Scientific is a quartet from Chicago, but, no, it doesn t sound like The Jesus Lizard at all. Nope, the band sounds like a goth version of Barcelona with crisp indie rock guitars underpinned with authentic 80 s synthesizers, analogue drums, and fairly catchy hooks and choruses. The vocals remind me of what Mac McCaughan from Superchunk would sound like if his voice were two octaves lower and had a tad less panache. Despite Christian Wargo s borderline Smurf factor, he has a clean voice and belts out his semi-melancholic pop with a sense of urgency. The music doesn t necessarily follow Wargo s vocal cues, often sounding more upbeat and poppy than his vocals would imply.
Some songs do morph into moody, atmospheric ballads, though.
The pretentiously titled An Evening Perhaps goths out on us, revealing The Cure influence we knew was there all along. The band sheds the darkness quickly, however, bursting into the upbeat, semi-rocking Not Rarely Inclined. Scientific s indie pop side shines here. Wargo actually joins the fun bobbing along dutifully to the peppy keyboards and jangling guitars. The band cites all Stephin Merritt-related bands as influences as well as the likes of Stereolab and Yo La Tengo, but apart from generic instrumental similarities I can barely decipher the tracks of any of them.