Science & Nature is the third studio album by the English indie rock band the Bluetones. It was released on 15 May 2000 by Mercury Records, and was the band's first album that Richard Payne played on. It spawned the hit singles "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Car)". The album itself peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart. "Mudslide" was released as an EP in October 2000.
In 2019, the LP was reissued on 180g translucent vinyl for the first time through Demon Music Group, alongside the heavyweight blue vinyl reissue of their following greatest hits compilation The Singles (2002) which had previously never been released on vinyl.
Reception According to Iain Forrester of Stylus Magazine, Science & Nature "abandons the sound they stuck to rigidly elsewhere," and "while being successfully aware of their limitations throws everything they can think of (country, jazz, folk, prog) at melodic pop." He called it "inventive and gently surprising." Jason Damas of AllMusic felt that the album was largely not as new wave-influenced as many suggested prior to release, except on "Mudslide", but did find the album to contain "a bit more of a pop leaning." Drowned in Sound's Thomas Blatchford said the record contained "invention and refined sensibility."
Track listing All tracks are written by Morriss, Devlin, Morriss, Chesters, Payne.
Charts Chart (2000)Peak positionUK Albums (OCC)10
References