Brand New matures, gets grungy on Daisy

This late bloomer comes up swinging.

By Robert Adamson

Published Sept. 15, 2009

Right now, the new music section of your local record store is littered with sinister sounding titles like Felony by Emmure, Humbug by the Arctic Monkeys and Rebelution by Pitbull.

But on Sept. 22, a slightly prettier sounding album, Daisy, will hit the shelves, and whatever you do, don't let the title fool you -- Brand New's senior effort is far from a bright and sunny walk in the park. This release is a roller coaster ride with some dark and windy passages.

The record has essentially been stripped of pop sensibility. It opens with an eerily soothing 40s sample and after about a minute drops a bomb of noise that will scare the hell out of you. The rest of the album rolls in and out of calm and more energetic sequences ranging from a folky feel to some of the loudest, grungiest stuff to ever come from this band.

It's always felt like Jesse Lacey, the band's lead singer, and the boys were heading toward the deep end, but this time around they've decided to take the plunge, and it makes for some pretty ugly and interesting music.

Much of the album's lyrics are characteristic of the latter, more mature Lacey we've come to know. Although radically different from the sort of music the band usually produces, this album will hopefully prove to be good for Brand New.

Songs, such as "At the Bottom," pull you deep into Lacey's mysterious psyche. "I make little lies then I pull them apart/I think something dark is living down in my heart/And if I wanted to die before I got old/I shoulda' started some years ago digging that hole."

That's not to say he's infallible, though. Lines, such as "The champ goes down/Like a clown/In the second round" feel a tad forced and don't really offer much to the overall content of the song.

The band redeems itself on the standout track, "Bought a Bride," with muddy bass that drags you through a pounding percussion track, falling in and out of rhythm. The familiar shaky ache in Lacey's voice is prevalent throughout the CD but the creepiness of this song is particularly macabre. The title track appropriately sums up the feel of the record, delivering a despair and heartbroken outcry as Lacey chants, "I'm a mouth that doesn't smile/I'm a word that no one ever wants to say."

Daisy is another step in the direction of Brand New's previous release The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, and fans will appreciate a more energetic feel reminiscent of earlier works such as 2003's Deja Entendu and even 2001's Your Favorite Weapon.

It was easy to feel indifferent about the album at first but after a few attentive spins it proves to be a grower. Daisy is forced to stand among a catalog of superb rock records, and though it's probably not going to receive many "album of the year" awards, Brand New delivers with another solid, passionate and infectious contender for 2009.