“I think I would probably just panic and kill myself out of fear, just to avoid the worst case scenario, which is being pinned under a car or something.”
In comparison to most interviews, today’s is off to a morbid start. With mere hours passing since the Great British Earth Tremor of 2008™, lead singer/guitarist of We Are Scientists, Keith Murray paints a dour picture as to what he would do when faced with a cataclysmic earthquake.
On the other hand, it shouldn’t be unsurprising. We Are Scientists – completed by bassist Chris Cain - have a reputation for providing deeply tongue in cheek retorts in interviews, as well as spiralling off into unexplained and highly amusing realms of bewilderment.
As he talks from his temporary apartment in London (Keith states that whilst the flat is untidy, he is not an unkempt individual: “Slovenly? Yes. Filthy? I’d like to think not…”), some of the early press for their second studio album Brain Thrust Mastery has been making the thirty year old rather perturbed.
A line in NME that stated …Mastery sounded like The Killers and The Kaiser Chiefs had been noted by Murray, and upon questioning, his response was filled with impassioned disbelief:
“I read that and I was like, ‘What?! What the fuck are they talking about?!’” exclaims Keith. “That is some truly, truly lazy journalism. It’s like they sat there and went, [adopts exaggerated showbiz voice] ‘It’s a three and a half minute pop song, who else does that? The Kaiser Chiefs and The Killers! Chris used to have a moustache, now Brandon Flowers has a moustache! They’re like The Killers!’
He has every right to feel aggrieved by the throwaway line too. Whereas 2005’s debut album With Love And Squalor was filled with indie-rock tunes that helped keep dancefloors filled and television shows audibly exciting, the latest incarnation shows the diversity that was missing the first time around.
Closing track That’s What Counts holds rank as one of Keith’s favourites, as it “kinda sounds like Hall and Oates; it’s cool that we actualised that.” Does this mean we are now seeing what We Are Scientists are really capable of?
Murray remarks: “I would say that this is a more thorough We Are Scientists in essence. On our last record we wrote all the songs to be played live because when we wrote them, we weren’t signed to a label, we were just playing tiny shows in New York. They were all written essentially to be live songs, so for the most part they were upbeat, dancy with a big chorus.
He continues: “Playing those same songs for two years satisfied our craving for that sort of sound. There were also many other bands that were indulging in that particular style and we felt that the particular area of the market was somewhat [pauses] over saturated.
“I think no matter how people react to this album, I do believe the worst thing we could’ve done is to – personally for ourselves – make a record that sounded the same as the last one,” adds Murray. “I think we would’ve been like: ‘Why did we even bother even making another record?!’”
New songs such as Spoken For, That's What Counts are very different to previous offerings. What have general reactions been like so far?
“I will say that I do hope there are raised eyebrows; I hope that people are like: ‘Wow, what the hell is this?!’
When we did our lectures on our Brain Thrust Mastery tour (in November/December ’07), we made it free so that anyone could turn up and watch. After the show my favourite response was when people would say ‘Why did you do that? I mean I liked it but I don’t understand what was happening!’ And I was like, ‘Isn’t that awesome that you turned up and you didn’t just get the same stupid thing?’
It doesn’t have to necessarily have to be the point of it, but it does feel good not to just walk into people’s expectations.
How far would you say you have come as musicians since the first album?
“I think that the songs on record are not like weird at all or confusing, it’s not like we’re doing pointedly ‘art rock’ or anything, but I would like people to say that it is surprising.
“At the same time it is pretty important to us that it is accessible and have hooks that are immediately enjoyable but not in a way that is terribly obvious. I think that is the only thing that we are ever really conscious of; we never really think; ‘Oh, we’ve got to write a song that we know everyone would really, really love and that the radio is going to play all of the time.’
“The only time we ever really do think how it will be received is when we listen to them and are like: ‘ok, is this too obvious?’ I think just the idea that it isn’t the obvious record for us to have made would be satisfying for me!”
What do you make of the idea that Brain Thrust Mastery is a ‘mature’ album - what sort of imagery does that evoke for you?
