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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.
