Brooklyn's We Are Scientists make it to their second album, Brain Thrust Mastery, a man down--drummer Michael Tapper departed the band in late 2007--but with a new sound and a refreshed ambition. While 2005's With Love and Squalor marked them out as The Strokes' preppier cousins, lean guitar-indie with arch lyrics and driving tempos, Brain Thrust Mastery has more than rehash on its mind. It's an album that's both bigger and poppier than its predecessor--see gleaming first single "After Hours"--but also eager to experiment and branch out. The opening "Ghouls" echoes fellow Brooklynites TV on the Radio, a synthetic mesh of ticking rhythms, dubby bass and multi-tracked vocals, frontman Keith Murray singing: "We all recognise/That I'm the problem here", while "Lethal Enforcer" is a sly piece of '80s pop revivalism that somehow channels the smooth synths and echoing drums of Phil Collins without quite tipping over into kitsch. There's the occasional dropped ball here--"Spoken For", a serene, Tropicalia-tinted love ballad is interrupted around the mid-point by some unnecessary, pompous flying-V action--but on the whole, this is smart pop music that's clever but crucially, seldom clever-clever. --Louis Pattison

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Scientist rulesss, 04 Nov 2005
This is one of the last albums scientist did with the greensleeve label. It is a very impressive album and is his best. The songs are very catchy and melodic and the production values are excellent. Great rhythms, spacey dub.
After this album I advise people to buy "scientist meets the space invaders", then "scientist rids the world of the evil curse of vampires". Lastly buy "scientist encounters pac man" as it only has three decent songs on it.

It dont get much better, 12 Jan 2005
All you red-eyes,you will enjoy, promise :p
Soporiphic drum beats and hypnotic vocals
Sends me every time

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Scientist rulesss, 04 Nov 2005
This is one of the last albums scientist did with the greensleeve label. It is a very impressive album and is his best. The songs are very catchy and melodic and the production values are excellent. Great rhythms, spacey dub.
After this album I advise people to buy "scientist meets the space invaders", then "scientist rids the world of the evil curse of vampires". Lastly buy "scientist encounters pac man" as it only has three decent songs on it.

It dont get much better, 12 Jan 2005
All you red-eyes,you will enjoy, promise :p
Soporiphic drum beats and hypnotic vocals
Sends me every time

Good solid "Rock" album, 01 Apr 2008
Although placed as "Prog Rock", I beg to differ. Certainly there are Prog undertones but there is a definite feel of straight on rock in many tracks.
With hits of 70's/80's rock era, "Revolution Road" is an extremely enjoyable 2 CD set.
The musicianship is superb as are the strong vocals from Mark McCrite - who also plays some great guitar - and David McBee(!).
Don Schiff's beautiful bass lines really underpin the songs with such fluid lines. He plays the N/S Stick, a mix of guitar and bass, which sounds gorgeous.
Then, of course, there is Erik Norlander with his period synths - a real hark-back to the days of yore!!!
I took a leap of faith buying this and it certainly paid off, it is very listenable and rewarding - 18 tracks coming in at around 102 minutes.
There are "gentler" tracks akin to smooth AOR, there are one or two with a kind of funky, pop/rock edge. However one chooses to define them the music is good!!
Opening with the brief prelude "Look Up", it quickly strides into kicks into the punchy "Sky Is Falling" - a great (near) opener. Then it's the superb anthem "Dream In Red". Generally speaking, these set the course for a good consistant album.
The 'funky' instrumental - "Ptolemy" is fun and there is a lovely cover of the Moody Blues "Gypsy (of a strange and distant time)" - very nice!
The more I listen, the more I like!
Definite 5 stars.

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Scientist rulesss, 04 Nov 2005
This is one of the last albums scientist did with the greensleeve label. It is a very impressive album and is his best. The songs are very catchy and melodic and the production values are excellent. Great rhythms, spacey dub.
After this album I advise people to buy "scientist meets the space invaders", then "scientist rids the world of the evil curse of vampires". Lastly buy "scientist encounters pac man" as it only has three decent songs on it.

