Liars Brave Robberies and Murder to Record 'Sisterworld'

Many bands face tough dilemmas when recording new albums such as getting the right amps, remembering lyrics and getting vocal cues down. But in the case of Los Angeles art-rock trio Liars, they had to confront the seedier side of California's medical marijuana laws when recording 'Sisterworld,' the band's fifth album.

Lead singer Angus Andrew was living in Berlin and then relocated to L.A. to join his two bandmates, drummer Julian Gross and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Hemphill. And let's just say the place Andrew found turned out to be less than ideal. "When I moved here, we set up a place for me and I didn't want to have a car," Andrew tells Spinner. "I just wanted to try and walk around and we put me in this spot where I could theoretically do that. So for six months, I lived in space above a weed dispensary, which is the new thing here."

From his description, it's not nearly as funny as the television show 'Weeds.' "This was basically a beacon for crime," he says. "People would break into this place all the time and eventually, one security guy stood out in front of it. He was shot and killed right in front of me when they were trying to take the place down. It's a real intense spot to be. Amazingly eye opening."

Sounds like that could be the case, but even after the guard was shot, Andrew soldiered on until crime started seeping through the his walls -- literally. "One night I'm working in there, one in the morning in my boxer shorts, working on music and a sledge hammer comes through the wall. These two guys popped their heads in and saw me. I don't think they expected me to be there and the idea was that they were trying to break in from the top and go down into the store. They took off but that for me was just the end. I couldn't hack it. I felt completely frightened. I packed up that night and found the safest place I could find in Los Angeles and finished writing the record then."

Andrew goes on to say that Los Angeles is the scariest place he's lived and from listening to 'Sisterworld,' one can get a feel that he was totally creeped out by the vibe. "I have quite a different perspective than [my bandmates]. The other guys are from L.A.. In a way, they have a romantic view of it and mine is a bit more critical. But the idea is that we sit down and talk about the moods or feelings that we want to convey in the record, then we go away, work very individually and we see how they work together in terms of that mood."

Sounds like this experience was definitely a high point for the group. Literally.

'Sisterworld' is out now on Mute.