Brand New Shows Growth On Fourth Album
Daisy proves that this band still has tricks up their sleeve.
Brand New
Daisy
Released on Sep 22, 2009
While Brand New has never been known to mince words, Daisy possesses a surprising amount of lyrical venom. The first single “At The Bottom” offers a taste of the toxicity that is present in several songs on the album: “I’d serve you drugs on a silver plate/if I thought it would help you get away.” Aww…those boys are so sweet.
More likely than not though, fans are used to Brand New spitting those kind of sentiments at them. If it’s possible for the punk/garage rock genres to have darlings, I think it’s safe to say that Brand New could fill that role. However, the same decibel of scream on every album will only get a band so far before listeners begin to tire of it.
Sensing that, they’ve changed things up a bit with their sound. The first thing listeners will hear on the opening track “Vices” won’t be the dulcet tones of lead singer Jesse Lacey, but rather a songstress who sounds like she’s in a jazz club during the ‘30s. It’s almost as if you’re listening to a phonograph…until Lacey abruptly cuts her off and screams “we need vices.” Way to head back to prohibition times to remind us of that!
As long as we’re on the topic of odd sounds, “Be Gone” is one of the most interesting tracks on the album. At the start, it sounds like you’re going to be listening to a tribute to Johnny Cash. Then, Lacey’s distorted, robotic voice comes in, uttering nearly incomprehensible lyrics. It may sound odd when spelled out, but have a listen — this combination is amazing.
At some points, this creative goes slightly awry—the vintage radio introduction of “Daisy” leaves bit to be desired, as do the random spoken interludes that occur in the song. Songs like “Daisy” are a small price to pay though for the otherwise successful variety of sounds that are present the rest of the album.
What’s great about hearing Brand New try different sounds is that it proves how solid they are as a group. Even as Lacey screams over the instruments, he never drowns them out, or vice versa. And frankly, the oddity of phonograph-filtered voices emphasizes how tight and natural their sound as a band is.
Personally, Lacey’s voice becomes a little tiresome for me near the end of the album, but I’ve never been a huge fan of the screamers. The fact that this album is enjoyable in spite of that is a testament to their successful experimentation.
High point: I’ve got to give it to “At The Bottom”—it’s catchiness makes it a great choice for a first single, and it’s lyrics make it a great choice for when you’re pissed off.
Low point: Unfortunately, the
title track. The spoken sections are rather awkward, and the musical
sections aren’t decent enough to compensate for that.
High Point
I’ve got to give it to “At The Bottom”—it’s catchiness makes it a great choice for a first single, and it’s lyrics make it a great choice for when you’re pissed off.
Low Point
Unfortunately, the title track. The spoken sections are rather awkward, and the musical sections aren’t decent enough to compensate for that.
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Sep 24, 2009 @ 6:30 am
