Brand New
The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
Interscope Records/Tiny Evil Records
Brand New has grown up more than any other emo/screamo band since the whole genre became huge about a decade ago. They began as any other screamo band with fast-paced songs and lyrics like “Jude Law and the Semester Abroad” that were largely forgettable mainly because they were largely unintelligible. Then came their second album Deja Entendu, a decidedly more mature album that spawned the marvelous-yet-impossible-to-karaoke hit “The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows.” Now the quartet has taken yet another leap with their brilliantly tumultuous third album The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. While this album is not as immediately catchy as their previous two, it is by far their best musically and lyrically.
The entire album is about exactly what the title suggests: spiritual turmoil. “Jesus” is a solemn, but scathing song with lead singer/guitarist Jesse Lacey pondering heaven because “when I arrive I won’t know anyone.”
The song that follows, “Degausser,” is without question one of the best songs of the decade, and epitomizes what this album is about. It starts off as a subtle, but pulsing rhythm with Lacey leading a chant of “Take apart your head/ Take apart the demon in the attic to the left,” while behind him guitarist/vocalist Vin Accardi softly underscoring with, “yeah, I admit, I am afraid of the reckoning.” Then it explodes into a game of screaming lyrical catch between Accardi and Lacey with guitars blaring right with them.
That is Brand New at its best. Most bands can pull off a decent song with decent lyrics. Brand New is great at throwing lines back and forth between Lacey and Accardi while the music pummels you into oblivion.
The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is not an album for those looking for instant musical gratification. It takes a little active listening to fully enjoy this record. But anybody who takes this hour-long record and follows the lyrics will get a listening experience that will make you wonder how you ever lived without this album. Brand New continues to grow musically and lyrically quicker than almost anybody out there and their albums just keep getting better.
Brand New: http://www.fightoffyourdemons.com