It dont get much better, 12 Jan 2005
All you red-eyes,you will enjoy, promise :p
Soporiphic drum beats and hypnotic vocals
Sends me every time

Good solid "Rock" album, 01 Apr 2008
Although placed as "Prog Rock", I beg to differ. Certainly there are Prog undertones but there is a definite feel of straight on rock in many tracks.
With hits of 70's/80's rock era, "Revolution Road" is an extremely enjoyable 2 CD set.
The musicianship is superb as are the strong vocals from Mark McCrite - who also plays some great guitar - and David McBee(!).
Don Schiff's beautiful bass lines really underpin the songs with such fluid lines. He plays the N/S Stick, a mix of guitar and bass, which sounds gorgeous.
Then, of course, there is Erik Norlander with his period synths - a real hark-back to the days of yore!!!
I took a leap of faith buying this and it certainly paid off, it is very listenable and rewarding - 18 tracks coming in at around 102 minutes.
There are "gentler" tracks akin to smooth AOR, there are one or two with a kind of funky, pop/rock edge. However one chooses to define them the music is good!!
Opening with the brief prelude "Look Up", it quickly strides into kicks into the punchy "Sky Is Falling" - a great (near) opener. Then it's the superb anthem "Dream In Red". Generally speaking, these set the course for a good consistant album.
The 'funky' instrumental - "Ptolemy" is fun and there is a lovely cover of the Moody Blues "Gypsy (of a strange and distant time)" - very nice!
The more I listen, the more I like!
Definite 5 stars.

I agree with Letty..., 27 Jun 2007
Great album. Bonkers lyrics. Compared to the anatomy of a fruit fly, this review really is quite simple.

a good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year. Superb recording of some great tunes and odd lyrics. Even better out in the sticks.

A good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year so far. Superbly recorded with some odd little tunes and sounds even better played out in the sticks.

With their daft facial hair and questionable fashion sense, tank-top sporting Brooklyn supernerds We Are Scientists resemble those eccentric mathematics lecturers one use to see on Open University in the early 1970s. Do not be deceived by this veil of foolishness for With Love and Squalor is a splendidly dexterous debut, a lubricated salvo of trim pop-punk cramming 13 songs into an honorably waffle-free 36 minutes.

Obvious touchstones include Franz Ferdinand (on fun setting) and the wit, jerk and pop inclination of XTC circa Drums And Wires and Black Sea. Exploding into action with the adrenalin swoop of "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" and "This Scene Is Dead" and taking in such other fine moments as the reggaefied "Can't Lose", the Terrorvision-meets-Buzzcocks "Callbacks" and nods to the mope-rock of The Cure on the philosophical experience-is-the-best-teacher procrastination of "Textbook".

With Love And Squalor places "We Are Scientists" in line for this years Nobel Prize for punk-pop novelty. --Kevin Maidment

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Scientist rulesss, 04 Nov 2005
This is one of the last albums scientist did with the greensleeve label. It is a very impressive album and is his best. The songs are very catchy and melodic and the production values are excellent. Great rhythms, spacey dub.
After this album I advise people to buy "scientist meets the space invaders", then "scientist rids the world of the evil curse of vampires". Lastly buy "scientist encounters pac man" as it only has three decent songs on it.

