Katuwapitiya

We Are Scientists joined on stage by Arctic Monkeys, circa 2006 at The Kool Haus

Note to start with: To me and most I know, the first album released by We Are Scientists was With Love and Squalor. When researching for the interview/review, it came to my knowledge that there was an album before that one. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll stick to what I thought was right for the article.

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with We Are Scientists over the years. When they first blew up on the scene (after the release of With Love and Squalor), I loved their kick-ass immediately-accessible indie rock, hilarious personalities and innovative videos. When they released their next album… well, I hated stuff like this. I wasn’t sure what to expect from their third album but I was optimistic. The addition of former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows was an intriguing one. That and a few shining moments on an album that I was honestly not-too-keen on had me interested to hear what was next.

Overall, Barbara did not disappoint. Save for a few low spots in the middle, the album is much more consistent than their previous effort Brain Thrust Mastery and is really a return to form. Highlights include Foreign Kicks (which showcases an entirely different sound), Rules Don’t Stop, Central AC and You Should Learn, and some tracks definitely rise to the mark set by their incredible first album.

Bands are always chastised for staying in their comfort zone and making songs that all sound the same (anywhere from The Strokes to Nickelback), but I’m someone who likes what he likes. Maybe that’s why I didn’t like their second album as much. The new album, however, has much more of a balance that appeals to me and is definitely worth a listen. (An added note: the liner notes will actually make you laugh out loud).

We Are Scientists are set to return to Toronto with an upcoming show at The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern on July 19th. I was able to interview Keith Murray from We Are Scientists a few days ago and below is our conversation:

Your first album and second album seemed to showcase completely different styles of music. For those who have yet to hear a song from Barbara, what would you describe this album as/what were your main influences?

I think maybe our impression of the disparity between our first two records is less extreme than yours – for us, the second record was simply a little less single-minded than the first. We certainly did try to stretch our legs a little, stylistically, but, overall, we feel like most of the songs sit very comfortably against one another in our live set. That said, Barbara is a little more similar to the first record in terms of arrangement (i.e., with fairly stripped-down, three-piece instrumentation), but we feel like the songs are stronger, following the general progression of maturation that’s been happening since the first record.

From the start, your band has seemed focused on making great music videos. What do you feel like the role should be for music videos, especially in this new youtube age where bands seem to be going more and more obsessed with going viral?

We have a hard time thinking of our videos as advertisements for our songs, and, as such, I think they tend to be pretty bad at focusing the viewer’s attention on the music. As pieces of entertainment, though, I think our videos are second-to-none, which is really all we attempt to do in any facet of our career, so, in that sense, they are of a piece with the rest of our creative output. If people like them, then that’s great – that is, in fact, the point – but to make a video with the intent of making go viral seems slightly beside the point. OkGo are obviously masters at doing that sort of thing, but thinking about all of the creative energy that goes into crafting a virally-pointed video such as theirs is exhausting to me. We tend to just go with our guts and try to make something that will entertain us.

As scientists, what do you feel the connection is between science and music?

No connection.

Do you have any suggestions for how a band should best deal with a change in membership?

Just get on with it, I say. If an audience wants to get bent out of shape about the absence or presence of one particular person, then, I guess ultimately, that’s their problem, and they need to figure out how they’re going to cope with it. When we split with our former drummer, it was for the immediate best for all parties concerned, and I’m fairly certain that nobody involved has ever regretted the decision at all. Chris and I prefer to spend our time thinking about how to make awesome stuff for people to enjoy, not worrying about how to spin our PR.

Who’s your favourite ‘Barbara’? (for the record, mine is Walters)

My favorite Barbara is Barbara Zeltman (you don’t know her).

We Are Scientists are well known for being funny. If you’re needing to break the ice at an awkward party, what joke do you start with?

Q; Where did the General keep his armies?
A: In his sleevies.
I can’t tell you how many women I’ve bedded using that little bon mot as an opening line.

The last time I saw you perform in Toronto, it was opening for Kings of Leon. How do you feel about their recent worldwide success after struggling to gain traction in North America for so long? Has it taught you anything?

