We Are Scientists

Music Times

follow this blog

66 followers

511 daily readers

rank of 1127

Submit a Post
Click Here

[Posting Guidelines]

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

May 3rd 2006 03:37

Who's the fourth guy?

After pumping up Coachella so much, I ended watching a total of 3 acts, and only about five minutes of each. So much for the good music huh? What I saw was great, Damian Marley showing me the true side of modern reggae, Ladytron establishing themselves as a blatant Placebo ripoff, and Devenda Barnhart reinforcing indie as one truly wierd and recognisably hippie genre in some aspects. Nevertheless, since I am no real judge of Coachella, I have decided to review "We Are Scientists," those wacky nerds from the US.

No, they didn't play at Coachella but they definitely should have. In some ways, they fit in with the existing crowd - Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and a host of others share some similar characteristics with We Are Scientists, but in others, they are totally separate from the Brit-indie crowd, the first difference being that they are, of course, American.

They look like the Beatles

But there's something about them that is so familiar and yet so alien. They are nowhere near as post-punk as Bloc Party have established themselves to be, but instead have chosen a much heavier and rockier route for their album, "With Love and Squalor." From the distorted riff of the opening track to the repetitive toms that open the last track, "What's the Word," they certainly have a certain style to them.

I have spent the last day attempting to dissect them into familiar bands in order to get my message across, and have come up with two many bands to mention. From the Killers, and the Bravery, to the Vines and the Subways, they essentially have the whole of indie rock covered.

Look at the kitties!

Their music is chaotic and ordered at once, with a tendency to use repetition as their catchphrase - from the riffs to the lyrics, there is constantly some sort of repetition that is refreshing rather than annoying. They don't attempt to cram too much into their songs, but keep the structure simple, and letting dynamics do the work rather than a million different verses. The best example of their ability to structure song properly would have to be the second single, "The Great Escape," beginning with a simple guitar riff and ending with their trademark quick finish. While the lyrics seemingly make little sense, the essence of their music is... their music.

They have managed to redefine the idea of a rock trio - the traditional drummer, bassist and lead singer/guitarist combination that has been killed to death over the last half century. Lead singer and guitarist Keith Murray seems to fill the space of two guitars with his playing, without a need for a rhythm guitar as most bands do. As a result, their songs are simple and precise, yet full musically. In essence, this makes "With Love and Squalor" a worthy listen, though unfortunatley I can't see them making another hit with their second album.

We Are Scientists

Add A Comment

Mr. Bean II's Blogs