On any given day, WE ARE SCIENTISTS‘ Megaplex is 10 smooth tracks of radiant momentum. But with the rise of tomorrow’s Full Moon? Watch out! It sprouts a hairy 14 MORE tracks and transforms into Megaplex Deluxe: Rise of the Lycans!
Despite the band’s non-negotiable rule of 10-songs-per-album, Megaplex: Rise Of The Lycans does in fact include four additional acoustic songs, three new full band bonus tracks (like the recently released “Second Acts“), five demos, and two remixes.
Now, please don’t think the band is backing down from their 10-songs-per-album credo. In an appropriately thorough essay, the band has laid out their defense: “We Are Scientists has long felt that ten songs is the correct number of songs to be included on an album… ten is *correct,* and any other album-length is wrong.”
MEGAPLEX DELUXE TRACKLISTING 1) One In, One Out 2) Notes in a Bottle 3) Heart is a Weapon 4) Your Light Has Changed 5) KIT 6) No Wait at Five Leaves 7) Not Another Word 8) Now or Never 9) You Failed 10) Properties of Perception11) Second Acts 12) Slow Death 13) Give It Up 14) Your Song Has Changed (Remix) 15) KIT (Joel Broke KIT Remix) 16) No Wait at Five Leaves, Under The Sea 17) One In, One Out, Under The Sea 18) Now or Never, Under The Sea 19) Heart is a Weapon, Under The Sea 20) KIT (Demo) 21) You Failed (Demo) 22) Properties of Perception (Demo) 23) One In, One Out (Demo) 24) No Wait at Five Leaves (Demo) |
| The band goes on to dissect their reasoning, “Now, you may think that we’re violating our own ten-song rule with this deluxe version of Megaplex, and to that we say, “You’re an idiot.” A deluxe version isn’t an *album,* it’s a collection, a compilation, a Dionysian free-for-all. It’s the aural equivalent of one of those buffet breakfasts at a German hotel, where you’re mixing hard-boiled eggs and waffles and stinky cheeses and cornichons and those weird pickled fish bits and sour cherry jams, and you’re pretty much having the best time of your gustatory life precisely *because* combining this plunder onto one plate is utterly indulgent madness. That’s what we’re offering here, starting with the magnificently curated original version of Megaplex and then tromping headlong into a veritable Candyland of wonders.” When discussing the title of the record, the band says, “”Everyone knows that sequels are always an improvement upon their original source material. Final Destination 2, Fast Five,The Godfather 3 — all are examples of great art built upon the foundation of much crappier, earlier work. Look, Megaplex is a masterpiece, a musical triumph that most critics swore couldn’t be bested. But guess what: they said the same thing about Underworld, and then came Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans, which changed the way humankind thought about sewer-dwelling vampires who hunt werewolves in Eastern Europe, or whatever.” |
We Are Scientistswill also be supporting Snow Patrol on the road this spring, with tickets already sold out in NYC, Toronto, and Minneapolis. The tour begins April 18th in Dallas, TX and visits 13 cities including Austin (4.20), DC (4.26), Philly (4.27), and Chicago (5.7).
When reflecting on Megaplexand the significance of releasing six albums, guitarist/vocalist Keith Murray says, “It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of honing of craft to make it to six records… I mean, the Velvet Underground never made six albums. The Smiths didn’t. Pavement, Guns N’ Roses, The Stooges — none of them could do it. So, I guess we’re just objectively better than those bands now? It’s just a mathematical fact, right? Van Halen made six with David Lee Roth but only four with Sammy Hagar, so I guess we’re better than Hagar-era Van Halen but only just as good as Roth-era? Which, saying it out loud, makes total sense, yeah.”
WE ARE SCIENTISTS TOUR DATES
Supporting Snow Patrol
April 23: Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
April 24: Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
April 25: Raleigh, NC – Kings*
April 26: Washington, DC – Anthem
April 27: Philadelphia, PA – Tower Theater
April 29: Boston, MA – Orpheum
April 30: New York, NY – Terminal 5 – SOLD OUT
May 03: Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall – SOLD OUT
May 04: Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
May 05: Akron, OH – Musica *
May 07: Chicago, IL – The Riviera Theater
May 08: Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue – SOLD OUT
*We Are Scientists Headlining Show