The Dead Science (formerly The Sweet Science) was an

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental music, experimental techniques such as m ...

band based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Sam Mickens,

Jherek Bischoff Jherek Bischoff (born September 11, 1979) is an American composer, arranger, producer, and multi-instrumental performer based in Los Angeles. His credits include over seventy albums and compositions for orchestra, opera, film, theater, and ballet ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

and

Nick Tamburro Nick may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Désirée Nick, German actress and writer Places * Nick, Hungary, a village * Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a v ...

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

. Jherek Bischoff's brother Korum was the drummer from the band's inception in 1999 through 2005. Tamburro, who'd shared drumming duties with him on the recording of

Frost Giant Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is similar ...

and had previously acted as The Dead Science's touring drummer, joined permanently upon his departure. Korum is still credited on the band's label page with "guidance, stability and sometimes drums." Their music is heavily influenced by their training as

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musicians and involvement in the avant-garde music of a number of artists, most notably

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation), Angel ...

and Degenerate Art Ensemble. Mickens has also cited

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

as an influence on his vocal style, often noted in reviews of the bands' work for its use of

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

. The trio self-released their limited run debut EP ''

Galactose Galactose (, ''wikt:galacto-, galacto-'' + ''wikt:-ose#Suffix 2, -ose'', ), sometimes abbreviated Gal, is a monosaccharide sugar that is about as sweetness, sweet as glucose, and about 65% as sweet as sucrose. It is an aldohexose and a C-4 epime ...

'' under their original moniker, The Sweet Science, before giving up the name due to a

cease-and-desist order A cease and desist letter is a document sent by one party, often a business, to warn another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act, such as copyright infringement, and that they will take legal action if the other ...

from another band. Following the name change, The Dead Science released their debut album '' Submariner'' on

Absolutely Kosher Records Absolutely Kosher Records is an independent California-based record label founded in 1998 in San Francisco by Cory Brown. The label moved to Berkeley in 2002 and then to Emeryville in October 2006 when it partnered with Misra Records for 3 years ...

in 2003. This was followed by the release of their second EP '' Bird Bones in the Bughouse'' in 2004, their second album ''

'' in 2005, and a third EP '' Crepuscule with The Dead Science'' in 2006. They were also named winner in the 'Jazz/Experimental' category in

Seattle Weekly The ''Seattle Weekly'' is an alternative biweekly distributed newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded by Darrell Oldham and David Brewster as ''The Weekly.'' Its first issue was published on March 31, 1976, and it becam ...

's 2006 Music Awards. In 2008, the band signed to Constellation Records, with whom they released their third album, ''Villainaire''.The Dead Science on Constellation
/ref> The band reunited in 2023 for a performance commemorating the 20th anniversary of Submariner.

Discography

Albums: *2003 '' Submariner'' (

Absolutely Kosher Absolutely may refer to: * ''Absolutely'' (Boxer album), the second rock music album recorded by the band Boxer * ''Absolutely'' (Madness album), the 1980 second album from the British ska band Madness * ''Absolutely'' (ABC album), a comprehensi ...

) *2005 ''

'' (

) *2008 '' Villainaire'' (Constellation) EPs: *1999 ''

'' (self-released, as The Sweet Science) *2004 '' Bird Bones in the Bughouse'' (

) *2006 '' Crepuscule with The Dead Science'' ( Slender Means Society) 7" Records: *2006 '' split 7-inch'' with

(

Deathbomb Arc __NOTOC__ Deathbomb Arc is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US. It was started in 1998 by Brian Miller in Los Angeles, California, originally to release music by the band Turbine. Miller's cat Leroy Brown was the la ...

) *2007 '' split 7-inch'' with Sholi (

KDVS KDVS (90.3 FM) is a student-run college and community radio station based in Davis, California. Featuring a freeform programming format, the station is owned by Regents of the University of California. Broadcasting at 13,000 watts, it is one ...

) *2007 '' split 7-inch'' with

Parenthetical Girls Parenthetical Girls was an experimental pop band formed in Everett, Washington in 2002, and disbanded in 2013. History Begun by lead singer Zac Pennington, the band originally known as Swastika Girls in 2003. Pennington released ''(((GRRRLS) ...

( Obsolete Vernacular) *2007 ''

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

Tomlab Alphabet Series: The Letter V'' (Tomlab) *2008 ''

Throne of Blood (The Jump Off)'' (Constellation) Compilation Appearances: *2002 Mass Transit (as ''The Sweet Science'') ( Woodson Lateral) *2005 YETI Magazine #3 compilation *2007 The Second Marriage Records Compilation (

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

) *2008

David Shrigley David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015. Shrigley first came to prominence in the 1990s for his distinct line drawi ...

's Worried Noodles (Tomlab) Mixtapes: * Date Unknown Ponies in a Stable *2008 School Of Villainy - The Villainaire Prequel

References

External links

Official band site

Absolutely Kosher (record label)

Absolutely Kosher's page for The Dead Science
*

AllMusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the data ...

Myspace profile
- downloadable and/or streaming MP3s, current tour dates. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Science American experimental musical groups Musical groups from Washington (state)