We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery

Song by song review of the new We Are Scientists album. I've only been through it a couple of times and I've been working while I did it, but I'll make this quick.

1. Ghouls - I was expecting the first song to jump out of the gate like they did on With Love and Squalor. They fuckin' hit the ground running on that album and the video displays another reason that you should fear bears. On Ghouls they are still self-deprecating with a tongue in their cheek. I hope it's tongue in cheek. Well, basically it starts "We all recognize/That I'm the problem here." It dirges along on the bass line for a bit and then the drums and guitar come in and it picks up a bit. There is a sample in the left channel unless the drummer is riding the hi-hat. Kicks in the right channel. I dig it a bit. Overall, though, this song just serves as a long, repetitive, ambient demo.

2. Let's See It - The riff in this song runs up behind you and puts you in a headlock. It's awesome. There is something Phil Spector-ish of the chorus on this song. I think it's the chamber echo or ginormous reverb going on. It just sounds real good. This should be the single off the album. I'm not sure which one is. The pre-chorus "Oh-Ohs" are pretty good, too. Those are good in songs when used properly. They always remind me of Genesis' "Land of Confusion" for some reason. What a fucked up video that was. So, yes, love this song.

3. After hours - What's up acoustic guitar? Hmmm. Someone in white pants will dance to this song like George Michael in the Wham! years. This song reminds of something, but I can't quite get my hand around it. Oh, it reminds me of the song Common People by Pulp which was recently covered by Shatner and Joe Jackson. It's almost got a Killers vibe to it except it's not whiny and shitty.

4. Lethal Enforcer - Holy Shit! You got your Duran Duran in my We Are Scientists. This is straight up DD, but without biting. It's a jam. This is a cool song. Chris Cain is becoming one of my favorite modern bass players. He knows just the right notes to play and carries some of the songs as they are a trio. He is definitely tapping the vein of John Taylor on this.

5. Impatience - This song is different. I'm mixed on it. It isn't bad, but it isn't awesome. It's song number five out of eleven. It fills space. It gets kind of Killers in the middle. No band wants to be compared like that. So, again, it's that Duran Duran that the MTV generation carries with it whether they know it or not. The Duran Duran bridge that you write and then go "Fuck, I just wrote the Duran Duran bridge."

6. Tonight - Pulling off the 80's guitar tone on this. This song pulls the listener out of song 5 like the administration of CPR to a drowning victim. Well arranged, interesting and fuzz bass. Love it. The bass just owns the bridge. This song is cool.

7. Spoken For - The guitar has that Spector vibe again. They must have done their homework between albums and have good musical taste. This album definitely shows growth from their first album and is not a rehash. There are similarities, but there are also a lot of changes. It's cool. They are so rad the way they will have this shoe gazing groove going and then in the bridge just grab you and throw you across the room. Take a note Jack Johnson, it's called dynamics. Really cool arrangement.

8. Altered Beast - Bass line sounds like Muse right here in a good way. The production on this one is so dense you could take a bite out of the backing vocals if you had to. The use of space by the drummer on this song is smart. You don't need to hit all the notes when the bass line is keeping the rhythm. It's like a throwback to old school jazz when the bass carried the rhythm and the drums were the accents and syncopations. Write that down.

9. Chick Lit - Dude, a hybrid. This sounds like We Are Scientists and Duran Duran. Perfect melding of an influence. Paying homage without biting. It's a gray line. This song is great. The groove is sick. The club remix is probably already in the can.

10. Dinosaurs - You could sing "Devil Went Down To Georgia" over the beginning of this song. Cool groove. Good bass line. They're a good band.

11. That's What Counts - It almost is Roxy Music Club-by. The harmonies are great. There is also a great organ on this song and then a sax thrown in. They are keeping music interesting and I thank them for that.

Pre-Order Brain Thrust Mastery here. Seriously, pre-order it.