“I know that half the time they mean that as a compliment and half the time they mean that as losing your edge. I definitely agree that we considered all of the sounds a lot more this time. Something that I feel when listening to the previous record is that all of the songs are probably 5bpm too fast. I was like, ‘Man, why were we in such a rush? We were really going for hyper energy on that one!’
“People sometimes after shows would say, ‘Why are you playing your songs so slow?!’ The last record had a lot more ‘youthful vigour’ on it, for sure.”
Are there any overlying themes or messages that you wanted to put across on this album? Did you feel like you had things that needed to be addressed since …Squalor?
“I didn’t definitely say ‘something that needs to be addressed on this album is’, but when you’re writing down lyrics and pre-associating, the stuff that you’ve been chewing over tends to come out anyway. I think the general theme of things that I keep noting – that aren’t intentionally crafted to be our overall theme – is the overall idea of intention and responsibility.
“Being on tour for two years you definitely live your life in society – you have no home, you’re never by yourself, so your life generally does become reaction to people around you - or you actively act against that - which some people I know actively do!
“I was thinking about that a lot once I got off tour, because being home, having my own room and making my own schedule felt [pauses] odd. Like in those prison movies where the guys get out of prison and are like, ‘I’m totally ill equipped to operate in the real world now! What the hell am I going to do?’ and then they usually end up hanging themselves!”
Deadpan Shawshank Redemption links aside, another lengthy jaunt on the tour circuit awaits. Although joking, “touring tends to go on for longer than your taste for touring!” it’s something that Murray himself enjoys. The onset of not having to play to “thirty people a night” is also something that is an encouraging prospect, and with their sophomore studio album reaching number 11 in the UK album charts, it would seem like a solid bet.
As Keith ponders that, “maybe the touring wont be as lengthy and as exhausting this time” due to their relentless attitude previously, another set of obstacles will inevitably arise with a higher level of notoriety. With more media outlets looking to get a word with the guys, the possibility of repetitive questioning may be a fervent regularity.
When asked about questions he could do without, Keith states, “band genesis questions, like ‘How did you guys meet?’ and ‘Why are you called We Are Scientists?” can irk the frontman. While on previous tours there was a motivation to enquire due to their new band status, “we’re not a new band anymore! Let’s not talk about how me and Chris met anymore!” he jokingly pleads.
You’re renowned for giving abstract answers to interview questions; are the lyrics in WAS the only way to really ascertain the true thoughts of the band?
“I’ll say while there is a little more honesty in the lyrics or a little more openness, I don’t think that our interview style or delivery is any less real. Sometimes our style can really piss off the interviewer because they think we’re just taking the piss out of them.
“Reading interviews where people are being super serious about the craft of making music and dissecting their own stupid songs are just really boring to me; I would rather read somebody giving an interview that at least demonstrates they’re having some fun and making an effort to be entertaining.
“I think that the thing we’re most afraid of being ever, is being [pauses] boring. To me, the biggest crime is to waste somebody’s time. If someone’s reading an interview, the last thing I want someone to be thinking is [deadpan] ‘Wow! The story behind that My Chemical Romance song was so powerful; when he was at the Laundry Mat and talks about this girl who he will never speak to’.
“Whatever man, I’d rather hear the guy from My Chemical Romance talk shit about physics, that would be more interesting to me [pauses]. It’s not an indictment against them, there’s just too many people being way too self-serious. Which isn’t to say that people shouldn’t be serious about art or anything, but there’s a level of gravity about it that people bring to everything, where it all feels so over aught and just unnecessary to the appreciation of what they’re doing.
Proof, if any more were needed, that We Are Scientists are here to put the work in, but are taking out enough time to smell the roses. Whilst some reviewers have not taken so warmly to their latest offering as others, there can be no doubts about why the band has an ever-increasing fanbase – especially in the United Kingdom.
Their light-hearted approach to on-stage conversations (read: banter) through to their online spoofs (check out their NME awards star spotting – Kate Nash, Billy Bragg and Danny Dyer take note) and promo videos provide a perfect foil for tales of love, loss and responsibility within their tunes.
It’s understandably taken until their second album for We Are Scientists to spark up considerable mainstream interest. With subtle, quirky personalities baffling and charming some, it’s kept them away from brazen headlines and close to hearts. As Keith gets back to his unkempt flat, this summer could well be one of his maddest yet.
