From The Desk Of We Are Scientists’ Keith Murray: The Jack Reacher Books By Lee Child

No one can call Brooklyn-based rockers We Are Scientists one-dimensional. The band has engaged in extracurricular activities ranging from creating a comedic TV series to self-improvement seminars. However, singer/guitarist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain have returned to their day job to release fourth album Barbara (PIAS/Masterswan). WAS, who were without a drummer since the 2007 departure of Michael Tapper, have added former Razorlight skinsman Andy Burrows to the lineup, and Barbara features a more eclectic sound, with the often-brash group experimenting with slower tempos and fuller arrangements. Lead single “Rules Don’t Stop” is vintage Scientists, though; it’s a nervy power-pop song driven by a thumping bass line. The single debuted at number 14 on the U.K. indie charts, and it’s already an anthem for mustachioed hipsters everywhere. Murray is guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.

Murray: Our favorite of all of the fictive sleuths, Jack Reacher is an ex-military policeman whose disillusionment with the politics inherent in governmental servitude has inspired him to quit the job and become a vagabond. Wandering from town to town, he’s lamentably incapable of resisting his natural curiosity, and his tendency to stick his nose where it doesn’t belong often results in his uncovering of a local (or, occasionally, international) conspiracy. Thankfully, the fact that he’s built like a “condom full of walnuts” means that snapping opponents over his leg is only a minor distraction on the road to bedding whatever woman happens to be his professional partner in the relevant episode.

Video after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aeUckSeZLg