Scientific
Chicago, Illinois8 reviews across 2 releases
Scientific was a Chicago band formed in the late 1990s around singer and songwriter Christian Lee Wargo, with ties to the JPUSA community. Its 1999 debut placed 1980s synth-pop beside angular guitar lines and a darker indie atmosphere, recalling the era without abandoning compact pop songwriting. Analog synthesizers carried much of the music, while the rhythm section could sound loose or mechanical, depending on the performance. The songs also allowed explicitly devotional material into the format: "Mind and Body" was identified as a praise and worship song despite its place inside a gloomy new-wave arrangement. Scientific was brief and direct, with a nostalgic sound shaped by A-ha, the Pet Shop Boys, and The Cure.
By 2000, Jane Ann Cotter Burnett had joined Scientific on keyboards, while Kevin replaced Jonathan Ford on bass, and the personnel changes accompanied a leaner approach. From the Nest of Idea reduced the obvious 1980s sheen and made the songs more angular, spare, and post-punk oriented; its seven tracks ran for less than 18 minutes. A 2001 account described another move toward rawer songwriting, with Wargo's vocals taking on a sharper punk edge. Wargo later played guitar with Pedro the Lion in 2003, formed Crystal Skulls in 2004, and joined Fleet Foxes in 2007. He also became part of Poor Moon, which released its first album in 2012.
