Grade: C-
We Are Scientists had me fooled, and they might do the same to you if you listen to their debut album, “With Love and Squalor”.
At first, I thought the band was British, but the indie-rock trio is actually from Brooklyn, a place that must be far east enough to acquire an English accent, or at least include words like ‘squalor’ in their vocabulary.
While listening to “With Love and Squalor”, I could have sworn I heard the unique sounds of Brandon Flowers from The Killers and Steven Bays of Hot Hot Heat, especially on “What’s the Word,” but there is no trace, not even so much as a thank you, of these musicians printed on the album’s cover or liner notes.
In the first two tracks, We Are Scientists made me believe they offered original and creative material compared with today’s unimpressive pop musicians.
But every song after that lacked originality in format and the lyrics were disappointing – never going any deeper than alcohol abuse and girls.
Despite these deceptions, it’s easy to see why We Are Scientists is gaining popularity both here in the U.S. and across the pond in England.
The band has the necessary qualities of a successful act: a reputable record label, a gimmick (they hold kittens on their album cover to appeal to pre-teen girls), danceable riffs and lyrics that get stuck in your head.
They even have some musical talent, which is heard in the songs “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt,” “This Scene is Dead” and “The Great Escape.”
We Are Scientists may have fooled me into thinking they were talented British musicians, but I never believed for a second that they were actual scientists.
Instead, I discovered their true identity, a mediocre indie-rock band whose style has been played too many times before.
-Emily Rippe
