Brain Thrust Mastery

Description

Brain Thrust Mastery, the second album by California art rockers We Are Scientists, was originally released on Virgin Records in March 2008. Its intoxicating blend of retro futurism, indie, and sparkling power pop gives it a distinctly contemporary sound. Working in collaboration with the band, this 2LP version of the album adds B-sides and live tracks recorded at Union Chapel in London and is pressed on high-quality 180g vinyl. Named after founding members Keith Murray and Chris Cain, the band's sense of style led a truck rental supervisor to assume they must be academics. We Are Scientists was formed in Berkeley, California, at the turn of the century. Their first "real" album, With Love And Squalor (2005), became an underground hit during the band's tour in the UK, where they gained a substantial fan base before the album was released in America the following year. The material for Brain Thrust Mastery debuted during a UK tour in early 2007, before the band returned to the studio with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (who would go on to win Grammys with Vampire Weekend). We Are Scientists maintains a sharp sense of theater and comedy in their live performances—at that time, the band acted as their own support, offering personal development seminars called "Brain Thrust Mastery." The album is packed with well-crafted pop songs, rich in hooks and melodies. The first single, After Hours, reached number 15 in March 2008, and following the album's release that same month, it was followed by other successful singles Chick Lit and Impatience. A summer of touring, with performances at Glastonbury, T In The Park, Reading, and Leeds, highlights the band's popularity.