Barbara

What a difference a drummer makes. A few years back, We Are Scientists released With Love and Squalor, an energy-filled power-pop album with a bevy of catchy songs. Sure, it could’ve used a bit more variety between the tracks, but there was a sense of infectious fun to the band. Most of that fun came from the hooky vocals of singer-guitarist Keith Murray and the spot-on harmonies of bassist Chris Cain. But a lot of the energy came from the creative, driving beats of drummer Michael Tapper. Tapper left the band after their touring cycle for With Love and Squalor ended, leaving We Are Scientists a duo for the follow-up album Brain Thrust Mastery. That disc featured the awesome single “After Hours” and ten more tracks of mostly mid-tempo, synth-infused pop. With session man Garrett Ray sitting in on drums, Brain Thrust Mastery felt like most of the energy had been sucked out of the band. Murray and Cain tried to fill that energy void with more nuanced pop songs, but aside from “After Hours”, it was mostly a dud.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

Rewind back to 2005, when the supposed second coming of Britpop was in full swing and the last thing anyone could have expected would be for a trio of Californians to gatecrash the party. Nevertheless, despite their origins, We Are Scientists found themselves clasped to the British bosom. Impossible to dislike and inoffensive in every way possible, they may have emerged from the land of the free but in many people's eyes they were one of us, rather than outsiders hopping on a short-lived revival bandwagon. Worryingly though, despite a clutch of excellent early singles, they soon became more renowned for their goofy videos and amusing interviews, and as a result, the novelty started to wear off, and fast.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

In the grand tradition of Fun Lovin' Criminals, We Are Scientists are a very American band who scored a minor hit in their homeland (in their case, 2006's "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt") but will be remembered for having achieved a relatively large and mysterious popularity in the UK. WAS seem fully aware of this situation. As if releasing mini-LP Live From Union Chapel London wasn't enough of a missive to their British fanbase, they went ahead and added the drummer from post-Strokes shitshow Razorlight.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010