The fact that Kings of Leon would ever have been thought of as a “struggling” band is a little baffling to me. I’ve always considered them to be pretty high-profile, and it seems like it was only a matter of time before their gargantuan success in Europe caught on over here, and they went from being simply a huge band to being the hugest. I guess the infrastructure of the music industry, especially the PR and marketing facet, finally just clicked for them. It’s nice when a label actually pumps huge sums of money into a band that actually writes good songs.

What’s your favourite part about performing in Canada, or more specifically, Toronto?

Going to Tim Horton’s. We just can’t get enough. There’s one in downtown Brooklyn, now, near the DMV, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be the same in our country.

Freestyling is an important form of expression in hip hop. If you had to freestyle four lines about your new album, what would you say?

Barbara is a new album / It’s better then pabulum / It’s very palatable / So, buyers, be charitable.

Jonathan Roy (Photo: Alex Hardie)

Patrick Roy, one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history, is a household name in Canada. His son, Jonathan, became one for a few months 2 years ago when he was involved in a fight as a goalie in the QMJHL. The aftermath of that incident was messy but it ended with Jonathan choosing to pursue a career in pop music instead of hockey. His first album, What I’ve Become, was a modest success in Quebec, selling 25,000 units and breaking many a teenage coeur. With his new album, Found My Way, Roy hopes to expand that success to English Canada. The expansion of Quebec-based music acts to the rest of Canada is always a difficult one and only time will tell if Roy’s famous name will help or hinder that expansion. I sat down with him for an interview and attended a concert at The Mod Club in Toronto. During the night, I soon realized that Jonathan Roy was more than a hockey player and more than a hockey player’s son.

At least in English Canada, a lot of people know you as a hockey player and not as a musician. What sort of music would you say that you make? What niche do you want to carve out for yourself?

I think it’s folk and some pop-rock. There’s a little blues in there, I love blues, so definitely that too.

How long has singing been in your mind as a career?

Since I was 12 actually. I started writing poems when I was young. I never really thought of being a singer for real but I had the dream of being there. I always thought I was going to be a hockey player but I remember at 17 when I told my dad, “I’d like to do music, what do you think?” and he said “Do what you need to do.” So I got on it and did the first album “What I’ve Become” which sold over 25,000 albums and now the second one’s out.

You talk about your dad (Patrick Roy) and obviously he’s a big name, has he been supportive of your music career?

Oh definitely. He’s been there supporting me. I mean, he’s got a lot of stuff on his mind with his hockey but he likes what I’m doing and he’s happy for me. He just wants to see me happy.

Having a famous relative is sometimes hidden by aspiring artists and is sometimes embraced. Have you found that having such a famous father has helped/hindered your career?

I think that the name definitely helps. I think that “Roy” is a big name in Canada and it’s helped me out a lot. To get out there so that people are intrigued to see what I’m doing. They come to the shows and they may like it so it does a lot. I have to do the rest.

So you haven’t found that people are skeptical about your music?

I can’t control that, everybody’s different in this world. I don’t mind, I just do it because I want to do it. I love to do music. I wouldn’t mind if I had zero fans. It’s what I want to do with the rest of my life so it doesn’t matter what some people think.

Speaking of “not mattering what people think”, I see a lot of criticism [about you] on the internet. Do you have any advice for people who are seeking fame to deal with that sort of criticism?

At the beginning it is hard. I’m a guy that likes to be liked. I like people appreciating me. But you have to realize that not everybody’s going to like you. I go look on Youtube and I don’t try to look at what people are saying, I mean, you go look at anybody on Youtube, you read about Justin Bieber and you read what people are saying: it’s always negative. But you can’t control that either, people are allowed to say what they want. I like good criticism. I love it. I don’t like the “he’s a douchebag” kind of stuff but the rest is great. When people say “he’s got to work on that”, it’s good to hear that. I remember hearing that 50 cent, the rapper, loves going on youtube to see what people think. To try to get better. I think that’s great, turning it to a positive.

Where do you hope that your music takes you? What do you have your sights set on?

The thing I want most right now is definitely around here [Toronto]. This is why we’re coming here. There’s so many great musicians here and I just really hope that we can be liked here and try to fit in. It’s tough, music is hard and you can’t give up. I think that I have a chance, I just gotta get out there and do some shows here and work on it. It’s not going to come easy.

What would you say is the biggest difference between performing in Quebec and out here?

