Photo credit: Greg Szeto

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: We Are Scientists – The Great Escape

This is going to be brief as I have a lot on my plate and in my mind.

I don’t think it’s possible for We Are Scientists to not have, and as a corollary not be, fun in performance.  It’s etched into their personalities, and thankfully this fun-loving trait is shared with a sizable contingent of their fervent fan-base.

For a Tuesday night, the club stage of Sonar was decently filled.  But I firmly maintain that everything is about quality and not quantity.  Judged on that basis, the Scientists should be really proud of the fanatics they have gathered around them.  Lead singer Keith Murray was even working their own merch table, with a line of eager fans waiting to chat, consume and take pictures with him.  Such is the level of their down-to-earthy-ness. Read the rest…

Some cool stuff coming up:

– This week, we see the release of the 25th Anniversary edition of Thriller, Michael Jackson’s landmark pop-transcending musical opus…you know, pre-albino freak-out. CD has a bunch of remixes tacked on and comes complete with music videos including a digitally re-polished “Thriller” as well as live performance footage.

Since Jack-o seems to have enthralled YouTube into preventing embedding of his video, I have taken the liberty of embedding the Indian version, musically less entertaining, but comedically much better than the original.

– Everyone’s favorite indie-pop jokers We Are Scientists are releasing their latest LP, Brain Thrust Mastery in the UK and parts of Europe on March 17th. Video for lead single “After Hours” after the jump.

– Self-described “art-pop” kids in HIJK combines pop-punk vocal delivery and melodic direction with technical details constructed using post-punk nuts and bolts. Most notably, the angular and interesting guitar work as well as the truly kinetic bass work to deliver some enjoyable gems that often surprise and defy description. Maybe its the inspired and varied instrumentation…je ne sais quoi. Check their first video for “Paper Boat” after the jump.

Tracks from the 2007 LP The Pen and the Letter:
Paper Boat
Hey Sleepy Smile
Center of Things

– News and interview from local shoegaze darlings Thrushes, forthcoming…
————