We Are Scienists - With Love And Squalor (Review: Alex)

We Are Scientists are a band I've always meant to listen to; the sort of band which I thought I would like, and which I could find no reason why I hadn't listened to yet. This album truly reaffirmed this suspicion, and I am now slightly ashamed that I haven't listened to them before.

Of course this is the only album I have to go on, but With Love And Squalor has led me to think that We Are Scientists are possibly the best indie band out there. 'Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt' is a fantastic opener, and is a prime example of the band's ability, as Ben said, to write a catchy riff, and follow it up with a great song. All too often I find a good riff spoiled by a mediocre song. We Are Scientists seem incapable of this.

Kieth Murray isn't a great vocalist, but I'm not sure he needs to be. The catchy, upbeat nature of the album doesn't lend itself to a reliance on a powerful voice. In fact, there is nothing technically brilliant about anything on this album. However I don't think this matters. I'm certainly not listening in the hope of hearing an ear-blistering guitar solo. It's great for every other reason imaginable. It's what we all look for in a great indie band: an ability to do as much as they can with as little as possible. We Are Scientists have a fantastic talent for this. Most of the songs on this album are just 3 or 4 chords, but that is by no means a hindrance.

I have to congratulate We Are Scientists on a brilliantly easy-listening album. Even the more mellow songs on the album, 'Textbook' in particular, seem strangely uplifting. As a result, I have little choice but to give With Love And Squalor 4/5, simply for doing exactly what was expected of it: nothing brilliant, but nothing at all bad.