It dont get much better, 12 Jan 2005
All you red-eyes,you will enjoy, promise :p
Soporiphic drum beats and hypnotic vocals
Sends me every time

Good solid "Rock" album, 01 Apr 2008
Although placed as "Prog Rock", I beg to differ. Certainly there are Prog undertones but there is a definite feel of straight on rock in many tracks.
With hits of 70's/80's rock era, "Revolution Road" is an extremely enjoyable 2 CD set.
The musicianship is superb as are the strong vocals from Mark McCrite - who also plays some great guitar - and David McBee(!).
Don Schiff's beautiful bass lines really underpin the songs with such fluid lines. He plays the N/S Stick, a mix of guitar and bass, which sounds gorgeous.
Then, of course, there is Erik Norlander with his period synths - a real hark-back to the days of yore!!!
I took a leap of faith buying this and it certainly paid off, it is very listenable and rewarding - 18 tracks coming in at around 102 minutes.
There are "gentler" tracks akin to smooth AOR, there are one or two with a kind of funky, pop/rock edge. However one chooses to define them the music is good!!
Opening with the brief prelude "Look Up", it quickly strides into kicks into the punchy "Sky Is Falling" - a great (near) opener. Then it's the superb anthem "Dream In Red". Generally speaking, these set the course for a good consistant album.
The 'funky' instrumental - "Ptolemy" is fun and there is a lovely cover of the Moody Blues "Gypsy (of a strange and distant time)" - very nice!
The more I listen, the more I like!
Definite 5 stars.

I agree with Letty..., 27 Jun 2007
Great album. Bonkers lyrics. Compared to the anatomy of a fruit fly, this review really is quite simple.

a good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year. Superb recording of some great tunes and odd lyrics. Even better out in the sticks.

A good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year so far. Superbly recorded with some odd little tunes and sounds even better played out in the sticks.

Revenge of the Nerds, 01 Jul 2007
We Are Scientists are a New York-based three-piece that released their debut album "With Love and Squalor" in 2005. As their name suggests, they look and talk like nerds. However, We Are Scientists do know how to pen songs that should prove strong commercial hits, as they cash in on the current vogue for post-punk songs that get you up on your feet and rocking.

The album clocks in at a pretty fast 12 tracks in 37 minutes and does not pause for breath at the start until the fourth track "Can't Lose". The record is heavily guitar-laden, with nearly all of the tracks containing hooks that are well worth hearing. Murray is on lead guitar and vocals and does both quite well, while Cain (complete with the dodgey 1980s 'tache and glasses) on bass is capable of producing a strong and distinct sound, without dominating. Although American, they do occasionally sound like one of their peer bands from the UK though, e.g. The Editors or Kaiser Chiefs.

The big themes on the album are the pressing issues of the day - birds and booze. Well, lets face it, they were for most blokes when they were students and this is clearly where this band wants to pitch its tent right now.

"With Love and Squalor" opens with "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", a jeu-de-mot of a title which makes the track sound like something the Fun Loving Criminals would offer up, but is really about pleading with a girlfriend to stay. Its a catchy guitar-driven song, which has the feel though of being a paint-by-numbers approach to how to achieve a commercial hit at present. Take the chorus as an example of instantly memorable, but preferably forgettable lyrics:

Because my body is your body
I won't tell anybody
If you wanna use my body
Go for it, yeah


Similarly, "The Great Escape", later in the album, has a superb heavy bass sound that really gets you moving to it, whilst Murray succeeds in being able to sing quite well over the throbbing sound. However, the lyrics are once more disappointing with a chorus of:

I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here
I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here
While everything is adding up, up, up
Everything is adding up, up, up


The song I like the most though is "Textbook". It could easily be mistaken for a number off The Editors' "The Back Room". However, as a song, it shows We Are Scientists in a different light with respect to how they sound and the type of song they are capable of, with lyrics such as "smitten but not stupid" and "having every question answered isn't going to help at all" achieving a resonance for me that the other songs on the album do not. Similarly, its not quite as good, but much the same can be said of the subsequent track "Lousy Reputation", a song about a guy persuading himself not to be led by other people's low opinions of a girl that he has just met.

My overall feeling is that We Are Scientists will prove to be a popular part of the current scene of post-punk dance bands without proving to be innovators within it. This does not make them a bad band. On the contrary, there is much there to rock along to and, having seen them live twice, I can vouch for the energy they give their set.

