Posts Tagged: the devil and god are raging inside me

2009 / 5 stars / reviews / thrice — No Comments
16
Sep 09

Beggars (2009) by Thrice

Beggars Thrice

Thrice
Beggars
2009, Vagrant
alt rock, post-hardcore
5

If I were to crown any modern band as Most Surprising With Every Album They Put Out, Thrice would be it. Listening to their earlier albums, one doesn’t expect anything remotely close to brilliance from them. Yeah, they’ve always had a great sound and yeah, their lyrics have always been rife with meaning (unlike most so-called ‘rock’ bands), but I’ve been so disappointed before that it’s hard for me to actually hope for something great anymore. Thrice did that with Vhiessu, then The Alchemy Index, and now with Beggars.

Lyrically, this is the strongest that Thrice has ever been, and that’s really saying a lot considering how lyrically evolved Alchemy Index was. I really urge you to Google the lyrics for the album and just read through them before you listen to the music. It will give you a whole new perspective on the band and on the album. Vocally, lead singer Dustin Kensrue pushes his limits, which is a FIRST – listen to “Wood & Wire” and “At The Last.” As a band, their music is continually evolving, turning more melodic with each record than remaining in the same post-hardcore rut. This is a revelation and a whet to the aural appetite, all at once. I want these guys to be making records for the rest of eternity if we expect pleasant surprises like this one.

“At The Last,” “Doublespeak,” “Wood & Wire.”
myspace, last.fm
Brand New’s The Devil and God…, The Receiving End of Sirens’s The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi

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2006 / 5 stars / brand new / reviews — No Comments
17
Oct 07

The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me (2006) by Brand New

Genre: alt rock/rock
Rating:
Check Out: “Not The Sun,” “Millstone,” “Luca (Reprise),” “Sowing Seed (Yeah)”
Myspace

When Brand New first hit the scene, they were just another band hailing from the distinctive Long Island emo scene. That label was pretty accurate for their first two albums, Your Favorite Weapon and Deja Entendu, though Deja showed a melodic, darker progression that YFW didn’t have.

Yet, in a completely unforseen twist, their third album The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me has completely obliterated the wall of emo surrounding them. The band has apparently reconstructed themselves into a sound that is uniquely their own, and it shows.

As the title suggests, The Devil… says quite a lot about religion, life, death, and the purpose to actions. The reason for such a dark subject matter has been blamed on everything from lead singer Jesse Lacey’s hospitalization for appendicitis in early 2005 to the early leak of the band’s demos on the internet while they were still recording. Either way, with such heavy subject matter, one would expect a few slip-ups or songs that are instantly “skippable.” I’m very happy to say that, other than the song “Untitled,” (which doesn’t really count, since it’s only one line repeated throughout the song) that is most certainly not the case.

Some of my favorite songs on this album (and there are many) are the most complex. The most obvious one, “Jesus” deals with Christianity and the fear of inadequacy. “Millstone” is about making bad choices and changes in one’s life. “Limosine” is about Katie Flynn, who was seven years old when she was killed by a drunk driver. “Handcuffs” is about living a lie.

I could go on and on, but if I did I wouldn’t be doing the songs justice. If there is one album you actually listen to based on my review, it better be this one.

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