We Are Scientists—the duo of vocalist/guitarist Keith Murray and bassist/vocalist Chris Cain—are known for the oblique humor and intelligence that they bring to their music, but a question about their sharp mental acuity produces gales of laughter. “I don’t believe brains or wit are particularly helpful, or necessary, in pop music,” Murray says, still chuckling. “If we intended our appeal to be narrow and excessively insular, those qualities might be good for us, but nobody likes a smartass.” Despite this protestation, the songs on the band’s new LP, TV En Français (Dine Alone), are brimming over with wry humor and skewed insights into the state of modern romance. TV En Français was recorded with the help of producer Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio), who helped give the album a polished, expansive sound. Cain will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the band.
Cain: If you’ve never hung out with a cat, you’ve got a wonderful surprise coming. Furry, weird, surly in a funny way, cats are great company. Probably you’ve seen pictures of cats on the internet—these have become incredibly popular because their diminutive size and laziness makes cats easy to photograph. But photos alone don’t do them justice.
Once, we were sitting at a kitchen table reading the newspaper or something, probably sipping an Irish coffee, when our cat leapt up into our lap, did a couple of tight little turns in place to find his angle, then plopped down and went to sleep. Delightful, and par for the course when instead of “golf” you’re playing “cats.”
Some people believe they’re allergic to cats, or worry they might be, and so do their best to steer clear of them. This is a mistake: Testing and scientific analysis have shown that cat allergies are a myth, a “psychosomatic” outgrowth of a deep-seated fear of living and/or fear of pleasure. Luckily, the cure for these afflictions is as simple as picking up a cat and carrying him around for a few days. (If your arms get tired, know that cats are great perchers.)
Maybe you’ve got a rabbit and you think you know what’s up with cats. Balderdash. Rabbits are similar to cats, sure—the way a little toy car is similar to a Rolls Royce. (There is a reason that, in nature, rabbits worship cats as gods.) A famous experiment conducted by several psychologists involved surreptitiously replacing volunteers’ pet cats with rabbits. Of one hundred participants, all attempted—many successfully—suicide. Another group, this one comprising rabbit owners, had their pets secretly replaced with cats. The upgrade had ramifications in every area of their lives: this group reported more success at work, better sex, a novel sense of well-being, and a better critical instinct vis à vis the Arts.
Is it possible for something to be super-popular, yet still vastly under-appreciated? It certainly is. (Cats.)