Best indie album, 24 Feb 2007
We are scientists are great, the best indie band with the best indie album and i think that they are very under rated. They have a massive following, as their tour in 2006 showed, and with an album like this it isn't surprising. The whole of the album contains great rock music and i was very surprised with the skill of the drummer, as most indie bands just have an average drummer, but we are scientists have a great one, in fact the whole band are much better than most rock bands out there.
Overall: A great album with great music by a great band, basically-it's great!

Best Album of Last Year, 12 Jul 2006
Like my title suggests, i really really enjoyed this album! Having best sent a mix cd with 'The Great Escape' amongst the tracks i felt compelled to hear the rest of the album and i wasn't disappointed! The album kicks off with the upbeat and edgy 'nobody move...' and keeps up a funky, danceable beat all the way through, only pausing for a breath on 'textbook'. The best songs I.M.O on the this album are Great Escape, Inaction, Cashcow and Nobody Move... however the rest are all very, very good and superb listening! Would recommend this to anyone!

Smashing debut, 17 Jun 2006
While not divulging in the same enthusiasm as other reviewers, We Are Scientists have made an essentially 'pop' album. Every song contains a catchy riff and their music can appeal to a wide audience. What's more, With Love and Squalor is in my opinion a massive improvement on their self released EPs and the trio have a sense of humour to boot.

They've got brilliance down to a science, 28 Apr 2006
This is probably one of the best debut albums ever to grace sound waves. Without a doubt better then The Killers "Hot Fuss" and what's more is, as a live band they can perform like no other I've ever seen. If you haven't already bought it what are you waiting for? If you have it becomes the music to your life. An incredible achievement!!

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Scientist rulesss, 04 Nov 2005
This is one of the last albums scientist did with the greensleeve label. It is a very impressive album and is his best. The songs are very catchy and melodic and the production values are excellent. Great rhythms, spacey dub.
After this album I advise people to buy "scientist meets the space invaders", then "scientist rids the world of the evil curse of vampires". Lastly buy "scientist encounters pac man" as it only has three decent songs on it.

It dont get much better, 12 Jan 2005
All you red-eyes,you will enjoy, promise :p
Soporiphic drum beats and hypnotic vocals
Sends me every time

Good solid "Rock" album, 01 Apr 2008
Although placed as "Prog Rock", I beg to differ. Certainly there are Prog undertones but there is a definite feel of straight on rock in many tracks.
With hits of 70's/80's rock era, "Revolution Road" is an extremely enjoyable 2 CD set.
The musicianship is superb as are the strong vocals from Mark McCrite - who also plays some great guitar - and David McBee(!).
Don Schiff's beautiful bass lines really underpin the songs with such fluid lines. He plays the N/S Stick, a mix of guitar and bass, which sounds gorgeous.
Then, of course, there is Erik Norlander with his period synths - a real hark-back to the days of yore!!!
I took a leap of faith buying this and it certainly paid off, it is very listenable and rewarding - 18 tracks coming in at around 102 minutes.
There are "gentler" tracks akin to smooth AOR, there are one or two with a kind of funky, pop/rock edge. However one chooses to define them the music is good!!
Opening with the brief prelude "Look Up", it quickly strides into kicks into the punchy "Sky Is Falling" - a great (near) opener. Then it's the superb anthem "Dream In Red". Generally speaking, these set the course for a good consistant album.
The 'funky' instrumental - "Ptolemy" is fun and there is a lovely cover of the Moody Blues "Gypsy (of a strange and distant time)" - very nice!
The more I listen, the more I like!
Definite 5 stars.

I agree with Letty..., 27 Jun 2007
Great album. Bonkers lyrics. Compared to the anatomy of a fruit fly, this review really is quite simple.

a good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year. Superb recording of some great tunes and odd lyrics. Even better out in the sticks.

