There are some bands that you can go years listening to their studio albums, but you will never understand the very essence of their existence until you see the live show. It sounds a bit dramatic, but is entirely true of Liars, who've continued to garner either high praise or loathe from the entire scale of music critics - Rolling Stone magazine to the adolescent consumer on a message board. Now stationed in Los Angeles, the Australian foursome released their fourth and eponymous LP, and have arguably collected more acclaim than their well-received debut, They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Mountain On Top from 2002.

Last night's sold out show at the Paradise left the crowd beaming. They had recently toured arenas around the country supporting Interpol, and this was there return to a more intimate setting in a headlining slot. “We thrive on the strong visceral power of the audience. Being face to face with a crowd can sometimes make me want to eat them. I look forward to that opportunity on this tour," says singer Angus Andrew. Interestingly enough, Andrew had recently suffered a back injury, and was seated for most of the show (and dressed in a suit rather than soiled wedding dress...). It didn't take away in the least. Opening with "Leather Prowler" from their most recent record, they alternated between old and new. While the older, drum-heavy tracks filled the room, the tracks off of the new record were incredibly tight. "Plaster Casts Of Everything" tried hard to tear the paint off the venue walls, and "Freak Out" had everyone front and center dancing in time.

"We want to let you down easy," said Andrew, after a few songs. "After Sunday...you guys lost the Superbowl." From up in the mezzanine someone immediately shouted "Who cares!? Let's rock!" to which Andrew replied "Yeah. What is a Superbowl?" Bassist Pat Nature quickly asked "Is that a big bong?" More playful than serious, there is a great amount of care and effort put into both their live and studio sets. What last night's show and the most recent record solidify is that their frequent critique that they're the best at chewing up their influences and spitting them out in a whole new way has come full circle. "Freak Out," which was one of the cleanest studio-to-stage transitions, is an magnetizing filter of Spector's Wall of Sound surfing on black ocean waves. "I know that Boston is a place where many go to study," said Angus, while the rest of the band tuned, "but occasionally you should consider just taking a shower...and Freak Out!" What brought the crowd even more joy was the closing statements of that song, where he claimed to love freaking out to Tunnel Of Love, his favorite Boston band, but also toweling off to Neptune, his other favorite Boston band. No doubt members, girlfriends, and fans of both bands were in the crowd, and his appreciation for two of Boston's best DIY bands seemed to win everyone over.

Looking back the next morning, the Liars album has been playing on repeat for nearly nine hours, and switching to another band anytime soon is not on the agenda. Great live show, commendable discography, and a musical hangover that sounds so much sweeter than the alcoholic kind. Liars are telling some kind of truth after all.

Website: Liars
MySpace: Tunnel Of Love (Brookline)
MySpace: Neptune (Jamaica Plain)