GENRE(S): Rock - Alternative - Hardcore
PREAMBLE - I've seen undesigned before but haven't crossed something this bare in a greatwhile.
LOOK - Has a picture ever wound up on your camera that you don't remember taking? Or, better yet: has a picture you've taken and forgotten suddenly reveal what was hidden in the dark; maybe that photograph accidentally snapped while on a cold damp camping trip? My imagination has run away with this image. There's something sinister about catching a woodland predator (with major red-eye) on film. I'm not a fan of San Serifs (Helvetica junkie present), but the centered type only lends to the "No Concept" concept.
LISTEN - 2006: Brand New gave us their most ambitious release, God And The Devil Are Raging Inside Me. It was the final nail in the coffin of any Emo clichés Brand New was unwillingly tired of garnering. Its follow-up now has the band teetering on a fine line between a personal experiment and unconventional for the sake of being unconventional.
Jesse Lacey, frontman and principle songwriter let the reigns loose, sharing more song and lyric writing responsibilities with Lead Guitarist, Vin Accardi. Lacey's well known long, poetic, diary-like lyrics have swept away making way for more obscure, or straight forward similes leaving songs feeling uninspired. On God And The Devil Are Raging Inside Me, Lacey made every heart-wrenching vocal seem effortless without lack of heart. On Daisy Lacey's vocals comes off not so effortless and are massively outweighed by distorted noise.
Daisy starts off with a scratchy recording of an old gospel hymn, "On Life's Highway", which is then rudely/perfectly interrupted by the lead track "Vices", by far the best song on the record. Lung-shredding vocals, buzzing bass, and wailing guitars, "Vices" sets the stage for every other track to come. Unfortunately, midway through the album, the formula starts to ware out its listener; getting noisy at every opportunity causing distortion to become a novelty,taking center stage, veering the spotlight away from everything else. Ultimately this record is a condensed version of GATDARIM which leaves it feeling, like most of its songs, incomplete.
SPEAK - Musically, Brand New has gotten harsher and darker... long strides forward from their debut, Your Favorite Weapon, that had them lumped together with such acts as New Found Glory. These Long Islanders have easily broken away from the Mall Emo Empire they helped erect, and did it on their own terms; love them for that. But here Brand New decide to cause a scene instead of gracefully bowing out of their Emo Royalty status.
ALBUM GRADE - C+
ALBUM ARTWORK - C
DO WE HAVE A FIT? YES
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