At first listen, With Love and Squalor by We Are Scientists sounds like a band I've heard once before but simply can't put a name to - the musical equivalent of a word on the tip of one's tongue.
The album reminds me a little bit of The Killers with a dash of Weezer or Jet amped on something else; I wasn't sure what to make of them. As the album goes on, the lyrics and the melody feel a lot more comfortable.
Nobody Move
Nobody Get Hurt the first track, starts out with a lot of energy and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Distorted guitars and steady drums lead into The Scene Is Dead a song about partying until there's nobody left, which we've all felt the need to do once or twice.
While the songs seem a little repetitive, they do showcase the band's range from some rock-infused ballad attempts to songs that a Dance or Die emcee might play.
Complicated relationships are bemoaned in It's A Hit
a track about the guy not knowing what in the world the girl is thinking, and he can't take much more. Not a big surprise, but a song you can get into.
Overall, With Love and Squalor is reminiscent of chilling on a couch in someone's garage with some instruments lying around that maybe one of your friends has attempted to learn in order to get girls. It's the type of energetic yet unambitious music that makes for a good afternoon.
17
Archives
Alex Hazlett
20060216218midsize.jpg
