Despite song placement issues, Brand New issues forth a very enjoyable experience with catchy singles for everyone to savor.
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| Those magazine salesmen are getting serious... |
Buying a random CD from the local shop with no previous intent
is always a gamble. The album may become a favorite diversion or a suicide
inducer, and the lasting result is never known until that first listen. And
while I cannot completely say that about Brand New’s “The Devil And God Are
Raging Inside Me” due to hearing a song or two beforehand, it was in all
reality a risk. However, it seems that after listening to this album I somehow randomly
chose a brand new favorite.
…Anyone? Oh forget it.
Six years late and all lame puns aside, Brand New’s “The
Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me” (or “TDAGARIM”, as lovingly abbreviated
later on) carries a bold and pleasing sound in all aspects upon the first few
listens. Simplicity takes a spotlight in the best way possible: there’s never
too much going on to overwhelm the senses, just enough to satiate the mind with
supple harmonies and surprise roughness. There is layering to be found here—just
not in the way you might hear it elsewhere in busier albums. A dichotomy of a sense of simplicity still
intrigues the mind, and as the album progresses, things get busier without
being overwhelming. Songs became more complex without really advancing
anywhere. It’s a most curious occurrence that isn’t found many other places,
and this new paradox is most welcomed.
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| "Oh crap... I forgot: 'No Hats'...." |
Backtracking a little here, the production speaks for itself
through a good set of speakers or headphones with crisp instruments and
balanced drums. From the regular mix of the normal instruments (i.e. the
guitars, bass, drums, vocals) to all the obscured, peculiar synthesizers in the
background, everything is heard when it needs to be heard and takes a backseat
when it isn’t called upon as much. A special mention of exceptionally present
bass guitar must be made here, especially with its ever-interesting lines woven
among the melodies being churned out from the guitars. It is interesting to
hear just how much “bigger” a band sounds when the bass is turned up, and Brand
New doesn’t skimp on big bass throughout “TDAGARIM”. This concept helps give
everything body and volume, and it’s definitely heard in most every song jamming
clearly with the rest.
Lyrically speaking, Brand New does what they’re known for:
depressing lines crying out from brokenness of soul and lost relationships. The
contrast between these scripts and the often upbeat music is different in all
the right ways, and sometimes all the hurt written in is easily forgotten—with exception
to tracks such as “Handcuffs”. The band certainly earns their association with
the emo culture, but it’s so much better that they could easily shrug it off.
The overall feel is less whiny and pathetic and more parallels a stoic
seriousness from internal calluses, making it far more enjoyable to the
emotionally stable.
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| Brand New: great alternative rock band with side jobs as pyromancers. |
There is a problem with the “TDAGARIM”, though: it seems to
run out of gas composition-wise in the latter half. The first four songs are
powerful, catchy, and instant classics to most anyone with strong, raw choruses
and groovy riffs. “Sowing Season” heads everything off with surprise intensity
and intrigue; “Millstone” continues with what can only be a classic chorus deserving
of the Repeat button. “Jesus” allows a catch of breath with mellow arpeggios
woven into a heart-tugging ballad, and “Degausser” cranks everything back up
with some of the catchiest and grooviest writing out there. As everything
progresses, however, it feels like an early sprint left everything out of breath
for the rest of the marathon. While the CD manages to keep a reasonable pace
from there on out, it slows down to a half-hearted run after a while that never
seems to compare to what came first. Yes, the rest of the songs are good. Yes,
there are still fast, energetic parts later on. None the less, none of it can
grab the spotlight from the first section of the album, and as a whole it feels
very front-heavy. A better balance would have been nice, but this is a minor
flaw; moreover, bands usually seem to have a reason for the order of their
songs on an album and sometimes the listener just never understands.
What else is there to say here? Most everyone knows just how
good this album is and many consider it to be their best work of all time.
Arriving six years later with a fresh first listen still proves its hard-earned
praise; it definitely stands the tests of time in the seas of thousands of
other artists. This will certainly be an album that will be enjoyed for a long
time by most everyone. With its rawness, intensity, and catchy sound, Brand New’s
“The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me” takes home a:
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| 5 out of 7. |
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