Their name was inspired by an awkward conversation with a U-Haul employee who was inspecting a van that the band had rented. The U-haul employee, attempting to make polite conversation, asked the three bespectacled band members if they were brothers. They said no. He asked if they were scientists, as they looked like they could be the kind of people who wear lab coats. They told him that they were musicians, not scientists. To this day, they regret telling the truth. They are not named after the Cap'n Jazz song which bears the name.
They are a franchise of Art Rock band, Art Brut. In fact, they are Art Brut 47.
The band formed while its members attended the Claremont Colleges. Murray and Cain attended Pomona College; Michael Tapper attended Harvey Mudd College.
The band has released three self-made EPs (Bitching!, Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) and In Action). Their debut LP, With Love And Squalor was on Virgin Records, the first three singles of which were "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt", "The Great Escape" and "It's A Hit". The album takes its name from the J.D. Salinger short story "For Esme - With Love and Squalor". They have since released LP Crap Attack, which is a collection of B-Sides, covers and other rarities, and their full follow-up album, Brain Thrust Mastery which debuted in the UK on March 17,2008 reached number 11 at the UK Album charts.
On the 1st November 2007, NME reported that Michael Tapper has left We Are Scientists under amicable circumstances, and on September 18, 2007, the band announced on their website that Max Hart, a keyboardist and guitarist who has played live with them before, has joined the band temporarily. As they put it: "There's no easy answer as to how long Max will stick around. Maybe we'll grow to hate his sanctimonious ways, which for now tickle us so. Maybe he'll grow to hate our open-minded, funny, refreshing, handsome ways, thus achieving what psychologists and bookies long ago labeled impossible."
And to make things even more exciting for the band, We Are Scientists is featured in the soundtrack of the 2008 film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, which Bishop Allen - at the time featuring former We Are Scientists drummer Michael Tapper - appears in a cameo.
According to Keith Murray's Wikipedia he was nominated for World's Sexiest Vegetarian 2007 and is predicted that he will be the new face of Louis Vuitton's spring/summer '09 collection.
The Band's 3rd effort, Barbara, was released in June of 2010 and features ex-Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows.
Lousy Reputation
We Are Scientists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The qualities you openly have advertised
A bigger man might not feel so compromised
But I've never been that sane and I won't start tonight
It's burning me up, I've heard it enough
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off
I've heard it enough
I've heard some things I guess it's better not to know
It's pretty bad as far as first impressions go
A bigger man could probably get past it all
Oh the problem here is that I just won't grow up, so what
It's burning me up, I've heard it enough
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off
I've heard it enough
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off, off, off
It's burning me up, I've heard it enough
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off
I've heard it enough
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off
In "Lousy Reputation," We Are Scientists describe the challenge of trying to maintain an open mind about a person despite negative rumors and gossip. The singer describes himself as not being a "bigger man," suggesting that he doesn't have the emotional or psychological capacity to overlook the negative aspects of the person's reputation. As a result, he finds himself surprised when he encounters positive qualities in this individual that contradict the negative reputation he's heard.
The singer acknowledges that he's heard "some things" about this person that are bad enough to create a poor first impression, but he still struggles to accept these negative reports because of his own immaturity. He ultimately resolves not to let the person's reputation "throw him off," suggesting that he's going to try to remain open-minded and give this person a chance despite the negativity he's heard.
Throughout the song, the lyrics express a kind of inner struggle between the singer's desire to be fair-minded and open to new people and experiences, and the difficulty he experiences in trying to reconcile what he's heard about this one individual with what he's actually seeing in that person.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do I keep finding myself so surprised?
I can't help but be shocked every time I discover something new about you
The qualities you openly have advertised
You've been honest about your negative traits for all to see
A bigger man might not feel so compromised
Someone more emotionally mature would not feel as conflicted about your flaws
But I've never been that sane and I won't start tonight
I'm not mentally stable and I'm not about to pretend to be
I've heard some things I guess it's better not to know
There are rumors about you that I'd rather not confirm or deny
It's pretty bad as far as first impressions go
The things I've heard about you aren't great for a first impression
A bigger man could probably get past it all
Someone more mature could overlook your reputation and focus on your positive qualities
Oh the problem here is that I just won't grow up, so what
I'm not willing to mature and accept you despite your reputation
It's burning me up, I've heard it enough
The rumors about you are causing me distress and I'm tired of hearing them
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off
I won't let your negative reputation negatively influence my opinion of you
I won't let your lousy reputation throw me off, off, off
I won't let your negative reputation throw me off no matter how many times I hear about it
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER CAIN, KEITH MURRAY, MICHAEL TAPPER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CodenameCommrade
This song is still just as awesome since the first time i heard it when I was just a kid playing SSX 10 years ago.
@mattbanks420
2
@kdotfunyuns-5300
Yeah SSX never gets old, I had bought the game again a few weeks ago and I started crying
@elitegaming821
ON TOURRRRRRR!!!!!
@HarpoTheVillain
Yeah, but the bass in the intro really is where it shines. That BASS is probably the the most awesome bass intro I've heard.
@anthonyp.3915
still here 12 years later
@LukeVazio
SSX is a great game, On tour was my fav. Best soundtrack evah.
@deadsquadgaming8884
Luk :v I still play on tour
@hareecionelson5875
SSX on tour brought me here
@xDdraigCymraeg
my favourite song on SSX On Tour!!