THANK YOU SCIENTIST
Thank You Scientist sounds like an omnipotent music snob got too high one night and decided to combine everything in the cupboard.
Jazz? Yes, delicious. I bet Pop vocals would go well with this. This Classical is about to go bad, better use it, and - oh, is that prog rock in the back? Perfection.
This heady combination of musical flavor, unlike many creations of the deeply stoned, works on many levels. Thank You Scientist, an 8-year old sextet from Montclair NJ, delivers the fluidity of jazz, the intricate and dependable structure of classical and the deeply emotive lead hooks of pop - all at the speed of metal. I’ve struggled to find anything similar ever since this group showed up on my radar 3 years ago thanks to a passionate coworker. Thanks George!
We were lucky enough to catch Thank You Scientist on the last leg of their Terraformer tour at Dante’s, a dimly-lit dive in Portland’s bustling downtown. Boston MA prog rockers Bent Knee opened up fantastically and we’ll be following them closely going forward.
The first thing you notice about a TSY set is actually many things at once. Every member of the group gives off a different vibe, a look as patchwork as their music. Tiny antique televisions decorate the stage, displaying static or fluctuating green waveforms straight out of an 80s sci-fi. Dante’s is not a high-end venue and the plain white lights don’t flatter as the band sets up their own gear, but any air of uncertainty flees the room on the first note. One thing this band all has in common is a frightening technical proficiency. These dudes shred.
It’s a good thing too - if they moved any slower they’d never finish half a set. Terraformer, the band’s third and latest LP, contains 7 songs at or above the 8-minute mark - and these tracks don’t play out verse-chorus-verse-chorus. Over the course of the premiere single FXMLDR we are scorched by metal riffs, lubricated by funk bass, propelled upwards by stabbing horns and lulled by bluesy violin. Aside from the painfully catchy chorus, it’s nearly impossible to notice any repetition. Salvatore Marrano, a bespectacled singer sporting converse and a shaven head, leads the band through their manifold sections with soaring urgency. He is not the owner I pictured of such a dynamic tenor, and it makes his passionate performance all the more engrossing.
The setlist comprises most of the new LP, and nothing could’ve prepared me to see 10-minute tracks like Everyday Ghosts and Anchor delivered so flawlessly. Tom Monda and Ben Karas trade guitar and violin solos in an incendiary duet that burns sunset hues into the ceiling and walls. Easily standing in the front row, it takes everything I have just to digest the complexity brimming before me. Cody McCordy delivers as much heat on his bass as Monda's guitar, tapping and slapping at dangerous speeds.
Joe Fadem doesn’t seem to like me taking his picture, but never falters in his relentless pursuit of varying of rhythm. Joe Gullace and Sam Greenfield ignite the stage with a double handful of saxophone sorcery and trumpet wizardry. The home stretch of the show delivers a manic cover of Eddie Murphy’s 1985 single Party All The Time, stirring the awestruck crowd into the most coherent dance party of the evening. It is far from the most baffling thing to happen.
The boys wraps the North American segment of their tour on the east coast on December 14th before hopping the pond to play shows in Europe.
If you’re curious about the gratuitous amalgamation of genres I’ve described here, I encourage you to treat yourself to a truly unique listening experience and dive into some Thank You Scientist today. Bumps well with caffeine and an open mind.
♥ Zach