A good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year so far. Superbly recorded with some odd little tunes and sounds even better played out in the sticks.

Revenge of the Nerds, 01 Jul 2007
We Are Scientists are a New York-based three-piece that released their debut album "With Love and Squalor" in 2005. As their name suggests, they look and talk like nerds. However, We Are Scientists do know how to pen songs that should prove strong commercial hits, as they cash in on the current vogue for post-punk songs that get you up on your feet and rocking.

The album clocks in at a pretty fast 12 tracks in 37 minutes and does not pause for breath at the start until the fourth track "Can't Lose". The record is heavily guitar-laden, with nearly all of the tracks containing hooks that are well worth hearing. Murray is on lead guitar and vocals and does both quite well, while Cain (complete with the dodgey 1980s 'tache and glasses) on bass is capable of producing a strong and distinct sound, without dominating. Although American, they do occasionally sound like one of their peer bands from the UK though, e.g. The Editors or Kaiser Chiefs.

The big themes on the album are the pressing issues of the day - birds and booze. Well, lets face it, they were for most blokes when they were students and this is clearly where this band wants to pitch its tent right now.

"With Love and Squalor" opens with "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", a jeu-de-mot of a title which makes the track sound like something the Fun Loving Criminals would offer up, but is really about pleading with a girlfriend to stay. Its a catchy guitar-driven song, which has the feel though of being a paint-by-numbers approach to how to achieve a commercial hit at present. Take the chorus as an example of instantly memorable, but preferably forgettable lyrics:

Because my body is your body
I won't tell anybody
If you wanna use my body
Go for it, yeah


Similarly, "The Great Escape", later in the album, has a superb heavy bass sound that really gets you moving to it, whilst Murray succeeds in being able to sing quite well over the throbbing sound. However, the lyrics are once more disappointing with a chorus of:

I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here
I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here
While everything is adding up, up, up
Everything is adding up, up, up


The song I like the most though is "Textbook". It could easily be mistaken for a number off The Editors' "The Back Room". However, as a song, it shows We Are Scientists in a different light with respect to how they sound and the type of song they are capable of, with lyrics such as "smitten but not stupid" and "having every question answered isn't going to help at all" achieving a resonance for me that the other songs on the album do not. Similarly, its not quite as good, but much the same can be said of the subsequent track "Lousy Reputation", a song about a guy persuading himself not to be led by other people's low opinions of a girl that he has just met.

My overall feeling is that We Are Scientists will prove to be a popular part of the current scene of post-punk dance bands without proving to be innovators within it. This does not make them a bad band. On the contrary, there is much there to rock along to and, having seen them live twice, I can vouch for the energy they give their set.

Best indie album, 24 Feb 2007
We are scientists are great, the best indie band with the best indie album and i think that they are very under rated. They have a massive following, as their tour in 2006 showed, and with an album like this it isn't surprising. The whole of the album contains great rock music and i was very surprised with the skill of the drummer, as most indie bands just have an average drummer, but we are scientists have a great one, in fact the whole band are much better than most rock bands out there.
Overall: A great album with great music by a great band, basically-it's great!

Best Album of Last Year, 12 Jul 2006
Like my title suggests, i really really enjoyed this album! Having best sent a mix cd with 'The Great Escape' amongst the tracks i felt compelled to hear the rest of the album and i wasn't disappointed! The album kicks off with the upbeat and edgy 'nobody move...' and keeps up a funky, danceable beat all the way through, only pausing for a breath on 'textbook'. The best songs I.M.O on the this album are Great Escape, Inaction, Cashcow and Nobody Move... however the rest are all very, very good and superb listening! Would recommend this to anyone!

Smashing debut, 17 Jun 2006
While not divulging in the same enthusiasm as other reviewers, We Are Scientists have made an essentially 'pop' album. Every song contains a catchy riff and their music can appeal to a wide audience. What's more, With Love and Squalor is in my opinion a massive improvement on their self released EPs and the trio have a sense of humour to boot.

