THE DEAD SCIENCE PLAY THE EL MOCAMBO (464 SPADINA AV) SEP 26. $7 FROM ROTATE THIS, SOUNDSCAPES, TICKETPRO. DOORS 8PM.
WHO ARE THEY?
Hailing from Seattle, Washington, The Dead Science are a remarkable post-punk trio whose ambitious sound is drawn from seemingly disparate sources. Christening themselves The Sweet Science in 2000, vocalist/guitarist Sam Mickens and bassist Jherek Bischoff begrudgingly renamed themselves The Dead Science in 2003 (to avoid a “hey, we had that band name first” lawsuit) and changed drummers in 2004, when Nick Tamburro replaced Jherek’s brother Korum. They’ve released a slew of records and have toured extensively throughout North America and Europe, including stints as auxiliary members of Xiu Xiu and Carla Bozulich’s Evangelista. Now working with Montreal’s Constellation Records, The Dead Science’s latest album is a dizzying, operatic-rock masterpiece entitled Villainaire, which delves into romantic myth-making and, arguably more surprisingly, the Wu-Tang Clan.
WHAT ARE THE SOUNDS OF DEAD SCIENCE?
Even the most stone-hearted music snob would agree that Villainaire is something special; its compositional explorations are simply astounding. Mickens believes a different, self-directed creative approach yielded something extraordinary for The Dead Science as, rather than watching the clock, they felt free to experiment. He explains: “Jherek’s been recording and producing records by other people in the last few years and this is the first one we’ve done entirely on our own. That really had a tremendous impact on it.”
Incorporating contemporary R&B drum sounds and structures within their aesthetic has beefed up The Dead Science, to the point where they sound like a pimped-out post-hardcore band on Villainaire. As a singer, Mickens’ airy, soaring delivery borders on falsetto, much like his friend and vocal collaborator, Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think).
Yet, there’s an idiosyncratic substance to Mickens’ lyrics, particularly on Villainaire, which reflects his lifelong interest in mythological characters. “It was definitely made at a time where all these things seemed to align themselves in a really magical way,” Mickens says of the album. “I started to see the interconnection of things I’ve been into since I was a kid and it’s definitely shooting for self-mythology. I’d even say there’s a kind of narrative arc; it’s certainly not a story or anything but there’s an arc or thread through the record for sure.”
IS WU-TANG REALLY FOREVER?
Beyond its sonic composition, one of the most intriguing aspects of Villainaire is its connection to Staten Island’s finest, the Wu-Tang Clan. The trained ear will catch many Wu-Tang lyrics and references within Mickens’ theatrical tales, and the album’s liner notes include the inscription, “Dedicated in word and deed to the Wu-Tang Clan.”
“They’re a pretty amazing model for any group of artists who are all fairly ego-driven but trying to make an empire together, without any means other than their own genius,” Mickens explains. “I feel a kinship with them because they like a lot of the same stuff I do, like the comic books and movies. I think they have a really healthy and modern idea about culture and how to use it in their own work.”
When pressed, Mickens calls 1997’s divisive Wu-Tang Forever his favourite Wu-Tang Clan record, praises 2008’s Wu-feud-starting 8 Diagrams and deflects any suggestion that the Clan’s W emblem has lost its lustre. “You could say they’ve fallen off in the public’s eye and maybe, as a group, they don’t have the same strength and focus they did in the ‘90s, but I think they’re all still extremely capable and great. I wouldn’t be surprised if they never made another record but I’m still happy with them.”