THE DEAD SCIENCE LIVENS UP B-TOWN

Its sound may be ethereal, moody and finely layered, but dead it is not. Seattle's the Dead Science, sporting a recent name change, will perform at Bloomington's Second Story tonight, July 15, bringing with them a unique sound and exhibiting a bevy of far-reaching influences. \nThe band once called itself the Sweet Science, which meant, in the words of guitarist and vocalist Sam Mickens, "boxing and emotional craft." Unfortunately, the name was already taken by another indie band, and Mickens, along with brothers Jherek and Korum Bischoff on upright bass and drums respectively, came up with the new name, the Dead Science. \n"It means things like forgotten technologies of ancient civilizations, 'the lost art of' whatever (and) destructive energy in the world of thought," explains Mickens. \nFor a group whose dark, edgy sound has been compared to the Bad Seeds, the name-change fits well. The songs on their debut album, Submariner, feel aged and mysterious.\nPlaying as a trio, the Dead Science has been together since late 2000, but the band has been making music for years. "Jherek and I had been playing together for some time in experimental jazz bands and were studying music together at community college. Korum and Jherek, being brothers, have played together forever," Mickens says. \nThe band released Submariner in 2003, and a new EP is due out in October, featuring four originals and one cover. Next year its second full-length album is due out. "We should be recording our second album in the next few months; we already have all of the songs done," says Mickens.\nBeginning on July 2, the Dead Science embarked on a nationwide tour, visiting locales from Washington state to Manhattan and Washington, D.C. Later this year and next year they hope to tour in Europe. The Dead Science will visit Bloomington on the recommendation of a friend who is a Bloomington resident.\n"I personally really love touring," Mickens says. "The experience of playing music every night with purpose and seeing friends all over the place is pretty wonderful, occasional drudgery aside."\nThe tour was self-booked, and the Dead Science is self-managed, says Cory Brown, who heads Absolutely Kosher Records, the band's label. Like the band itself, the record label is small-scale but not unsuccessful. "The label's just me and like one employee and some interns," says Brown. "We try and keep it pretty grassroots." \nBrown enjoys the work he does with the Dead Science. "They're the sweetest guys," he adds. He also lauded the musicians' live shows. "They are such a compelling presence live." \nThe facet of the Dead Science that identifies them as unique is their ability to defy categorization. "With their particular sound, you can tell they draw from a lot of different places," says Brown. Brown believes the closest comparison to the sound of the Dead Science can be found in the music of the Bad Seeds, but he added that influences range from there to jazz great Jimmy Scott. He said the musicians' dress code even recalls that of the Bad Seeds; they wear jackets and ties during their shows. \n"We've all played and obsessed over lots of jazz, experimental music, classical, punk and music from all over the world," says Mickens. Together with Jherek, he provides the vocals for the Dead Science. They also draw much influence from their musician friends, including Xiu Xiu, Deerhoof, Frog Eyes, Young People and D. Yellow Swans. \nA continuing goal and interest of the Dead Science band members is "pop music with a lot of other things encoded into it," as Mickens puts it. He calls their sound "the product of synthesizing really disparate musical interests into songs and pop structures." \nSince Korum welcomed a new baby into the family on January 20 of this year, he will not accompany the band on their present tour. Jherek and Mickens are still in the process of finding a replacement tour drummer. However, they have successfully played as both a duo and a trio. \n"Both of these versions of the band definitely have had a lot of good and bad shows," Mickens says. "Playing live can fill you with instant satisfaction or frustration." \nMickens also enjoys a "more drawn-out satisfaction" when things go well in the studio. Every new experience serves to move the band along. "I don't know that I'm especially proud of any specific songs," he says. "I always like the newest stuff the most." \nThe members of the band are used to an ever-changing lifestyle; the Bischoff brothers grew up on a sailboat, and Mickens currently splits his time between Seattle and Portland. The songs on Submariner reflect this; there are no ready molds into which The Dead Science has limited itself. Each song is different -- a new foray into colorful musical territory. \nThe Dead Science has already earned rave reviews from Seattle area media. The Seattle Times has called them "one of the most intense young bands in the Northwest," while Jeffe DeRoche of The Stranger writes: "Though the trio won't flip your wig in the traditional rock sense -- especially if you're of the impatient chat-and-swill-booze variety of showgoer -- the band has musicianship to burn, and a few killer songs to boot"