We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery [Review]
gerrymander.
Posted to Music on Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 03:01:04 AM EST (promoted by 1fastdog). RSS.
With its sophomore effort, We Are Scientists mines the early 80s to produce a thoroughly enjoyable 11-track album.
The band's debut release, With Love and Squalor, presented a playful but well-constructed set of modern pop-rock songs. A wonderful listen in a tight 36 minutes, but a bit monochomatic.
Brain Thrust Mastery, in contrast, delves into the New Wave stylings of a few decades back -- deeper than other bands emulating the same period (The Killers, Arcade Fire), and with surprisingly fresh results. Some tracks sounds as if they've been lifted whole from the period: "Spoken For" wouldn't be out of place in a Look Sharp!-era Joe Jackson set, and "That's What Counts" could be mistaken for a missing Squeeze track from Argybargy.
Other songs are more mix-and-match. "Lethal Enforcer" draws from Tears For Fears and the Psychedelic Furs, while "Let's See It" and "Ghouls" feel like they feature guest sessions recording and production with Peters Hook and Gabriel, respectively. None of the tracks lose the signature flair from the first release, and those wishing for a close match from that album will find it in "After Hours" and "Impatience".
All told, the sonic expansion and more elegant production makes Brain Thrust Mastery a welcome follow-up, and a solidly enjoyable listen all the way through.
Presented for your pleasure, the video to "After Hours", featuring We Are Scientists and 30 Rock's Katrina Bowden:
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