This whole ’80s post-punk/new wave revival is starting to grow a little thin.
Granted, these bands are still somewhat of a guilty pleasure to enjoy, but how many of these bands do we actually need? I enjoy The Killers and Franz Ferdinand just as much as the next guy, but sooner or later one realizes they all pretty much sound like Duran Duran anyway. Sigh. Well, enough with my mini-rant and on to the actual review.
“With Love And Squalor,” We Are Scientists’ debut album is not a very cohesive work. Each song is less about what it delivers to the album as a whole and more about trying really, really hard to be a hit single. Normally this sort of modus operandi would create a disaster, but fortunately for We Are Scientists, this isn’t as big of a problem.
The anthemic nature of the band generally works better in three-minute bursts anyway, so when it works, it works. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always. The album ends up being a mixed bag. Sometimes the riffs bite hard and melodies stick. However, more often than not, the songs on the album are mildly entertaining, yet forgettable.
Opening with the single “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt,” which contains the ridiculous 11 syllable pronunciation of “explode,” We Are Scientists sets the pace for the rest of the album. The opening guitar distortion segues into drum beats and a back-up bass line for a pretty standard track. Each song manipulates this basic structure, each one trying hard to make something stick. It’s mostly hit or miss, with other standout tracks being, “Inaction,” “The Great Escape” and “Lousy Reputation.”
The lyrics are a real weak point for the band. They’re neither simple and catchy nor interestingly obtuse. While constructing deep lyrics is not necessary for music like this, these lyrics manage to have none of the depth of real lyrics and none of the catchiness otherwise desired. It feels as if the band doesn’t have a clear grasp of what it wants to say.
Notably absent from the sounds is any sort of synthesizer. This brings its post-punk/New Wave revivalism a lot closer to Franz Ferdinand than either The Killers or The Bravery.
This lack of synth makes its sound a lot harder and requires a much larger reliance on guitar virtuosity. Unlike Franz Ferdinand, though, which relies more on dueling guitars to achieve the desired effect, the guitar-work here is mostly solo in nature. “With Love And Squalor,” however, isn’t nearly as good as Franz Ferdinand’s debut, which was incredibly consistent throughout.
Overall, this debut is just as good or bad as the typical ’80s retro band nowadays, which is either good or bad, depending on how you see it. Its sound is different enough to attract lovers of the genre, but what it’s doing has already been done time and time again.
