I wish there was more of a reggae scene here in Seattle (big ups to Stephen and Zion’s Gate Records), but at least we have a kickass dub band pumping out low, slow, extra-spacial vibes. They’re called Library Science and they’re our Band of the Week.

I fiend for this kind of music, the kind that evokes massive distances and alien landscapes but always thrums along on a sensual, almost subliminal beat. For all its reverb-heavy darkness, there’s something innately playful about the stuff, especially so with Library Science. They’ve got all the requisite dub flourishes—bubbly bass lines, barely-there chinka-chinka guitar, ethereal melodica, kinky electronic dalliance. But Library Science puts their own spin on the classic form in ways that aren’t easy to describe. It’s obvious they’ve got a reverence for the innovators, but there’s a dissonant, electro feel. They thow in unexpected, weird sounds and samples—toy xylophone melodies, wheezing accordion drones, heavily buzzing guitars—that make this stuff totally unique.

They’ve got a couple gigs coming up—August 11 at Central Saloon, August 30 at Rendezvous—and word is they’re terrific live. Glad I discovered them on The Stranger’s Bands Page (coughcough*shameless plug*cough).