BRAND NEW. Blog or Band?

Since this is a BRAND NEW blog, I decided that the first band to be at the mercy of my fingertips should be someone pretty important. This being said, since their newest album released just five days ago (September 22, 2009) is completely off the wall, and seeing as they are one of my favourites, why not start with BRAND NEW! However, before I get too far ahead of myself I just want to take a minute or two to fill you in on exactly what this blog is going to be all about.


OKAY, so I am going to be using this blogspot largely as a place for me to fill your minds and inspire your words with the music I have fallen for. It will be a space for my musical opinions, album reviews, band updates, concert listings... really, it will be a space for me to express MY thoughts regarding that which I could not live without -MUSIC-. For me, on a daily basis I make connections between songs and memories, sounds and events. I have been creating a soundtrack to my life for years now, and since it consists of a never ending play list, the best I can do is share with you some of the great artists who have strongly influenced and moved me in some sense or another. Although i don't necessarily know these individuals on a personal level, their music and lyrics have been my life support through some of the happiest and hardest times of my life.
**NOTE: I IN NO WAY THINK THAT I KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT MUSIC, AND I AM NOT IMPRESSED BY PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY DO. Wanna impress me? ADMIT THAT THERE IS LOTS YOU DON'T KNOW!** I have been working in a record store for the past 4 years, and yeah well i do know my share of music, I also know my share of tools who think they know everything there is to know. (Socrates: "All I know is that I know nothing") --THINK ABOUT IT ALL YOU SO CALLED MUSIC DISCIPLES. KILL YOUR EGO.
THIS ALL BEING SAID- those of you who do check out my blog regularly will also be seeing a lot more than just music related material.

WELCOME TO MY MIND.

Brand New formed back in 2000 and have since put out four albums. The first of these was Your Favorite Weapon, which while introducing the boys to the scene as American pop-punk angst filled beginners, also threw at the world a bitter sweet 12 track album lyrically detailing the highs and lows of teen experiences, harsh breakups, and Jesse Lacey- singer/guitar player LYRICAL GENIUS. Despite the immaturity of the album, the super authentic high school vibes found in Your Favorite Weapon can help but make you smile and wanna jump around. Thee best songs on this album include Jude Law and a Semester Abroad, Mixtape, Failure by Design, and Soco Amaretto Lime... anddddd the other 8 tracks I didn't just mention.
*I'm apologizing in advance, the video upload would not work, I will hopefully have it figured out by my next positing, but in the mean time I will leave you with some video links for your enjoyment :) CHECK THEM OUT!
http://www.videocure.com/video/136328.html

Deja Entendu, Brand New's second album released in 2003, turned out to be a way bigger album. Better? YES. Drummer Brian Lane said "Jesse wrote a lot of the lyrics about different things than 'I just broke up with my girlfriend' for the new record." Deja is the product of a range of influences vs. their amateur perspective found in Your Favorite Weapon. Their matured sound and stylistic leap can be heard in hits The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows and Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades, but even more important- this entire album is a sing-along. IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO CHECK OUT "OKAY I BELIEVE YOU BUT MY TOMMY GUN DON'T"...if you think I'll let you down, well I wont.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKDc2lkt_mE&feature=PlayList&p=11E50352CE67D7E1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11E50352CE67D7E1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=11


The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me is hands down Brand New's greatest album to date. Opening with Sowing Seasons the album blows my mind every single time I listen to it. The attention to detail is incredible, and lyrically it is Jesse's most poetic piece. Released Novemeber 20th, 2006, this emotionally aggressive album is Brand New's masterpiece which not only is in my opinion the pinnacle of their career, but clearly shows their progression from merely boys of the music scene to kings of the industry. The overdose of inventive percussion, multi guitar tracks, and forceful harmonics connect each track, providing the perfect high of energy which is mostly dark and assertive. The creativity of the album makes it an instant classic, straight up- this album is pure art!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5mm8ex8Vd4


AND NOW...WHAT YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...DAISY!
Brand New's latest album is all over the place in terms of direction, and to be completely honest I really did not like the album in the slightest when I first heard it, all I could think of was the Used (not good Used, but like, "Take it Away" ? ughh) HOWEVER, it has grown on me a fair bit since. The weird thing about Daisy is that unlike every other Brand New album, it does not seem to flow due to the fact that they didn't pick a sound and stick to it. Every track sounds different, and i mean DIFFERENT DIFFERENT. Sounding heavily influenced by bands such as Glassjaw, The Cure, and even Morrissey (..and I'm stick of your tattoos, and the way you always criticize The Smiths, and Morrissey). Daisy is a super thrashy and elegiac, I'm still trying to figure it out myself. I mean, in the midst of jumping around sound wise, they managed to squish in way more samples and electric drums than ever used before. GOOD? BAD? YOU DECIDE! A quote from Jesse in regards to Daisy, "it's a pretty exhausting record. It's quite dense and I think some of the decisions we made don't always go in the most obvious direction. We were thinking a lot more about what we'd want to play when we were up onstage rather than actually what you'd want to hear on a record." ...Ummm, thanks guys?..
Anyways, DEFINITELY CHECK OUT "AT THE BOTTOM" AND "YOU STOLE"-- so far I'm voting these the best new tracks, but if you beg to differ, please let me know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTt46ZTVCPU

**ALSO, CHECK OUT BRAND NEW'S MYSPACE AT www.myspace.com/brandnew

BRAND NEW WILL BE PLAYING IN TORONTO AT THE KOOL HAUS
NOVEMBER 22 + 23
$40.00/ DOORS AT 7PM
TICKETMASTER.CA OR SUNRISE RECORDS OUTLET (where you will also see me!)

Well, that is all I got in me right now, and to be honest that was kind of painful seeing as it is my first blog... lets hope my mind comes back to me soon and I lose this mental block.

-jessspoto