I guess it's not too big of a surprise that Jesse Lacey would eventually lead his band, Brand New, into the dark tunnels of despair that they seem to currently be treading in. Despite the band's pop punk origins, Lacey's transformation from lovelorn wordsmith to tortured soul was actually pretty seamless. 2006's The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me was the highlight of this transition. It was an album that succeeded in setting a consistently dark and somber mood and yet was also filled with contagious and instantly memorable tracks. On the band's follow up, Daisy, the dark mood has no doubt stayed in tact, but the memorable songs are few and far between.
Brand New bookends Daisy with the odd sounds of traditional gospel music being played over what sounds like a scratchy record player or phonograph. It's just one of the many slightly unsettling things that the band employs on their new record. The opening song "Vices," eventually breaks through the lulling sounds of the gospel music into a fierce display of heavy guitars and high pierced screams. It's intended to be a startling surprise for the listener, but it isn’t hard to see coming. Though the many soft/loud dynamics that Brand New utilized on The Devil and God seemed endlessly creative and refreshing, the same tricks just seem less innovative and almost banal on Daisy.
Frontman Jesse Lacey is, as usual, the central figure on Brand New’s newest album. His vocals range from a soft murmur to a throaty scream as he commands each of his self-penned tunes. And while the lyrics on Daisy seem a bit less personal than on past Brand New albums, Lacey still no doubt shouts (or whispers) them with striking conviction. Lacey’s vocal assuredness still can’t save a string of mundane tracks that, though they carry on the solidly dark aesthetic of the record, bring down the album as a whole. “Bed” might sound like a catchy sing-along track upon first listen, but its simplicity and somewhat nonsensical lyrics, or at least uninspiring by Brand New’s standards, hurt its longevity.“You Stole” on the other hand is a slow paced track that never seems to find its footing. It’s a song that lingers on in uninteresting territory for far too long, and once it finally does find its climax of feedback and wailing guitars, it seems almost tacked on. “In a Jar” may be the worst track on the album. Running along on a repetitive bassline, Lacey’s vocals turn into a drone as he utilizes his most effective muse, religion. But unlike other songs which successfully dealt with religious struggles - “Jesus Christ,” “The Archers Bows Have Broken,” - “In a Jar” just doesn’t pack the same punch lyrically or musically.
There are songs on Daisy that do prove that Lacey still has plenty of songwriting chops though. The album’s first single, “At the Bottom,” which mixes in some shimmering piano playing throughout the verses of the song, is an absolute winner. The following song, “Gasoline,” happens to be my favorite track on the album. If the other harder moments of Daisy adhered more to the example set on the thrilling “Gasoline,” the album would be that much better for it. The song rides on Lacey’s screeching vocals as the hard hitting percussion lays the groundwork for the blazing guitar feedback that engulfs the high octane chorus.
Of the three albums that Brand New has released since their embarrassing 2001 pop punk debut, Daisy would have to be considered the worst (though to be fair it's stacked against some pretty heavy competition). While it does contain some of the more uninspired moments in Brand New’s catalog, the album still has a handful of pretty exciting songs. It also holds true to what the band is trying to accomplish, that is creating an album full of rather dour songs that fit into the dark aesthetic that the band is close to perfecting. That being said, despite its unevenness Daisy is still a pretty interesting listen.
"Daisy" is on sale September 22, 2009 from Interscope.
