Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
brand new progress and make a mature rock album..., December 11, 2006
well, this albums been out for about a month now and i've listened to it about 30 times roughly. i've blasted it in my car, fallen asleep to it on a few occasions, and i've listened to it very thoroughly with headphones while reading the lyrics. even though it took about 3 years to get the nerve to write a review on "deja entendu", i believe i'm ready to announce judgement on "the devil and god are raging inside me". i'll try to do this from a musical and open-minded approach rather than being bias about the album.
my final judgement of the album is that it's GENIUS. it's a flat-out amazing record that blurs together genres as well as ditch some as well. their first album "your favorite weapon" was an amazing record and i consider it to be pop punk done right with an "edge" to it. the huge transition and progression from "weapon..." to their second album "deja entendu" was nearly catastrophic as every one knows. i didn't think i was hearing the same band when i listened to that record at first. it took about 8 listens to realize what "deja" was all about and that's when i found it's genius within.
beware (or rejoice) brand new fans, because brand new have evolved and progressed once again. they basically ditch all of their old ideas and song structures on weapon and deja and have created a new record and sound with amazing guitars, clever/meaningful lyrics, and just stunning music! it took me awhile to figure out how to write a review on deja so this one won't be easy as well. so here it goes, and i hope it gives people an insight of what this new offering sounds like from brand new.
the 3 biggest overall changes i noticed with this album are the following:
1) the overall dark theme of all the songs....even though brand new was darker on "deja" than "weapon", they show it even more on this album. the album gives off extremely dark imagery and is very emotional and could be considered depressing to some. i wonder where they got some of these riffs because some of them are just plain haunting and eerie. this is definitely not a negative thing, because it relates to the lyrics and songs which in turn makes them deep and meaningful.
2) the songs are overall slower and jesse's vocal delivery....jesse's vocal delivery on this album usually starts off with a soft-spoken whisper then explodes into this emotional frenzy of screaming. most of the songs are like this and have no pattern to them whatsoever which makes this album a hard listen for some brand new fans. the switch to quiet to loud isn't overwhelming on every song except for on the tracks "you won't know" and "luca" where it's actually kind of disturbing. however, there are a few songs on here that have a dance vibe to them but still very dark and desperate sounding ("not the sun","archers") as well as a few acoustic songs that keep the same rythm throughout the songs ("jesus christ","handcuffs"). it's a very "interesting" style to say the least.
3) finally, a phenomenal improvement on the guitars....this is what stood out to me initially upon the first couple of listens and is why i instantly fell in love with the album. the guitars on here are progressive-sounding in the likes of pink floyd, the who, the smiths, the cure, etc. and just have a classic sound to them. the crescendos on this album along with the guitar parts are what really make this album shine IMO. you have to hear it to know what i'm saying. for example, check out the end of "limousine".
a lot of people are saying this is brand new's version of radiohead's "the bends" album. i disagree with that. i believe deja entendu was brand new's "the bends" album and "the devil and god are raging inside me" is their "ok computer". i have a feeling that brand new's next album will be a bomb dropped on music listeners like radiohead's "kid A" was to fans. i guess we'll have to anxiously wait and see. as for influences on this album, radio head is present. also, i can't help to hear modest mouse in a lot of the songs. you can also tell that their good friends in Nightmare of you have rubbed off on their music giving a dancey feel like in the songs "archers" and "not the sun". lastly, you can hear a heavy influence of older bands like the smiths, the cure, and joy division. every track is amazing in it's own right but the true standouts to me are "sowing season (yeah)", "jesus christ", "degausser", "you won't know", and "not the sun".
those were the 3 biggest changes/improvements i found on the album. it's a real piece of art and is going to be a classic album that will stand the test of time for rock music. forget emo, heartcore, screamo and all those meaningless cliche terms...this is a mature rock album that will define great music in the 2000 era and will be talked about years and decades from now. i'm not going to say if it's better or worse than "deja entendu" because that's the album everyone's comparing it to. they are both great, amazing albums that everyone should hear or give a chance. i recommend to anyone and everyone but i can't help to feel that you have to be open minded, somewhat intelligent, and be able to appreciate meaning with music to enjoy brand new or this album. if your music library is limited to rap, country, and commerical rock...chances are you're not going to understand or appreciate this album. since your reading this review, you're probably not one of those people. highly recommended, of course, and if you get the chance...let people who are not familiar with brand new hear this album. it might just change their taste in music for the better...
i apologize for the lengthy review but i feel i had to give this album some justice. hands down, the record of the year and is possibly the one of the best records i've ever heard...
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the best album of 2006, January 22, 2007
This is not meant to be a real review for those of you out there who do not have the album, but you are entitled to read it either way.
When i first bought the CD, I think i was almost more excited just to get it open and hold it in my hands. This album was 3 years in the making and possibly the most worthwhile wait i've ever encountered.
Their first record has hints of what was to come with their intense lyrical style, the intelligent wording and the metaphors but that album had an overwhelming sense of pop-punk to it that really allowed it to fall by the wayside in the eye of the critical press. The second album was almost a new band, Deja Entendu was possibly the most drastic progression for a band i had ever heard. The lyrics turned from clever ways of saying that a girl left you to clever ways of saying much more important things. Songs like "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" and "Guernica" dealt with much more thought provoking ideas. The first dealt with a boy being forced into sex by a willing and experienced girl but it hinted at the boy lying to say he wasn't a virgin and the girl was just trying to impress him whereas "Guernica" dealt with Jesse Lacey(singer and song writer)'s grandfather who was diagnosed with lung cancer during the writing of the album.
