We Are Scientists "With Love and Squalor" (Virgin)
By
Thursday. Jan 12, 12:02 AM
A fun listen, but nothing you haven't heard before.

There's something to be said for a band that calls its manager "Duder" in a published email, writes tongue-in-cheek letters about the press ("…they're notoriously venal, these journalists…") to the press, and fills a website with hysterical fodder ("We Are Scientists became the Superman to our unusually pathetic Clark Kent. By day, we fumble pick up lines, choke on cigarettes, and wear those fucking P.E. coach-style shorts. By night, same pretty much, but on stage.") for all to enjoy. On the surface, one might say We Are Scientists are made up of top guys: funny, clever, quick, irreverent. They're even cute in that aging-hipster-dorks-are-cool sort of way.

But is there anything to say about the music?

We Are Scientists are made up of three "duders" from California who hit the NYC music scene in 2001. Five years later and their major label debut (they've self-release three EPs, you slackers) is filled with pretty much what you'd expect: extremely danceable whiny indie pop with a bit of surf-rock mixed in. Think Hot Hot Heat meets Phantom Planet meets Some Other Band With A Pithy Name.

Singer Keith Murray even sounds like that dude from Hot Hot Heat… if he dropped that affected accent and decided to actually rock out (but not cut his hair). The lyrics for "Textbook" are tailor-made for the next soundtrack put out by those jokers over at The O.C., jingle-jangle guitar licks and cymbal-tapping rhythms perfect for Seth Cohen-like head bopping.

With Love and Squalor is good, listenable, and fun, but it's nothing you haven't heard before, even though bassist Chris Cain and drummer Michael Tapper keep the songs moving along quite nicely. The disc actually pushes out of its neat little harmless indie-rock box on occasion, including the not-exactly-Strokesian "This Scene is Dead" and this-almost-sounds-like-Jimmy Eat World-but-not-quite "Cash Cow."

Unfortunately, it's not rocket science. But it is a solid debut.
www.wearescientists.com
www.virginrecords.com

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