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: We met the Whigs on a tour we were randomly, independently recruited for, and I fell so deeply in love with the guys and their music that I moved to their hometown, Athens, Ga., for the summer to write our new record. Their thing isn’t quite Southern rock, and it isn’t quite indie rock, and it isn’t quite college rock. Mainly, it’s the kind of rock that gets off simply by pounding the living hell out of everything. The lyrics are great, the tunes are melodious, the drummer is pretty much a musical sociopath. I was around when they recorded their latest album, In The Dark, and I’m pretty sure that, someday, a Ken Burns-style documentarian is going to come calling me, looking for some sound bites from someone who was there when it all went down.
Video after the jump.
