Reduced to the core duo of singer and guitarist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain, Brooklyn's We Are Scientists successfully make the next step implicit in the new wave revival of the early 2000s. Think back to the original new wave scene, both in its original U.K. incarnation in the late '70s and the slightly later MTV-fueled flowering of same across the malls and junior high schools of America. Think of a band like, say, the Thompson Twins. The Thompson Twins released a pair of cred-establishing post-punk records before edging into pop with the "In the Name of Love" single and then the semi-pop, semi-experimental transition album Quick Step & Side Kick, which garnered that much more mainstream interest. So let's say We Are Scientists' full-length debut, 2005's With Love and Squalor, was their Quick Step & Side Kick, an album balanced neatly between indie cred and the sort of aboveground success that the Killers or Franz Ferdinand scored. So then what? Well, the Thompson Twins went all in and recorded the ultra-pop, glossy Into the Gap, an album designed for widespread American Top 40 success, and were rewarded with smash singles like "Hold Me Now" and "Doctor, Doctor." Similarly, We Are Scientists recorded Brain Thrust Mastery. Nonsensical album title aside, Brain Thrust Mastery is the new wave revival's conceptual equivalent of an album like Into the Gap. The first single, "After Hours," is a pure pop delight, the most immediately catchy song We Are Scientists have yet created and a genuine potential hit. "Impatience" would a solid choice for the not as memorable second single, and the goofy, deliberately corny dance-pop of "Lethal Enforcer" sounds tailor-made for the soundtrack of 2008's equivalent of a John Hughes teen comedy. There are some solid album tracks that recall the more daring aspects of the debut, particularly the abstract, dark-hued cool of the opener, "Ghouls," and the catchy and energetic "Tonight." But the rest of Brain Thrust Mastery consists of pleasantly tuneful pop songs that barely register with the listener even after several repetitions. It's not a bad record, and its best songs are certainly worthy of Thompson Twins-level success. It's just that in the long run, this gambit did that band no favors (quick, name one Thompson Twins song post 1984), and barring another conceptual overhaul the next time out, We Are Scientists might find themselves in the same boat.
--- - |- Publicity is an ironic profession. The sad reality is, despite being intimately involved with a particular artist - contacting media outlets on their behalf, packaging their CDs or finding paths to success - it starts feeling like a grind, rather than a celebration of their music. Over the summer, I've been interning at Astralwerks , a pioneering label in electronic music. Howev...
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Having released an incredible debut LP with, With Love And Squalor it was always going to be a trial for We Are Scientists to come up with a follow up which could top it. Since the release of their new album, Brain Thrust Mastery I’ve given up on the idea of them being able to “top it” and resigned myself to the fact that the once distinctive We Are Scientists ‘sound’ is no more.It’s d
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Ugh. This past week has been no fun at all. Thanks once again to enterprising hackers or sloppy code writers at Microsoft (or both), I was once again thrust into the position of having to spend long hours applying patches to the Windoze servers in our data center.Adding to the fun is the thrill of training new syadmins from India on our patching process, so they can take over. Yeah, nothing bet...
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We Are Scientists could moonlight as stand-up comedians. The band, now a duo, are out promoting their new album Brain Thrust Mastery and will be hitting the US of A beginning July 1st in LA. Here's the video for "Chick Lit" off Brain Thrust Mastery. It's a country western satire taped in the fields of Ireland. “The horses were angrier than I've ever seen an animal," bassist Chris Cain told NME .
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We Are Scientists are going to surprise fans with a completely new sound when their sophomore album Brain Thrust Mastery hits shelves. So far a UK/European release date of March 17th for the album has only been announced. The band, now the duo of guitarist/lead vocalist Keith Murray and bassist/backing vocalist (now mustache-less) Chris Cain following the departure of drummer Michael Tapper, ar...
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I'm cheating a little today, and just posting a video. BUT, I guarantee you it will bring a smile to your faces. I searched around for a proper mp3 of this song, not a shitty radio rip, but couldn't find one with decent quality. Honestly, the things I do for you people : PNot that looking at *We Are Scientists* is a bad thing. Far from it. Their brand new single, called "After Hours", jus...
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Going to post some of my favourites today...Just love this song... and the video always brings a smile.NB No pomerians were harmed in the making of the video!!! lol
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This video isn't terribly exciting, but I am completely in love with this song. It gets me going in the a.m. as I think about the many late nights of drinking I've had and how I should do that again tres soon.
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If you are a fan of the Brooklyn based "We Are Scientists":http://www.myspace.com/wearescientists, this week is THE week for you! They are in the UK out and about promoting their new second album Brain Thrust Mastery (released yesterday).Check out a freshly recorded session on BBC Radio 1's Colin Murray's show this week, you can hear it "here":http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio1_aod.shtml?rad...
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sort of. . .I just recently bought the new We Are Scientists CD "Brain Thrust Mastery" and have only listened to one song as of right now. . . Its called After Hours and its the single. Its pretty freaking hypnotizing I really enjoy it. I will write a full review for the CD very soon, lemme just get tired of this song first. . .
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Having released an incredible debut LP with, With Love And Squalor it was always going to be a trial for We Are Scientists to come up with a follow up which could top it. Since the release of their new album, Brain Thrust Mastery I’ve given up on the idea of them being able to “top it” and resigned myself to the fact that the once distinctive We Are Scientists ‘sound’ is no more.It’s d
More >
--- - |- Publicity is an ironic profession. The sad reality is, despite being intimately involved with a particular artist - contacting media outlets on their behalf, packaging their CDs or finding paths to success - it starts feeling like a grind, rather than a celebration of their music. Over the summer, I've been interning at Astralwerks , a pioneering label in electronic music. Howev...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Ghouls |
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| 2 Let's See It |
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| 3 After Hours |
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| 4 Lethal Enforcer |
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| 5 Impatience |
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| 6 Tonight |
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| 7 Spoken For |
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| 8 Altered Beast |
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| 9 Chick Lit |
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| 10 Dinosaurs |
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| 11 That's What Counts |
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| 12 [CD-Rom Track] |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Brain Thrust Mastery")