They've got brilliance down to a science, 28 Apr 2006
This is probably one of the best debut albums ever to grace sound waves. Without a doubt better then The Killers "Hot Fuss" and what's more is, as a live band they can perform like no other I've ever seen. If you haven't already bought it what are you waiting for? If you have it becomes the music to your life. An incredible achievement!!

My favourite album, 16 Mar 2008
It's inevitable that you'd be a bit apprehensive when it comes to investing your time in a band that not many outside Cardiff are familiar with, but for anyone who would love to own an album that you can turn up and be taken away on an enchanting journey, this is a must own.

I've been looking for an album like this since I started listening to and collecting music. So delicately recorded, this record is full of melodic, full sounding melodies that will fill your head with happy thoughts. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an openly happy album, but 'Take Time to Wonder in a Whirling World' is just well written, thoughtful, well recorded and emotional.

Currently, the best album I own....and I know it will stay that way for a long time to come.

Psych is alive and well!!!very very well!, 25 Sep 2007
What an album! Psychedelic music for the 21st Century. Acid drenched guitar workout, spacey sounds, hippie lyrics, all beautifully put together in a musical stew that is simply mouthwateringly magnificent. This is an album that plays better and better every time you listen to it.
One of this years very best albums: get it!
Grant canyon, diverse music man

Brooklyn's We Are Scientists make it to their second album, Brain Thrust Mastery, a man down--drummer Michael Tapper departed the band in late 2007--but with a new sound and a refreshed ambition. While 2005's With Love and Squalor marked them out as The Strokes' preppier cousins, lean guitar-indie with arch lyrics and driving tempos, Brain Thrust Mastery has more than rehash on its mind. It's an album that's both bigger and poppier than its predecessor--see gleaming first single "After Hours"--but also eager to experiment and branch out. The opening "Ghouls" echoes fellow Brooklynites TV on the Radio, a synthetic mesh of ticking rhythms, dubby bass and multi-tracked vocals, frontman Keith Murray singing: "We all recognise/That I'm the problem here", while "Lethal Enforcer" is a sly piece of '80s pop revivalism that somehow channels the smooth synths and echoing drums of Phil Collins without quite tipping over into kitsch. There's the occasional dropped ball here--"Spoken For", a serene, Tropicalia-tinted love ballad is interrupted around the mid-point by some unnecessary, pompous flying-V action--but on the whole, this is smart pop music that's clever but crucially, seldom clever-clever. --Louis Pattison

Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.

Scientist rulesss, 04 Nov 2005
This is one of the last albums scientist did with the greensleeve label. It is a very impressive album and is his best. The songs are very catchy and melodic and the production values are excellent. Great rhythms, spacey dub.
After this album I advise people to buy "scientist meets the space invaders", then "scientist rids the world of the evil curse of vampires". Lastly buy "scientist encounters pac man" as it only has three decent songs on it.

It dont get much better, 12 Jan 2005
All you red-eyes,you will enjoy, promise :p
Soporiphic drum beats and hypnotic vocals
Sends me every time

Good solid "Rock" album, 01 Apr 2008
Although placed as "Prog Rock", I beg to differ. Certainly there are Prog undertones but there is a definite feel of straight on rock in many tracks.
With hits of 70's/80's rock era, "Revolution Road" is an extremely enjoyable 2 CD set.
The musicianship is superb as are the strong vocals from Mark McCrite - who also plays some great guitar - and David McBee(!).
Don Schiff's beautiful bass lines really underpin the songs with such fluid lines. He plays the N/S Stick, a mix of guitar and bass, which sounds gorgeous.
Then, of course, there is Erik Norlander with his period synths - a real hark-back to the days of yore!!!
I took a leap of faith buying this and it certainly paid off, it is very listenable and rewarding - 18 tracks coming in at around 102 minutes.
There are "gentler" tracks akin to smooth AOR, there are one or two with a kind of funky, pop/rock edge. However one chooses to define them the music is good!!
Opening with the brief prelude "Look Up", it quickly strides into kicks into the punchy "Sky Is Falling" - a great (near) opener. Then it's the superb anthem "Dream In Red". Generally speaking, these set the course for a good consistant album.
The 'funky' instrumental - "Ptolemy" is fun and there is a lovely cover of the Moody Blues "Gypsy (of a strange and distant time)" - very nice!
The more I listen, the more I like!
Definite 5 stars.

