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.