People out here, I feel like they don’t judge about who I am and what I’ve done. They come out here and they’re just going to listen to the music and that’s what they judge. Where I’m from in Quebec, people judge me for who I am without even listening to the music. Out here, it’s not going to be because of my dad, it has to come from me and that’s what I’m going to do tonight and every other night.

For the most part, in talking to people, when I mention the name “Jonathan Roy”, it gravitates towards the incident. You think of similar names like Bertuzzi and Mcsorley and people just see clips played over and over. How do you feel about this aspect of Canadian culture?

What I can say to that is that what I did was wrong. I know that some people liked it, some people didn’t like it. Whatever Bertuzzi, Mcsorley or I did, if those kinds of things happen, let’s just make sure it doesn’t happen again. What I did actually helped a lot of the leagues in Quebec to have better rules. Everything that’s going around there with fighting, it’s gone down. People are actually playing hockey without fighting. It’s still rough and it’s still good but I think that fighting will one day be banned from hockey.

Is that what you want?

No, I’m actually for it to be honest with you. I don’t think it’s possible. There’s a lot of young kids being beat up by big kids, that’s how it is, it’s always been like that. But if what I did and what all the other people did can help and get this straightened out and better so that people don’t do it again, it’s going to be good.

Have you reached out to the player that you fought in that clip beyond your apology?

We’re good friends. Even during everything, it was hockey. We always work out together, we’re good friends. It was over-exaggerated by the media. I remember being in court, me and him side-by-side, like ‘We can’t wait for this to be over, this is unbelievable’ but we didn’t have control over that [at the time].

What song would you say is your favourite on your new album?

I actually like them all. There’s not one song that I just don’t like. I like what I’m doing and if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t have put it on the album.

So there’s not one song that you listen to more than others?

I don’t really listen to my stuff. I hear it so much here in doing shows, when I get home, I just don’t feel like listening to myself. I really like “Lost” though, it was really how I used to feel, trying to find who I am and it was a big song for me.

So what sort of stuff are you listening to?

I listen to everything, from John Mayer to Michael Buble to Robert Johnson, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton. All that kind of stuff, I love. I love all music.

Would you say that these are your influences as well?

Definitely, I think that [applies to] all these guys, I try to get something from them, and try to put it in my own way. I think that it’s important to see what people are listening to. There are so many great artists. It’s about trying to see what people like and trying to get that so that people also like you.

Jonathan Roy performing in Toronto (Photo: Alex Hardie)

Titus Andronicus, Sneaky Dee’s, April 9th 2010

Titus Andronicus at Sneaky Dees

One word: Epic.

More words: The show was really solid. Openers Sandman Viper Command were awesome and I’ll be doing a review of their album in the upcoming weeks. Hollerado was pretty good as well (though I expected a little more energy). Titus Andronicus rocked really hard and the only aspect of the show that wasn’t awesome was some of the banter from the lead singer. But based on his lyrics, I suppose that’s just because he’s such a brooding individual. Namely, he was mad that people moshing to mosh-worthy music were hitting his monitors (you really need a monitor splash zone) and that there weren’t enough ladies in the front. Again, with more shows, I’m sure he’ll get used to the scene that accompanies this sort of music. Hopefully. The alternative would be that they start making music that Gap and American Apparel would like…

Here’s a video of their song “Four Score and Seven”, the camera shakes when jumping lads strike me in the arm:

Florence + The Machine, Kool Haus, April 10th 2010

Florence + The Machine at Kool Haus

One word: Sweet.

More words: Florence has the best voice in indie music. With that said, there was one major problem with the show: the crowd sucked. It wasn’t just a bunch of pseudohipsters, it was people who were expecting a quiet stroll in the park at a concert. There was little movement during songs in the majority of the venue and people were mad when there was bumping into one another or when someone was too loud (yes, too loud at a CONCERT!). And if you were wondering, yes, I was accused of being too loud. The only time the crowd did move was when Florence asked people to start jumping for “Dog Days Are Over” (which was incredible, btw). Kool Haus, as a venue, always disappoints. With that said, Florence had a great deal of energy and could never let a crowd down with a voice like that.

Here’s a video of “Kiss With a Fist”. The only movement in the video was me as the rest of the crowd around me might as well have been balancing bowls on their heads.

More concert reviews to come next week!