocal tag team. Brad brings the frantic Black Francis howls, while Courtney provides the detached, too cool for school Kim Deal/Gordon foil. The overdriven guitars, bass and drums are a blur of grunge, indie and slacker-rock — and unfortunately, some of the songs are equally blurry.
Nonetheless, there are some definite highlights, such as the decidedly non-sleepy opener "Hibernation," the driving "Junkeee... Julieee..." and the reference to "Surfin' Bird" at the end of "Sorry Sorry Sarah.” Closer "Acid Fight" is a bit of a goof, but at least shows that this trio is having as much fun playing their tunes as we should have listening to them.
