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We Are Scientists - 'Chick Lit'

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Fraser McAlpine | 09:37 UK time, Wednesday, 4 June 2008

We Are ScientistsDespite the fact that they have been in use as the chief instrument of all popular music (apart from the stuff with synths), guitars which sound like skewers are a rarity in modern music. People seem to be able to get their six-strings to ring like bells, stutter like shy teenagers, hammer like a woodpecker, twang like underwear or grind like a peppermill, but it's not often you hear a guitar refrain which sounds like it would be useful in a barbecue environment, either for kebabs or toasting marshmellows.

We Are Scientists, it's fair to say, are not a band who will find themselves lacking the correct tools in this type of situation. They've got a guitar refrain which, if used inappropriately, could pierce your left ear, pass through your lower brainial cortexes*, and then pop your right eardrum out on the way back to the daylight.

(Please don't attempt to copy this with a real skewer, by the way. I've tried it, it really stings.)

They also have a distracted, propulsive, jarring thing going on with the rhythm of their music, which is part new-rave discipline and part tumbledown drum chaos. And backing vocals which don't know when to stop. And glassy lead vocals from that man with the salt-and-pepper sweepover, the man grown women who really should know better are all calling Handsome Keith.

That's a lot going on in one song. And if the final result comes over as a little bit characterless at times - an accusation you could never level at the band themselves - well, at least you can tell they tried to hide it with interesting ideas. Imagine how amazing it would be if the song was just a tad more memorable!

Of course, I'm not about to argue with two men with skewer guitars, so here's a very respectful - not to say fearful - rating, based entirely on the quality of their output. Honest.

Four starsDownload: Out now
CD Released: June 9th

(Fraser McAlpine)

* Biology - Not My Subject.

PS: For no other reason than it's quite funny, check out the ChartBlog interview with Chris Scientist from a couple of weeks back...

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