The Beautiful Liar [Marigold Vinyl]

by X Ambassadors

Overview

With 2021's The Beautiful Liar, New York's X Ambassadors offer a wry concept album rife with emotive pop hooks that also makes room for thoughtful, often theatrical ruminations on war, and the troubling way political and economic power brokers command our daily lives with money, fearmongering, and untruths. It's a bold production, framed by an audio-book conceit where a narrator is reading you the -- completely made-up â?? novel "The Beautiful Liar" by author Irving P. Neville. There's even a mid-album sponsor break that reinforces many of the underlying themes of the album. While none of the songs tie directly into the audio-book, the thematic ideas all work in tandem, reinforcing the growing darkness and unease that permeates ever more as the album progresses. Also adding to the surreality of the production are a handful of giddy novelty cuts, including a 56-second "Conversations with my Friends" that sounds something like Hunter S. Thompson reading an anti-war poem with Bad Brains. There's also the bemusing protest song-meets-1930s Broadway number "Theater of War" in which singer Sam Harris does his best Jimmy Durante impression. Conceptual conceits aside, there are some great songs here, and tracks like "My Own Monster," "Love Is Death," and "Reincarnation" find X Ambassadors further expanding their infectious blend of gothy R&B, electronica, and hip-hop-influenced stadium rock. That many of these songs also find them exploring some of the bigger, more troubling issues in society, lends the album a weight that nicely counterbalances the Disney theme park insanity of the audio-book elements. The Beautiful Liar is a quirky, oddly intriguing experience, whose conceptual elements interrupt the corporate pop flow of the album, and one imagines X Ambassadors wouldn't have it any other way. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	12/17/2021
Label:	Interscope / Kid Ina Korner
UPC:	0602438725229

Tracks

1. CHAPTER ONE: The Sleeping Giant
2. Beautiful Liar
3. My Own Monster
4. Adrenaline
5. Bullshit
6. CHAPTER TWO: Enter The Shadow
7. Conversations With My Friends
8. I Can See The Light¿¿¿
9. Palo Santo
10. Theater Of War
11. A BRIEF WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS¿¿¿
12. Love Is Death
13. Somebody Who Knows
14. Okay
15. Reincarnated
16. AUTHOR¿¿¿S NOTE

Album Credits

Performance Credits

X Ambassadors   Primary Artist
Andrew Jackson   Piano
Sam Harris   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Strings,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Adam Levin   Bass,Drums,Synthesizer
Jared Scharff   Guitar
Nate Mercereau   Bass,Guitar,Synthesizer
Tommy English   Guitar
Casey Harris   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Ricky Reed   Piano,Synthesizer
Sam Nelson Harris   Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Andrew Wells   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Eric Ruscinski   Piano,Keyboards
Fabio Aguilar   Synthesizer
Johan Lenox   Strings
Al Hug   Synthesizer
Eric Rusinsm   Guitar

Technical Credits

Jamie Lidell   Composer
Andrew Jackson   Composer
Sam Harris   Composer,Engineer,Recording,Vocal Producer,Drum Programming
Michael Freeman   Mixing,Engineer,Mixing Engineer
Alan Wilkis   Composer
Randy Merrill   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Adam Levin   Composer,Engineer,Drum Programming
Sam Riback   A&R
Jared Scharff   Composer
Nate Mercereau   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
Daniel Steele   Composer
Tommy English   Composer,Producer,Recording,Vocal Producer,Drum Programming
Casey Harris   Composer,Engineer
X Ambassadors   Engineer,Producer,Vocal Producer
Ricky Reed   Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
Sam Nelson Harris   Composer,Vocal Producer
Andrew Wells   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Vocal Producer,Drum Programming
Kristine Flaherty   Composer
Ambezza   Producer
Mathias Liyew   Composer
Fabio Aguilar   Composer,Producer
Jon Yeston   Engineer,Recording
Al Hug   Composer,Producer
Tsakmaklis Harissis   Composer
Ponce Feliciano Ecar   Composer,Producer
Tuetsch Luzian   Composer
Jenna Singer   A&R
Jorge Miguel Cardoso Augusto   Composer
Niklas Andre Koellner   Composer
Philip Andre Mueller   Composer
Outofair   Producer