The opening line in We Are Scientists' "This Scene is Dead" off their debut album With Love and Squalor sounds like a mission statement: "This scene is dead, but I'm still restless."
Indeed, it's hard to remain inactive in a genre so hackneyed when you're a band who has the formula down pat like We Are Scientists do. The background credentials, the look and the sound are all a band needs to muster up enough Internet hype to become the Next Big Thing.
Their rise to a major-label deal is nothing short of expected. Surfacing from the indie hotbed that is Brooklyn, We Are Scientists amassed a considerable amount of buzz from their raucous live shows and three self-released EP's. So far, so good.
With a quick glance at the back cover of With Love and Squalor, you may mistake one of the band members for that quiet but oddly witty guy in your philosophy discussion, but the group's image is not something they just happened upon, no matter how hard they want you to believe it.
The matching sporty blazers, loose button-downs and just-so-shaggy hair give that perfect sense of ironic hip that so many young people dream of (one of them has glasses AND a mustache!). Looks like we're two for two.
Pop the CD into your player of choice, and you're most likely in for a fairly pleasurable experience, assuming you are not deaf or elderly. The vaguely danceable rhythms, jagged guitar strokes and vulnerable crooning will settle any doubts as to what sort of album you just purchased. We Are Scientists have the scene nailed.
To anyone remotely familiar with the landscape of current rock music, We Are Scientists' task is abundantly clear but not wholly original in any conceivable way. In a genre that is so overridden with comparisons, it's virtually impossible to ignore the similarities here.
With the massive success of the Killers and bands like Hot Hot Heat and the Bravery, We Are Scientists intends to rehash this formula one more time. The saddest part is that this newest wave of bands is merely reworking the original New Wave sound.
For the sake of effort on the part of the labels though, and due to a general lack of inspiration, it all ends up as a sort of watered-down heap of influences and styles.
These current bands, and there are plenty of them, will suffice as touch points for those of us born during the time when this music was first being explored. However, just because this reviewer cites them as references does not mean their music should be regarded as any more valuable than that of We Are Scientists.
When everything is said and done, the emotional vocals of singer Keith Murray and the constant barrage of hooks place the band somewhere in the space between Death Cab for Cutie and Fall Out Boy, a space that is filled out with dance-punk rhythm and alternative rock glossiness.
Putting aside all the snarky criticisms and comparisons, this band can play their asses off, especially for a trio. The rhythm section of bassist Chris Cain and drummer Michael Tapper keep it bouncy and succinct, but manage to drive the tracks forward when they're given the chance. However, the MVP of the album is clearly singer/guitarist Murray, whose calm, smooth voice guides the album through its often unnerving shifts, acting as an anchor while at the same time pushing the songs' urgency right in your face. Murray is confident like a veteran rock star, his voice almost strutting across his angular guitar riffs and his bandmates' splashy rhythms.
We Are Scientists seem to have paid close attention to the A&R's at Virgin Records, who undoubtedly told them to make an album loaded with hooks and singles. They go straight for the jugular with the opening track and first single, "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt."
Over an irresistibly catchy chorus, Murray sings the almost sophomoric lines "My body is your body, I won't tell anybody, if you want to use my body, go for it." It may be just stupid enough to make it to Top-40 radio.
The Scientists find their stride with "Inaction," whose syncopated punk strut recalls the heyday of bands like Gang of Four, and "Can't Lose," where the slowed down funk allows Murray's presence to truly be felt for the first time, and a surprisingly tender bridge that contrasts the immediacy of the rest of the album.
The band seems to be at their best when they're just playing, as opposed to bombarding the listener with radio-friendly melodies. The track "Call Backs" is a barnstormer, a punk song showcasing the Scientists' force and the power of their sound.
With Love and Squalor is in no way a great album, but it could be someone's new favorite. It's just good enough to throw on at your next hipster get-together, but it's not going to change anyone's life.
We Are Scientists delivered 12 songs, each packed with the maximum amount of catchy hooks, ironic lyrics and indie-friendly gloss to appeal to any fan of Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party, or Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy. While the album may not be a classic, songs like "Can't Lose" show that the band could create some great music with a little more restraint.
Rate: 3 out of 5