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Brand New – Deja Entendu
Monday, December 1 2003 - 8:39 PM by: Lawerence |
Brand New – Deja Entendu
Okay, so it’s been a while since my last review. I blame Justin’s computer crashing. You might say to yourself, “Wasn’t that like, a month ago?” And it is at that point that I would add in that I am really lazy with the reviews. But I’m going to make up for it. And no, I’m not going to let you all know how gay Tim really is because Vinnie does a good enough job with that already. Then what? In case you didn’t read the title of the review this is a CD REVIEW BABY! The first one ever on this site.
I find it odd that no one has done a CD review in the however many months that this site has been up, but then again, I don’t think that any of the writers for this site buy CD’s anymore. I had included myself in that group up until recently when years of guilt finally ate away at me and I started buying music again. No, I’m not going out and lining the pockets of your Metallicas and your Nickelbacks (who suck more ass than Tim on a Friday night after “hockey”). I present you with the review for the sophomore album by Brand New entitled Deja Endendu. Note: If you are thinking to yourself “Hey, Nickelback doesn’t suck” then screw you and don’t bother reading this review.
Brand New is a band out of Long Island. The band has grown a considerable amount since their debut album Your Favorite Weapon which was released in 2001. Their debut album, Your Favorite Weapon, was written almost entirely while the band was still in high school and it was an album that kicked a whole lot of ass. While more punk centric than Deja, YFW also featured some of the coolest and most imaginative Fuck the ex-girlfriend lyrics I have ever heard. For example, on Seventy Times 7, they sing “I hope you have another drink and drive yourself home/I hope there’s ice on all the roads/I hope you think of me when you forget your seatbelt/And again when your head goes through the windshield. As good as the last album was Deja Endendu is so much better.
The first track is really track two and it is a nice throw back to their last album entitled Sic Transit Gloria….Glory Fades. The pace goes from serene for the verse to frantic and fast paced on the chorus. It is an excellent song and one of the best on the CD. Good to Know That If I Ever Need Attention All I Have to Do Is Die is an excellent song satirizing the political aspects of the record business. Other highlights include I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light and Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don’t.
The best song on the album is Guernica. This is a song that was written about the lead singer’s dying grandfather and his coming to grips with the news while being on the road. It is a strong song with amazing and deep lyrics. This is a perfect example of how the band has grown up in the last few years.
The remainder of the album is a mix of emo, punk, and the occasional acoustic ballad. Deja Endendu is a mixture of several different genres and that is part of what makes this album so great. Instead of limiting themselves to the standard emo music that is becoming more and more tired with each copy of Thursday, Brand New has gone out and set the bar rather than following in the tracks of other bands by diversifying themselves.
Deja Entendu features powerful songs with thought inspiring lyrical content and a wonderful sound. This is a blow away album by a band that deserves every bit of praise that the album has gotten so far. The score: 9/10
Look forward to reviews of the debut CD by Story of the Year and the novel Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. Sometime. I don’t know when.
Peace. Out.
