Brand New - Daisy
Rating
RIYL
FrodusModest Mouse
Manchester Orchestra
Release Date
09/22/2009
Label
InterscopeTracklist
1. Vices2. Bed
3. At the Bottom
4. Gasoline
5. You Stole
6. Be Gone
7. Sink
8. Bought a Bride
9. Daisy
10. In a Jar
11. Noro
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I prepared for this review by repeatedly spinning this record in my apartment. During one such instance a very close friend with exceptional taste in music paused and, bewildered, asked me, “What is this butt-rock you’re listening to?” I was instantly taken aback and sharply rebuked him.
“Butt-rock! Are you crazy?” I queried, and to prove my point I brought up Nickelback’s myspace page in order to demonstrate how the two bands were completely dissimilar. He went on to say that while the bands sound different, the overall approach and structure that the bands use have some things in common. While I don’t agree with his comparison, I understand his argument and it got me thinking hard about the importance of context.
With a band like Brand New, context is essential if you’ve not been a fan from the early years. An unaware subject could easily hear Daisy and write it off, not understanding the significance of the album in the band’s career or the steps that the band took to get to this point in their musical journey. I know that I, for one, would have a lower appreciation for this album if I were hearing it as a first time listener. Indeed, the success of Daisy lies not as much in its execution or song writing, but rather the path that led Brand New to this point and what it may say about the band’s next move.
If there’s one thing that all Brand New fans can agree on, it’s that they relish in the element of surprise. Their albums each offer a unique look at the men behind them, a narrative of their personal and musical growth. Daisy doesn’t stray from this concept. While the band still employs the soft-to-jarring dynamic in nearly every song, there are some notable changes worth mentioning. First is the unprecedented amount of contribution from guitarist Vin Accardi. With writing credits on every song, Accardi has certainly left an evident mark in the guitar work of the album, which ranges from discordant and sparse (“Gasoline,” “Vices”) to bluesy and full of twang (“In A Jar,” “At the Bottom”).
Secondly, the overall feeling of the album is more neurotic than any of their past work. While The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me felt desolate and cold, Daisy takes this feeling further into darker territory. In fact the band sounds like they are perpetually teetering on the brink of mental collapse for the entire record, just barely holding it together.
Lastly, singer Jesse Lacey’s trademark vocal and lyrical content has changed in its delivery and presentation. Gone are Lacey’s powerfully melodic leads, replaced instead by a drawl-laden nervousness akin to Jack White of The White Stripes or a brazen growl like Shelby Cinca of Frodus. While the vocals have been a centerpiece for all of the band’s past releases, here they are mired in heavy instrumentation, massive drums, and throaty, distorted yelps, making Lacey’s beloved lyrics largely indecipherable and making his popular harmonized chorus melodies virtually nonexistent. This actually works to their advantage by making their more melodic (and usually mellower) songs seem more captivating, beautiful, and relieving. In fact these make for some of the best tracks on the album (“You Stole,” “Daisy,” “Noro”).
Daisy isn’t the best record the band has written, but it is certainly their most adventurous production. Here the band most effectively demonstrates their remarkable ability to tug at the listener’s heart and soul in an honest and undeniable way. Overpowering drums and dirty, thundering bass create dynamics unseen in the rest of the band’s catalog, making their emotive moments more meaningful and their angrier ones more cathartic, making it contextually their most relevant album. In fact listening to Daisy by any long time fan should have them worried about the future of the band. While sonically on the verge of breaking down, it is hard not to wonder if its reflective of Brand New’s inner feelings. Given recent commentary from Lacey and Accardi that puts the band’s future plans in question, this could be the end of the road. While nothing has been confirmed, Daisy would be a hell of a way to go out.
--Alex Burton
Comments
Minnesota
I agree with this review much more than the other one previously posted. I feel weird saying it, but Daisy feels almost a little like it's Brand New trying to be a little pretentious and "edgy". I don't dislike the disc, but I am not feeling the love for it that everyone else seems to.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Los Angeles
Anyone else feel like the repetition in the verse She said goodbye to the ground on the track Vices is kind of rap rockish???? I was thrown off to say the least.
Raleigh, NC
I agree completely.
San Jose, CA
What happened to the other one?
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Minnesota
It's still out there: http://www.decoymusic.com/reviews/3037
Find me EVERYWHERE:
San Jose, CA
Oh ok, that was completely out of curiosity. This one's a solid review as well.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Dallas, TX
I completely agree. Even though many thought TDAG was pretentious on its own it felt a lot more sincere and overall better written.
St. Louis, MO
Double ditto!
~Tom
The Silent Ballet: The very best in instrumental and post-rock reviews and coverage.
West Haven, CT
This CD is as good as every other CD. All different and all good. Now that they have such a mesh of different music maybe they can turn into a good live band.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Bridgewater, NJ
I agree that if I was randomly listening to Daisy without knowing Brand New I probably wouldn't have any interest. But I do like it. I just think that the people who hate Daisy should just accept the fact that they're not going to be making music like Deja anymore.
Kansas
lol ya lets get some butt-rock goin on. dude i'm so trashed right now.....boner.
http://rateyourmusic.com/~benny06
Senegal Africa
I do agree that context plays a slight factor in my enjoyment of this album and the same goes for bands like Thrice and Rx Bandits which are all bands that could of made more money turning out the same music that they got famous for. Im not saying changing upyour sound all the time automatically makes for good music (shit is still shit no matter its color) but I tend to appreciate a band more that can take risks. My opinion on Daisy is that they actually fixed the one major flaw i had with TDAG which was the "heavier" moments on that album were a lot weaker then the quieter ones. I do feel the lyrics are a little weaker then past albums and "At the bottom" kind of has single written all over it but still an album I have been spinning a lot recently.
Listening to:
fuckin african mosques (Tang na bu baax)
Green Brook, NJ
this album is atrocious.
Drummondville, Quebec
NJ
this atrocious is amazing.
Go FLYERS Go
West Haven, CT
I wanna hear everyone's pros and cons of this album. It seems to have a mixed group of fans here. I'm just curious as to what you guys hate or love about it.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Drummondville, Quebec
I love the fact that, one more time, Brand New has totally changed their son.
I love the more agressive side of this album.
I love the fact that each time I listen to this album, I seem to love it even more that the last time.
I even love the old lady singing at the beginning and very end of the record.
Drummondville, Quebec
Turn into a good live band? They already are if you ask me! I've seen them twice so far and both shows are in my Top 3 of shows I've been to, and I've seen alot, believe me!
Somewhere in New York
They have had some of the more memorable shows I've seen, especially those two in Montreal in 2007.
"If someone gives you a kazoo and toots around the house to MTV, they're not gonna fuck you." - David Cross
Drummondville, Quebec
... and those were the shows I was refering to! Can't wait till their next show here in November!
West Haven, CT
I've seen a lot of shows, times ten. I used to tour and the bands we've played with were known acts. Brand New were alright the first 3 times I saw them the other four they were sort of beat. This was before TDAGARIOM. I saw them once after that CD came out and it was still just meh.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.