The new album is an even more drastic jump from Deja. The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is full of Bible references, sad stories & insight into Jesse's personal life that only he can give you.
The first song, "Sowing Season (Yeah)" is said to be about all the people who passed away during the making of the album (which totals up to 14 mentioned in the liner notes that accompany the album).
The second track, "Millstone" seems to be an inner monologue that Jesse has with himself about his faith in God and the love of his parents (i.e. "I used to pray like God was listening. I used to make my parents proud.").
The third track, aptly titled "Jesus" is a song written to Jesus Christ himself about his second coming and Jesse's inner turmoil over what will happen to him on that day ("I know you're coming in the night like a thief. But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique. I know you think that I'm someone you can trust, But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up").
The fourth track is a song about the demon that lives in Jesse's friends attic ("Take apart the demon up in the attic to the left") but also seems to deal with his faith in God and the idea of Armageddon ("When I arrive will God be waiting and pacing around his throne?... Yeah, I admit, I am afraid of the reckoning").
The fifth track (i feel the most intense, lyrically) is called "Limousine." The song is written about a tragedy that occured on July 4th, 2006. What started out as a beautiful wedding day for a young woman turned tragic when a drunk driver (Martin Heidgen) got into his pick up and proceeded to drive drunk down the wrong side of the road at 70 miles per hour. The drunken drive was cut short by his collision with the limousine carrying 6 people from the wedding to their homes. The crash killed the driver instantly and the flower girl from the wedding, Katie (7 years old) was decapitated by the twisted wreckage. The others were injured and the father was taken into intensive care. The saddest part of this story is this: Katie's mother woke up shortly after the wreck occured and proceeded to pull herself from the vehicle only to find the severed head of her daughter lying on the ground. She held onto her until the medical team picked them all up. The song talks about someone named "K" which is most likely Jesse's attempt not to disclose the name of the girl. the first verse is said to be from Katie's mother's view with lyrics such as; "And I have one more night to be your mother." The first verse also talks about Katie spreading the petals as she did that day as the flower girl in the wedding. The second half of the song is from Martin Heidgen's perspective talking about the guilt that will crush him. The song ends with a refrain that repeats the same lyric over and over but counts to seven and stays there (example: "i love you so much, but do me a favor baby, don't reply..... one loves you so much.... two loves you so much...") and when it reaches 7, it stays there. this is said to be one of many things (or all of them). He could be referring to the girls age, the seven deadly sins or any of the mentions of the number in the Bible. all in all, this song is my favorite.
The sixth track, entitled "You Won't Know" is also said to be partially about Katie Flynn, saying "So pray little Kay, love's God on a good day
And you can't blame your mother" and refers to her as the apple of his eye as they play "william tell" to pass the time.
The seventh track, called "Welcome To Bangkok" is an instrumental with only one line repeated 3 times: "Space Cadet, pull up."
The eigth track ("Not The Sun") is possibly a song about a past lover of Jesse's. The chorus consists of one line repeated over and over: "Won't you be my babe?" The song also makes mention of the girl moving on and says that if she "breeds," just don't tell him and be his babe.
The ninth track, "Luca" is a song based loosely around Luca Brasi, a character from The Godfather. ("Please drop me a line with a hook and some raw bleeding bait, For I am uncaught and still swimming alone in the lake.")
The tenth track which stands untitled is another instrumental with just one lyric hidden amongst the music: "I could never listen."
The eleventh track, "The Archers Bows Have Broken" (referred to as "Archers") seems to be about throwing out your beliefs and deserting your friends and loved ones. The song's lyrics refer to hell freezing over and shouting but not being heard. The songs really seems to be an insight into Jesse's thoughts.
the 12th track was written by, guitarist, Vin Accardi. The song, called "Handcuffs" is a song about inner thoughts, things that people tend to think about but would never admit to. Some of the ideas expressed are driving a car off of a cliff as long as his loved ones weren't in it or drowing the crying babies (maybe in public) but only if the mothers didn't care. A lot of people find the lyrics to be creepy and strange but I tend to look at it as a bold statement of things that no normal person would admit to thinking.
Overall, this album is the best of 2006, even though it came extremely late in the year, it has impacted me greatly and i'm sure we'll be listening to this album for years and years to come, still discussing it and still debating over the meaning of the songs. No matter your opinion on Brand New, this album is a masterpiece and cannot be rivled by any other artist within the genre.
Thank you for reading.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW, February 19, 2007
I don't usually write any reviews, but I felt apt do to so in this case. Once in a long while, after years of listening to tons of music, there comes a time where an album hits you in such a way that you realize why you listen to music all over again. This is that album (for me at least). It's such a dark album, even darker than the previous Brand New albums if you can believe that. All I can say is get this album and find out for yourself. It has revolutionized the way I listen to music. I mean, this album puts so many others to shame, so much of an aura it possesses that I believe it shadows it's own predecessors (weapons, deja) as well as many other albums I once thought were great. I am now embarrassed to listen to many other artists I previously thought were amazing...this album managed to strip something away from those albums in a good way (my eyes are open). As a huge music fan, this album slips into my top ten easily, very likely in my top 5. Enjoy!
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