Miracles of Modern Science • Luminol
A few years ago, Katie and I made the treacherous, cross-Brooklyn trip to Williamsburg to seek out a cramped, dank, basement-like space called Death by Audio, where PBR was sold out of a closet and bands crowded at the front of a narrow room held up by a rickety stage, amplified by a PA system that seemed to have been made on a dare. By raccoons. The band we came to see was the much-buzzed about London-based Micachu + the Shapes. Before they took to ramshackle stage, though, we were presented with a strange quintet of lanky young men dressed head-to-toe in silver space suits standing behind a small colony of classical stringed instruments. Worried at what sound would follow such a strange staging, their songs not only pleasantly surprised us, they downright floored us.
Said strange purveyors of sound were a fledgling version of Miracles of Modern Science, a band now based in Brooklyn that takes melodic rock and pushes it through a filter of classical strings and driving drums to produce uniquely appealing pop. We’ve kept track of MoMS since seeing them live for the first time and have been anticipating with bated breath their debut full-length—Dog Year—out tomorrow. Last week, we got a chance to talk with band founders Evan Younger (double bass + lead vocals—foreground, middle above) and Josh Hirshfeld (mandolin + vocals, background, second form the left) about the new album, sweaty silver space suits, and why they put down their guitars and picked up mandolins and violins and cellos and and and….
Listen to our conversation below, download this week’s Song of the Week—their single, “Luminol”—above, and, finally, stream the entirety of Dog Year over at the band’s bandcamp site, where you can also order album. Oh, and if you’re in NYC, don’t forget to stop by the album release party at Piano’s tomorrow night.
kindness of ravens Interview with Miracles of Modern Science
