It’s hard to love a band like Liars. The New York City art trio prides itself on defying conventions and expectations alike, shifting from the twitchy dance-noise of its 2001 debut “They Threw Us All In A Trench And Stuck A Monument On Top” to the moody landscapes of last year’s critically-acclaimed “Drum’s Not Dead.” All the while, the band has taken several seemingly knowledgeable steps in order to alienate its audience. Liar’s newest album features frustratingly looped tracks, displays nonsensical sequencing and is densely-packed with gibberish along the way.

Enter Liars’ self-titled fourth album, in which the group’s love-hate relationship with critical praise continues. This time, the group approaches an odd subgenre only tested by prodigies such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Yoko Ono and occasionally Sonic Youth: the “so-good-it’s-unlistenable” genre. These albums are loaded with odd time signatures, seemingly random tunings and technical virtuosity. Yet, simply put, it seems impossible to think of an appropriate time to listen to this CD after the initial drooling.

The slight triumph and major shortcoming of “Liars” is its inclusion in this bizarre category. Unlike so many “high art” releases, this album clearly rests not on pretension alone, but is a deliberately crafted statement of the group’s musical vision. There is enough of a stranglehold on rhythm and audio dynamics to impress all but the most impassioned skeptics. Yet the wild yelps and almost unbearable dissonance of tracks such as “Plaster Casts of Everything” and “Leather Prowler” are sure to draw similar reactions as exhibits at museums of contemporary art: Half the audience believes they have stumbled upon greatness while the others are convinced their child could duplicate the work.

Lyrically, that notion is close to the truth. Vocalist Angus Andrew begins the album with repetitive singsongs like “I want to run away / I want to bring you too,” repeated ad nauseam and never quite progresses in depth or specificity. As with all of their records, Liars uses its music to convey a tone which could best be described as aggressive despair — a desolation so full of life it is easy to become captivated.

Yet Liars can be summed up with one simple mantra: easy to appreciate, but hard to truly love.

"Liars" received three out of four stars.