I agree with Letty..., 27 Jun 2007
Great album. Bonkers lyrics. Compared to the anatomy of a fruit fly, this review really is quite simple.

a good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year. Superb recording of some great tunes and odd lyrics. Even better out in the sticks.

A good one, 13 Dec 2005
One of my albums of the year so far. Superbly recorded with some odd little tunes and sounds even better played out in the sticks.

Revenge of the Nerds, 01 Jul 2007
We Are Scientists are a New York-based three-piece that released their debut album "With Love and Squalor" in 2005. As their name suggests, they look and talk like nerds. However, We Are Scientists do know how to pen songs that should prove strong commercial hits, as they cash in on the current vogue for post-punk songs that get you up on your feet and rocking.

The album clocks in at a pretty fast 12 tracks in 37 minutes and does not pause for breath at the start until the fourth track "Can't Lose". The record is heavily guitar-laden, with nearly all of the tracks containing hooks that are well worth hearing. Murray is on lead guitar and vocals and does both quite well, while Cain (complete with the dodgey 1980s 'tache and glasses) on bass is capable of producing a strong and distinct sound, without dominating. Although American, they do occasionally sound like one of their peer bands from the UK though, e.g. The Editors or Kaiser Chiefs.

The big themes on the album are the pressing issues of the day - birds and booze. Well, lets face it, they were for most blokes when they were students and this is clearly where this band wants to pitch its tent right now.

"With Love and Squalor" opens with "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", a jeu-de-mot of a title which makes the track sound like something the Fun Loving Criminals would offer up, but is really about pleading with a girlfriend to stay. Its a catchy guitar-driven song, which has the feel though of being a paint-by-numbers approach to how to achieve a commercial hit at present. Take the chorus as an example of instantly memorable, but preferably forgettable lyrics:

Because my body is your body
I won't tell anybody
If you wanna use my body
Go for it, yeah


Similarly, "The Great Escape", later in the album, has a superb heavy bass sound that really gets you moving to it, whilst Murray succeeds in being able to sing quite well over the throbbing sound. However, the lyrics are once more disappointing with a chorus of:

I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here
I got a great idea
I'm gonna wait right here
While everything is adding up, up, up
Everything is adding up, up, up


The song I like the most though is "Textbook". It could easily be mistaken for a number off The Editors' "The Back Room". However, as a song, it shows We Are Scientists in a different light with respect to how they sound and the type of song they are capable of, with lyrics such as "smitten but not stupid" and "having every question answered isn't going to help at all" achieving a resonance for me that the other songs on the album do not. Similarly, its not quite as good, but much the same can be said of the subsequent track "Lousy Reputation", a song about a guy persuading himself not to be led by other people's low opinions of a girl that he has just met.

My overall feeling is that We Are Scientists will prove to be a popular part of the current scene of post-punk dance bands without proving to be innovators within it. This does not make them a bad band. On the contrary, there is much there to rock along to and, having seen them live twice, I can vouch for the energy they give their set.

Best indie album, 24 Feb 2007
We are scientists are great, the best indie band with the best indie album and i think that they are very under rated. They have a massive following, as their tour in 2006 showed, and with an album like this it isn't surprising. The whole of the album contains great rock music and i was very surprised with the skill of the drummer, as most indie bands just have an average drummer, but we are scientists have a great one, in fact the whole band are much better than most rock bands out there.
Overall: A great album with great music by a great band, basically-it's great!

