The Bravery - The Sun and the Moon
Rating
RIYL
The CureFranz Ferdinand
Coldplay
The Killers
Tracklist
1. Intro2. Believe
3. This Is Not The End
4. Every Word Is A Knife In My Ear
5. Bad Sun
6. Time Won't Let Me Go
7. Tragedy Bound
8. Fistful of Sand
9. Angelina
10. Split Me Wide Open
11. Above And Below
12. The Ocean
Users Rating |
Your RatingCreate an account or log in to rate this album |
Recent Ratings |
|
|
|
I’ve never had to deal with fame or popularity. The more I see the effect that it has on people, I am glad this is the case. Popularity and fame puts added pressure on people or in this case, a band. The Bravery sure had their share of pressure going into their sophomore album, The Sun and The Moon. Their debut was full of bouncy, catchy, and danceable rock songs that were certain to prompt a great amount of popularity amongst the radio listening public. Sure enough, the song “An Honest Mistake” rose to the top of the charts making The Bravery a band that was talked about in all sorts of music circles. This left them with the difficult position of deciding what to do with their next effort. Unfortunately, I am not confident that they are going to be able to keep their recognition after the public gets a hold of their new album.
Why people would refer to this as indie rock baffles me. This is neither on an independent label nor does it possess any of the aesthetic qualities of what is considered indie rock. The first track, “Believe”, which comes after an unnecessary introduction, is plain and simple commercial alternative rock. It contains the typical verse structure leading into a big soaring hook where Sam Endicott sings, “Give me something to believe. ‘Cause I am living just to breathe.” I know what you’re thinking: With lyrics that deep and meaningful, there is no way that it could be all that bad. But in all seriousness, the lyrics throughout this album are cliché and downright appalling. It appears as if they handed a pen and paper to a depressed 16 year old and told him to try to write poetry. The result is nothing short of abysmal.
It is fairly evident that The Bravery has changed their sound, but in some cases it is better to stick with what works. I’m sure that many people will say that they ‘matured’ which seems to be a popular term to describe writing simplistic rock songs. But the truth is that there is nothing mature about this album. This record continues down the path that The Killers established with Sam’s Town by crafting a similarly unfocused and unsuccessful attempt at classic rock. It is beyond me how these bands can start with one style, become successful, and then think they can excel at another. The cookie-cutter songwriting from the first single, “Time Won’t Let Me Go”, shows that while they can write a hook, they can’t write a song that you will be listening to all year long. Even the music video for the track lacks the creativity of the one for “An Honest Mistake.”
I am disappointed that the energy from the first album seems to have evaporated almost completely. Songs like “Tragedy Bound” and “The Ocean” are slow and painfully uneventful. There are short bursts of promise that come from songs like “Angelina”, which displays the band going back to their tried and true dance rock formula, and “Split Me Wide Open” which contains an unmistakable influence from The Cure. One thing that is definitely good about the album is the crystal clear production. Then again, that just makes the sub-par qualities of the album more obvious.
To write a worthwhile pop song or album, it has to be irresistible. The songs have to be the kind that play in your head even if you don’t necessarily like them. The tracks on this album simply aren’t memorable. The record sounds like it was written by a band that was going through the motions to retain their popularity. If you cram a bunch of singles into an album, one is bound to catch, right? Well, I would say that you also need at least a hint of sincerity and a trace of originality. I’m not saying that these guys should have written the next great rock opera, but a little ingenuity would have been nice. I hope for their next effort they are able to write something more captivating that could hold my attention. If that were the case, I would be willing to give them another chance and pass this album off as an honest mistake.
--Dave Spak
Comments
SL, UT
Trollin' with my homies.