culture. ish. page two

Life is serious. Love is serious. Religious struggles are very serious. And, above all, music is serious. This is the message that Brand New is trying to convey in their album, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. And they do a good job with that message. This album is full of dour, somber songs that are seriously lacking in hooks, and really, in much of a draw. Apparently they were so focused on how serious they were about everything, they forgot to make anything interesting.

The lyrics are fairly mundane, espousing the kind of struggles with meaning and life that you expect from angsty emo singers. The whole album reflects very well the trend in the crowd of emo/screamo/post-hardcore bands toward making “statement albums” that are intended to reflect the depth of their artistry and the seriousness of their souls’ torment. And while this album might be one of the more competent examples of that trend, one has to wonder what kind of statement is being made with the lyrics “I'd drown all these crying babies if I knew that their mothers wouldn't cry. I'd lower them down and squeeze real hard and let a piece of myself die.”

Labels: brand new, music, nc, number sixteen