They Were Wrong, So We Drowned is the second album released by noise rock

Noise rock

Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...

 band Liars

Liars (band)

Liars is a three-piece band formed in 2000 consisting of Angus Andrew , Aaron Hemphill , and Julian Gross...

, released in 2004.

The album takes the form of a very loose concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

 concerning witchcraft

Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...

 upon The Brocken

The Brocken

The Brocken, Blocksberg or Bocksberg, is the highest peak of the Harz mountain range and also the highest peak of Northern Germany; it is located near Schierke in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt between the rivers Weser and Elbe. Although its altitude of is below alpine dimensions, its...

 (a mountain) during Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis Night

Walpurgis Night is a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. It is exactly six months from All Hallows' Eve.-Name:...

, and tales of witch trials in the area around the Harz Mountains in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. The recording coincided with the band's relocation from Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...

, Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

 to the woods of rural New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, which also inspired the initial direction of the album.

The focus upon the Brocken legends came when one of the band members mistakenly entered "Brocken Witch" into a search engine while researching the song "Broken Witch".

The album received extremely mixed reviews and sold poorly compared to their debut. However, after the following album, Drum's Not Dead

Drum's Not Dead

Drum's Not Dead is the third album by experimental rock band Liars, released in 2006 through Mute Records. It was recorded in at Planet Roc studios in Berlin and produced by Angus Andrew. The sound is characterized by pounding drums, highly distorted guitar drones, and falsetto vocals...

, was released, this album received more attention and the opinion turned more positive.

The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...

. It has been compared to Public Image Ltd's 1980 album Flowers of Romance

Flowers of Romance (album)

The Flowers of Romance is the third studio album by Public Image Ltd, released in the UK in April 1981 by Virgin Records.The title of the album makes reference to The Flowers of Romance, an early punk band of which Keith Levene was a member...

because of its stark percussion and lack of bass guitar.

Track listing

1. "Broken Witch" – 6:10
2. "Steam Rose from the Lifeless Cloak" – 2:49
3. "There's Always Room on the Broom" – 3:05
4. "If You're a Wizard Then Why Do You Wear Glasses?" – 2:11
5. "We Fenced Other Gardens with the Bones of Our Own" – 5:28
6. "They Don't Want Your Corn, They Want Your Kids" – 2:38
7. "Read the Book That Wrote Itself" – 3:09
8. "Hold Hands and It Will Happen Anyway" – 4:51
9. "They Took 14 for the Rest of Our Lives" – 4:09
10. "Flow My Tears the Spider Said" – 6:12