It is very hard to judge any piece of media, be it film, album, macaroni and sprinkles picture, objectively when the creator of said media openly expresses their distaste of their own project. You almost feel inclined to feel what the artist feels for their art, after all who would know it better than them? I remember reading that John Lennon interview where he denounces most of the Beatles work. I became very upset that the writer of most of the greatest songs of all time thinks they’re nothing but a bunch of silly songs about girls, walruses and fields of strawberries that apparently are forever. I felt guilty about loving these songs as their author felt such distaste and dissatisfaction about them.
Sadly this is the case with Brand New’s new album, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. Song writer Jesse Lacey announced that he feels the album is “unfinished” in an interview on their Web site.
This belief is even more apparent when you look at the album’s artwork, citing it as “A collection of songs recorded from March 2005 to April 2006,” giving the impression Lacey really doesn’t view this album as an album, but just a proper release for 12 songs Brand New has wrote over the past three years since their last album.
When I first purchased the album all of this going around in my mind made for a fairly lukewarm first listening.
But then it started. One by one the songs would not leave my thoughts. I started listening to the album louder and louder (a sure sign that one is enjoying what they are hearing). I fought hard against Lacey’s comments, learning to distance the art from the artist. I mean, if most of us can do it for Tom Cruise, why not a dance from Long Island?
Devil starts off with “Sowing Season” where Lacey channels Art Alexakis from Everclear and screams choruses that consist solely of the word “yeah” with surprisingly great results.
It feels like it’s been ten years since Brand New’s first album, Your Favorite Weapon, Lacey’s voice is harder, older and a more pained version of the happy-go-lucky emo kid who wrote about girls, Southern Comfort and wishes of that guy from Taking Back Sunday flying through his windshield due to icy conditions on the roads.
“I am not your friend/I’m not your lover/I’m not your family,” Lacey sings to his fan base who get too close for his own comfort.
From there, the album proceeds to get darker and more introspective than anything I ever thought Brand New capable of. “I used to know the names of everyone I’ve kissed/Now I’ve made this bed and I can’t fall asleep in it,” laments Lacey on the amazing “Jesus.” The man has grown in every direction as a song writer, crafting five minute windows into his self-loathing and torment.
Along with Lacey, the other members of Brand New have all done their fair share of growing up musically. Bassist Garrett Tierney builds brooding, bittersweet bass lines worthy of Cursive while drummer Brain Lane drums in and out of verses adding more weight to Lacey’s lyrics.
Guitarist Vincent Accardi seems to have won a Guitar Center pedal give away, writing spacey, processed lead parts that absolutely make songs like “Welcome to Bangkok” and “The Archers Bows Have Broken” what they are. Accardi also receives his first solo writing credit on the album closer, “Handcuffs,” a beautiful acoustic ballad with swells of strings.
Sadly, there are a few dings in the album’s armor. “Limosine” drags on, the notoriously shy Lacey actually getting pretentious.
There is also a completely unnecessary minute and half track cleverly titled “Untitled” that is nothing more than a repeated mumbled phrase, a few picked chords and what sounds like someone bumping into a microphone a couple times.
Brand New admitted that they had written about 40 songs and for some reason decided to short change us by giving us this clap-trap.
The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me may be a collection of songs and not a “real” album, but it is also 50 minutes of dark, murky music shimmering with imagery and gorgeous depression.
So I guess I don’t care what you say, Mr. Lacey. You may not stay 18 forever, but maybe that’s a good thing.