who are they? smart edinburgh crew formed from the ashes of various bands including cornershop, formula one and good morning canada. interestingly, the band have never played live. let's hope they do soon, as these songs are too good to just stay on record. andrew ward is on guitar. any good? steeped in americana but without the compulsory melancholy, homescience could be mercury rev meeting teenage fanclub, or they might be giants cheering up elliott smith. this is a deliciously heartwarming album that's not afraid to explore sonic possibilities: keyboards, synths, harmonicas, folked-up acoustics and electrified indie rock guitar. but it's not just cool sounds, great tunes too.
must hear: listen out for cat's eyes, cos it's two minutes of pure pop bliss, where acoustics jostle for space with keys. but try to ignore the vocoder on tired of going nowhere?; it makes you think too much of elo.
why buy? like a more sane version of the flaming lips, homescience have produced the best indie record we've heard in absolutely ages. our advice to any indie fan is: go buy it now.
reviewed by helen dalley from total guitar (august 2001) 4 out of 5

i first listened to this record while driving in the rain. odd, yes but the grey skies seemed the perfect setting for this beautiful example of british synthpop. homescience was formed out of the remains of bands such as formula one and cornershop and their diverse influences meld together into one of the best pop records of the year. think granddaddy meets sea & cake with the optimism of tahiti 80 and you have an idea of what makes this album so good. search this album out and buy it!! you'll be glad you did
reviewed by trevor hoppers from the bees knees