The Dead Science – Drrrty Magneto

The Dead Science
Drrrty Magneto

I think the one word that may sum up The Dead Science’s music may be: “creepy”. Their name is pretty descriptive of their sound. The songs seem to slither up behind you in a strange way like shambling indie zombies. Lead singer Sam Micken’s voice can be likened to Stuart Staples from the Tindersticks, except that Sam’s voice has been washed bone clean and bare of any low end. At times, he can also sound like Thom Yorke from some of the Radiohead tracks that get into the falsetto range.

As far as the music goes, it often floats by in a drugged, skeletonized waltz time. It’s like an indie rock Halloween soundtrack. The Bischoff brothers lay down the slightly schizo rhythm section, with Jherek contributing oozing on his acoustic stand-up bass and Korum tapping out quirky percussion beats, often relegating the timing to speedy snare rolls that are more jazzy than anything else.

Although many of the tracks I listened to were slower, “Drrrty Magneto” has a quicker feel to it, though nevertheless it still mutters along with a sinister feel. There is a sort of carnival darkness to the music that’s a bit like Nick Cave, though not as campy. Their label, Absolutely Kosher, is sort of known for more off-kiltre music like this as far as I can remember… Jim Yoshii Pileup and Xiu Xiu are the two bands on the label that come to mind.

This isn’t music to dance happily to, but more like stuff you might see goth kids swaying to in underground clubs. Still, it’s got a strange dark charm to it.

Members:

Jherek Bischoff – bass, voice
Korum Bischoff – drums
Sam Mickens – guitar, voice

The Dead Science website

by Tyranosaur