A lot can be said for a band that knows how to properly mature. All too often, bands take a chance at a new, compelling sound and, unfortunately, end up alienating their entire fan base. And it isn't always because the music sucks-- the band may have just misjudged their audience and taken a step into a direction either too far away or (sometimes) not quite far enough.
And then there's Brand New. After an enjoyable and adept debut album like Your Favorite Weapon, it would have been easy to continually carry the pop-punk torch. After all, Brand New was better than most, and somehow found a way to sound thrilling while keeping within the confines of a sound that had become all-too familiar by the time they hit the scene. It was an admirable first step, but Brand New weren't going to rest on their laurels.
Deja Entendu, their sophomore offering, came storming out of the gates with a lilting interlude that crashed head-first into second track (and first single) "Sic Transit Gloria" and everyone took a collective double-take. Who was this new, confident, dynamic band? What did they do with the pop-punk? Although I'm sure nobody missed the old sound, because Deja Entendu was a wonderful second outing. Varied and textural, there were only traces of the younger incarnation of Brand New to be found throughout. They were on to something a bit bigger.
Come 2006, and the collective surprised had dimmed to an overall acknowledgment that Brand New had created something special. But nobody could have imagined or prepared themselves for their third outing, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. It was an entirely new beast from a band that had only hinted they had the potential to create something as visceral, heartbreaking, and disarming as this record is.
The record plays like a total exorcism for the band- and especially- vocalist/lyricist Jesse Lacey. There is a darkness that permeates the entire record, but it isn't attached to any kind of goth-trend aesthetic. The band isn't creating a new sound to somehow corner a new market of fans, rather, the music sounds grown-into and lived-in. It sounds as though the band is genuinely searching for a way to make sense of how fucked up life can be. These aren't the kids you heard singing about girlfriends moving abroad or feeling uncomfortable in a physical relationship; these songs focus on the inner-psyche and the questions we ask ourselves that are never easily answered.
"Sowing Season" with it's slow-build and exclamatory bursting chorus line sets the tone as the first song of the record, but it's only a marginal taste of what's in store.
"Millstone", the second track, is permeated with a nervous paranoia as Lacey sings about longing for innocence and friends that have forgotten he exists. There's a poignancy and depth to his words, he doesn't sound contrived even as he berates himself for causing friends and family to drift away. The regret is palpable.
"Jesus", possibly the most moving song you will ever hear, is the sound of an entirely broken man, grasping at faith while his skeptical humanity takes jabs at his childhood indoctrination. This is heavy stuff, yet the song is instantly relatable and is woven together with an insistent plucked guitar line and a simple drum beat, which only underscores the heartache and regret at the core of the song.
Later, "You Won't Know" shows a father trying his best to come to grips with being shielded from his only child. Lacey's emotion absolutely explodes in this song, as well as "Not The Sun", and "The Archers Arms Have Broken"; these songs and the others in-between all share a thematic symmetry. They are loud, they are raw, they are visceral, and they are undeniably human. Lacey isn't projecting self-righteous anger. On the contrary, he is standing in the thick of losing his grip on everything he once believed in. The music isn't following any trends so much as texturally interpreting the despair you can hear dripping from his lips.
Brand new take a whole new approach to their music this time out. Instead of relying on the emo-isms of past releases, the band creates an unsteady atmosphere of tension and terse dynamics that serves the thematic content perfectly. There are moments of light all over the record, but they are only part of a bleaker portrait. You can feel Lacey searching for redemption, but what makes the album so compelling is that it provides no easy answers, no simple way out. You cannot help but be swept into the soul-searching, hoping Lacey will find a way out of the darkness through the catharsis of facing down his demons. It's an admirable first step but it's also the hardest one to take.
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me is the kind of record that makes you stop and take notice. It digs into your skin, it nags at that secret part of you nobody asks about. It takes you on a journey through its soundscapes and tries its best to put an arm around you when you're out in the cold. The record benefits from repeated spins and has no shortage of goose-bump inducing moments to come back to. Brand New actually charts new territory and, with this release, tell the world they are hell-bent on growing up.
No matter how much it hurts.
"Not The Sun" (Track 8)
"Not The Sun" (Track 8)
08 Not The Sun by timpozzi
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