In 2005, around the time that similarly cheeky rock outfits like Art Brut and the Arctic Monkeys were surfacing, Berkeleys We Are Scientists released their hooky debut record, With Love and Squalor; it was an instant favorite among the indie crowd. WAS has since been spending their time wandering into synth and rave territory, creating and starring in a Flight of the Concords-like MTV series called Steve Wants His Money, and releasing a shouty, rowdy, and somewhat traitorous song for the 2010 World Cup called Goal! England! Now functioning as a duo, with Keith Murray on vocals and guitar and Chris Cain on bass, the bands latest album, Barbara, finally returns them to their roots singles Rules Dont Stop and Nice Guys are both neat and sweet, purely enjoyable pop ditties. With Black Whales, Rewards. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Wed., July 28, 8 p.m., 2010
