Scientific's new EP finds them taking a bit of new direction with new band members and a departure in sound from their debut full-length. The '80s comments about the first record will probably be discarded from reviews this time around, taking a more raw approach to songwriting that retains the pop structure, just not the pop structure associated so often with the era of cheesy pop and bad hairdos. The record's opening track starts the record on an upbeat tone, as Christian Wargo repeats the line "you put a strain on my heart," in less of a distinct voice than previous efforts over a friendly keyboard part that carries the song, making changes along the way that keep things interesting. When I first heard the record it made me think of a lot of early '80s punk music, especially in his vocals that seem to have more of that Johnny Rotten PIL-era snarl to them. Though short, the EP explores new territory and shows signs of a band that will only continue to get better, drawing off of older influences to make interesting music that is current.
B+
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by MarkScientific have a sound comprised of classic 80's new wave elements, but rearranged in a way that sounds fresh. The vocals are very reminiscent of Gary Numan with a dash of Fred Schneider at times, and in contrast to most albums you hear they are rather quiet in the mix. Catchy synthesizers act as a driving force and though they have a real drummer, the drumming itself is rather mechanical…Opus 2000Reviewed by Jason MoreheadBefore I headed down to Cornerstone 2000, I received a couple of e-mails from Christian Lee Wargo, the vocalist and songwriter of Scientific. In one of them, he mentioned the band was going through several changes, including a new sound, which immediately intrigued and disappointed me. Good bands are always evolving and maturing in their sound, but darn it all, I really liked Scientific's…Similar sounding releases
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