Best Album of Last Year, 12 Jul 2006
Like my title suggests, i really really enjoyed this album! Having best sent a mix cd with 'The Great Escape' amongst the tracks i felt compelled to hear the rest of the album and i wasn't disappointed! The album kicks off with the upbeat and edgy 'nobody move...' and keeps up a funky, danceable beat all the way through, only pausing for a breath on 'textbook'. The best songs I.M.O on the this album are Great Escape, Inaction, Cashcow and Nobody Move... however the rest are all very, very good and superb listening! Would recommend this to anyone!

Smashing debut, 17 Jun 2006
While not divulging in the same enthusiasm as other reviewers, We Are Scientists have made an essentially 'pop' album. Every song contains a catchy riff and their music can appeal to a wide audience. What's more, With Love and Squalor is in my opinion a massive improvement on their self released EPs and the trio have a sense of humour to boot.

They've got brilliance down to a science, 28 Apr 2006
This is probably one of the best debut albums ever to grace sound waves. Without a doubt better then The Killers "Hot Fuss" and what's more is, as a live band they can perform like no other I've ever seen. If you haven't already bought it what are you waiting for? If you have it becomes the music to your life. An incredible achievement!!

My favourite album, 16 Mar 2008
It's inevitable that you'd be a bit apprehensive when it comes to investing your time in a band that not many outside Cardiff are familiar with, but for anyone who would love to own an album that you can turn up and be taken away on an enchanting journey, this is a must own.

I've been looking for an album like this since I started listening to and collecting music. So delicately recorded, this record is full of melodic, full sounding melodies that will fill your head with happy thoughts. Don't get me wrong, this isn't an openly happy album, but 'Take Time to Wonder in a Whirling World' is just well written, thoughtful, well recorded and emotional.

Currently, the best album I own....and I know it will stay that way for a long time to come.

Psych is alive and well!!!very very well!, 25 Sep 2007
What an album! Psychedelic music for the 21st Century. Acid drenched guitar workout, spacey sounds, hippie lyrics, all beautifully put together in a musical stew that is simply mouthwateringly magnificent. This is an album that plays better and better every time you listen to it.
One of this years very best albums: get it!
Grant canyon, diverse music man



Truly awful, 06 Oct 2008
I really wanted to like their music I borrowed this album from the library and I am really glad I didn't buy it. Terrible it was like nails on a chalkboard I just wanted it to end.

No dissapointment, 21 Aug 2008
A very pleasing follow-up to their first album. This is the album that The Killers should have been making, but were too overly-hyped to keep to what the do best.

If you haven't listened to "with love and squalor" buy that too, just the best band around at the moment.

Top Notch Album, 17 Jul 2008
I have always loved we are scientists! They are down to earth guys who create great music, so when i got this album i worried it may not live up to my expectations but it absolutely did! I've listened to all of the songs so many times and it never gets boring. I recently went to see them live and they are amazing live, they actually sound like they do on the album which means they dont 'perfect' and 'touch up' their voices using technology which just adds to what i love about them! Awesome album. Awesome Band.

Different but Great, 13 Jun 2008
It's easy to note from this album that the band has matured. If you are looking for more of what was in the first album you will be disappointed. However, this album is great, it's mellow and more melodic. The hard hitting lyrics and drinking binge songs have been replaced by more tranquil tracks. I loved the first album and I love this one, for different reasons.

Give it a chance!!, 04 May 2008
I am one of many, many people that own 'With Love and Squalor', and will put it into their list of favorite albums. It has so many hits, so many awesome fast paced songs which will enlighten even the dullest of days.

This album, upon its first listen I found a slight repetitiveness to it, perhaps too much experimentation. But after a couple of weeks of giving it a chance, I completely changed my mind about it.

It's not an album I will love as much as their first, but it is certainly one I will recommend to anybody.