We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery

Genre indie-rock Publisher Virgin Records External Links We Are Scientists Website

I have a terrible habit of expecting bands that put out good albums in the past to continue putting out good albums. I know, I know, it’s naïve of me to think that musicians can produce better-than-average records at least twice in a row. Maybe it’s the optimist in me, maybe I’ve done too many drugs, who knows. All it really means is that I’m harder on good albums if a band has put out a better one before. That, my dear reader, is the case of Brain Thrust Mastery, the new album by We Are Scientists.

In the two years since their first album, With Love and Squalor, We Are Scientists lost a drummer, gained a somewhat darker sound, and seemingly lost a lot of fun in the transition. When I first heard With Love and Squalor, I got all excited for the fun, dancey… well, exciting music. It wasn’t groundbreaking. There were half a dozen other bands that had a similar sound. It was just the feel. Everything worked.

Now, everything feels somewhat pieced together. Songs feel more sparse, lyrics more generic, the entire affair seems like Keith Murray and Chris Cain had some material left after Love and decided to see what they could do with it. But what, praytell, does a band do when they no longer have a drummer? Why, they use a drum machine! Which, it seems, then causes a band to lose almost all originality, as well as (somehow) gain that hollow sound of a computer, rather than a human.

From the opening…sounds(?) of “Ghouls,” to the depressing opening lines, “We all recognize/That I’m/The Problem Here” being repeated, it’s almost as if Murray is telling the listener they really won’t have much fun with this album. The aforementioned drum machine is extremely present despite the sound of real drums. To go from the first dance-feel album to Brain Thrust Mastery is difficult.

The little sticker that came on the front of the CD (sometimes I’m not cool enough to get press kits and just have a random disc sent to me. No, really, I like doing the research. I don’t need a bio of anything. Honest.) said “Rad new CD! Listen for the single, “After Hours,” on the radio!” I figured, since I don’t own a radio, I’d just listen to the song. I regret that choice. I already have a terrible habit of not liking radio single choices, but it’s honestly pretty bad. The track that follows, “Lethal Enforcer,” sounds like Rick Astley. I’m going to stop there.

We Are Scientists seem to have lost their direction. This album is a menagerie of different sounds and styles, none of which seem to follow any theme. “Ghouls” has a dark, Cure feel to it, “Dinosaurs” sounds almost punkish, “Altered Beast” is dirty electro, “Lethal Enforcer” sounds like Rick Astley (ok, so I didn’t stop before)…there is no real focus. The material that was left over from With Love and Squalor when We Are Scientists were bored was not quite enough for this disc. Unless you really, really, really need some new We Are Scientists, I suggest sticking to With Love and Squalor.