Brand New

Brand New's grasp of melody has always been tenuous at very best, but on Daisy the group seems to totally let go. In interviews, they have claimed the album was recorded with their live show in mind. That makes total sense -- Daisy is dense, monochromatic, angst-ridden and really kind of relentless. Sure, there's some, uh, light fare, like "You Stole" and the title track, but it's songs such as "Gasoline" that reflect the album's overall balance between arty modern rock and heavy post-hardcore.

While other emo bands were locked in an arms race, dreaming up concept albums or
indulging in hair-metal hugeness, Brand New were learning judo. The quartet's fourth
album avoids genre commonplaces with subtle shadings — here some Modest Mouse-style
whine, there some warped blues riffs. Jesse Lacey delivers goth-tastic proclamations —
"You tried to put a fire out, but you used gasoline" — and songs like the heroin-ja... More >