I started listening to Brand New back in 2004 after I had heard Deja Entendu for the billionth time. It took me a while to grow to like the album but after accepting it, I actually fell in love with it. Now, let's fast forward to 2006 in this little recollection of mine when The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me was released. It hit me almost instantly and within hours, after having played the album all the way through multiple times, I had contacted every person in my life and ranted and raved like a little teenaged girl about how amazing the album was and how they NEEDED to own it.
Then something horrible happened. Something that I will never shake, although I'm working with several therapists to try and get through what was a difficult point in my life.
That terrible thing was........I went to see Brand New play live for the first time. I can't even explain the utter disappointment, disgust and feelings of betrayal that washed over my existence as I walked into their show. Now, you may say, "Wow, that's pretty harsh dude", but trust me, it was THAT bad. They were tripping all over each other, messing up song after song while Jesse Lacey ripped his melodies to shreds in favor of some sort of...improvisation......yuck. While the rest of the band was marauding their otherwise expertly crafted songs the bass player played half of an entire song a half step out of tune before the band actually stopped playing in the middle of it. He tuned the bass and then they started the song over again from the beginning. It was like something you'd see at a highschool battle of the bands.....or an Emergenza show. They then joked about how nobody is perfect, which is true, but for a band of their supposed stature and success I was expecting a little more.
I even went to see them a SECOND time after this horrible experience while thinking to myself, "Well, maybe it was an off night for them. They can't possibly be that bad". But, alas, they did it again. They shit all over me again.
But enough bad mouthing Brand New! Their latest release Daisy is a fine album. While not as captivating as The Devil and God..... it offers something new and fresh and presents another stage in their song-writing evolution which is the thing that impresses me most about Brand New. The way that they continue to improve and excel at their craft, at least on record, is definitely what keeps them going and what keeps the fans interested.
I consider the second track Bed to be the first track and you'll see why if you listen to the first track Vices. Vices starts with an unnecessary sample of a 1920's female crooner belting out some annoying shit which caused me, and will probably cause you as well, to fast forward the track to the point where Brand New actually begins playing. The song, when it FINALLY starts, comes rushing in with distortion and with Lacey screaming, which lead me to think that this album may be a bit heavier than The Devil and God.. but it was just a tease. The rest of the album seems to be fashioned more along the lines of The Devil and God.. as far as the temperament is concerned.
The album as a whole is worthy of being listened to, although I suspect that some fans may be turned off by the occasional romp and stomp, mid-west rock and roll feeling that pops up sporadically in songs such as Gasoline, Be Gone, and Sink. But then again, maybe some people will like that as it certainly is a departure from their last album. I have the ability to get past it but I don't necessarily enjoy it. That's just my personal opinion though.
My favorite tracks from Daisy are Bed, You Stole, In a Jar and Noro. There are a lot of good songs on this album and I predict that Brand New will see continued success. And, who knows, maybe I'll even give them another chance to impress me live. BUT, and I'm serious this time, this is the last time Brand New!
Then something horrible happened. Something that I will never shake, although I'm working with several therapists to try and get through what was a difficult point in my life.
That terrible thing was........I went to see Brand New play live for the first time. I can't even explain the utter disappointment, disgust and feelings of betrayal that washed over my existence as I walked into their show. Now, you may say, "Wow, that's pretty harsh dude", but trust me, it was THAT bad. They were tripping all over each other, messing up song after song while Jesse Lacey ripped his melodies to shreds in favor of some sort of...improvisation......yuck. While the rest of the band was marauding their otherwise expertly crafted songs the bass player played half of an entire song a half step out of tune before the band actually stopped playing in the middle of it. He tuned the bass and then they started the song over again from the beginning. It was like something you'd see at a highschool battle of the bands.....or an Emergenza show. They then joked about how nobody is perfect, which is true, but for a band of their supposed stature and success I was expecting a little more.
I even went to see them a SECOND time after this horrible experience while thinking to myself, "Well, maybe it was an off night for them. They can't possibly be that bad". But, alas, they did it again. They shit all over me again.
But enough bad mouthing Brand New! Their latest release Daisy is a fine album. While not as captivating as The Devil and God..... it offers something new and fresh and presents another stage in their song-writing evolution which is the thing that impresses me most about Brand New. The way that they continue to improve and excel at their craft, at least on record, is definitely what keeps them going and what keeps the fans interested.
I consider the second track Bed to be the first track and you'll see why if you listen to the first track Vices. Vices starts with an unnecessary sample of a 1920's female crooner belting out some annoying shit which caused me, and will probably cause you as well, to fast forward the track to the point where Brand New actually begins playing. The song, when it FINALLY starts, comes rushing in with distortion and with Lacey screaming, which lead me to think that this album may be a bit heavier than The Devil and God.. but it was just a tease. The rest of the album seems to be fashioned more along the lines of The Devil and God.. as far as the temperament is concerned.
The album as a whole is worthy of being listened to, although I suspect that some fans may be turned off by the occasional romp and stomp, mid-west rock and roll feeling that pops up sporadically in songs such as Gasoline, Be Gone, and Sink. But then again, maybe some people will like that as it certainly is a departure from their last album. I have the ability to get past it but I don't necessarily enjoy it. That's just my personal opinion though.
My favorite tracks from Daisy are Bed, You Stole, In a Jar and Noro. There are a lot of good songs on this album and I predict that Brand New will see continued success. And, who knows, maybe I'll even give them another chance to impress me live. BUT, and I'm serious this time, this is the last time Brand New!
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