Brand New: the band I love.

I've been meaning to write this for a long time. Purely for my own pleasure. In a sense, because I want to see how much I can remember.

I love Brand New. Love is perhaps too weak a word, but unfortunately our pathetically weak English language has one word to express the emotion of "love", when love can mean so many different things. Instead we start to categorise the difference between platonic and romantic love. But still that isn't enough.

I digress.

I love Brand New.
In my mind they are utterly without any sort of parallel, Jesse Lacey is an incredible lyricist, like beyond incredible, and musically, to me they are perfect. I think it's because they grew up with me. Not in the sense that I know them, but in the sense, that when I first heard their early pop-punk (almost) stuff, that was what I liked at the time.

By the time Deja Entendu was released I had grown out of pop punk, and so had they. They had become the champions of emo, and emo was my ultimate favourite style at the time. Deja Entendu is a virtually faultless album, every track is amazing, and different.
Nevertheless, when they released The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, I have a confession to make: I didn't like it.

I remember being impressed by Sowing Season, and Jesus Christ, and thinking that Archers Bows Have Broken was the standout track, and the rest, I thought, was just all a bit (and I shudder saying this now) boring and uninspired.
However, given that I had loved Deja Entendu so much, I decided to give it some more time. I had read reviews that said it was a "grower", so I'd give it time to grow.
I'm so glad I did, because Devil and God is easily the best album I've ever heard. It's a masterpiece (In my opinion, of course. My correct opinion.) Virtually every track is perfect. But I will speak on Devil and God a little later.

As with Deja Entendu, I could now see that Brand New had matured again, just as I had. No longer where their songs about heartache and failing relationships like the first album, or indeed sweepingly elegant poetry on countless subjects like broken marriages(Quiet Things That No-One Ever Knows), dying grandparents ("Guernica") and even taking advantage of drunken girls ("Me vs. Maradonna vs. Elvis").
Brand New had transcended Deja Entendu, and I didn't think that would be possible. On the surface, Deja is infinitely the better album. If you want to get into Brand New, that I'd always recommend that one, especially if you like your lyrics to be catchy and clever, rather than depressing genius.

And with Daisy, their fourth album, an album which I had such high expectations of, and they matched them! It isn't as good as Devil and God, I wouldn't even say it's as good as Deja Entendu (and Your Favourite Weapon puts up a fight too) but its different and it is amazing.

But a lot of people don't know very much about Brand New, even though the story of their career is very interesting, not least because it involves a bitter rivalry with fellow Long Island band, and former friends Taking Back Sunday, ironically enough, probably my second favourite band.

Brand New's singer Jesse Lacey was once actually in Taking Back Sunday. In the very early days, as bassist and backing vocalist. He left the band to form Brand New with friends Garrett the bassist, and Brian the drummer, teaming up with young guitarist Vinnie Accardi.
Taking Back Sunday's primary members in those days were Adam Lazarra the singer, and John Nolan, the backing-singer, guitarist, songwriter type.

John Nolan and Jesse Lacey were the best of friends, until, as legend has it, Jesse and John went to a party, at which John slept with Jesse's at-the-time girlfriend. Jesse raged at John, and there was a fight. A few days later John there was a phone conversation between the two in which Jesse yelled at John:
"Is that what you call tact? You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back"

They would both use those words in different songs Brand New's "Seventy Times 7", and Taking Back Sunday's, "There's No I In Team". For the record, Brand New's one is much much better.
After much feuding, however, it seems that John and Jesse made up, and there are videos you can find online of Jesse playing "There's No I In Team" with Taking Back Sunday, singing his immortal words.

Happy times. However, there is a further twist in the tale.
As Brand New were writing "Deja Entendu" all was not well in the Taking Back Sunday camp, as Adam Lazarra had been dating John Nolan's sister, Michelle, when he made the perplexing move of cheating on her.
John was angry, and quit Taking Back Sunday, as did his close friend, bassist Shaun Cooper. John, Michelle and Shaun joined drummer Will Noon to form Straylight Run, who are/were also awesome.

Jesse took John's side, and so once again there was a Brand New-Taking Back Sunday hatred. One of Brand New's most popular t-shirts is in fact a dig at Adam Lazarra, bearing the slogan "Mic's are for singing, not swinging. You know who you are". Adam, of course, being famous for swinging his mic around the stage whilst he performs (a maneuver that once resulted in the hospitalisation of replacement bassist, Matt Rubano).

Nevertheless, outside of this t-shirt-based japery, there has been little TBS-Brand New waring. No copied lyrics, anyway.
I should also point out that very recently, John Nolan and Shaun Cooper have rejoined Taking Back Sunday as a reunion to the first album line up. I should also explain my disbelief that Adam Lazarra, who, to be fair, often cannot sing a note, has managed to find three enormously talented song-writer guitarists to keep him famous.

Back to Brand New.
There was a very long gap in between the released of Deja Entendu and third album "Devil and God..." and this was due to a number of reasons. The in-sleeve of the album cover can explain much of it, as you can find the names of 15 of the band member's close family and friends who passed away during the recording. And it is not helped by the fact that Brand New instilled what was essentially a full media blackout, no longer giving interviews, and removing their website from the internet.
It was revealed that Jesse had been ill, needing surgery for "multiple things wrong" with him. Many rumours circulated about clinical depression, but they appear to have been unfounded.

In early 2006, 9 demo's which have become known as the "Fight Off Your Demons" demo's were leaked onto the internet. Standout tracks amongst these were "Brothers" an utterly astounding anti war song which was a re-working of old b-side "aloc-acoC" (it's backwards to avoid copyright), "Morrisey", named because it sounds an awful lot like Morrisey, "Cleanser" and "Fork and Knife" which they later released as a single. I note that these are fan-chosen names, and not official titles (apart from "Fork and Knife"). You can find them on youtube, and Grooveshark.

Jesse was devestated by the songs being leaked, feeling that they had become useless.
2 of the demo's were recycled and turned into tracks on "Devil and God...", but the other 7 were scrapped. Jesse later revealed that he now feels bad about some of the tracks he left of "Devil and God...", as they meant so much to him.

Most of the brilliance of "Devil and God" in my opinion is found in the lyrics. They are so layered, and so deep, and so open to interpretation. They are beyond almost any lyrics I have ever heard. An opposite to the way that "Deja Entendu" spoonfed you clever metaphors and rhyming couplets, "Devil and God" makes you work hard to see the genius.

The lyrical content of "Devil and God..." is extremely dark. "Limousine" and "You Wont Know" tell the true story of Katie Flynn, a little girl on the way back from her parents wedding who was decapitated when a drunk driver going the wrong way down a motorway collided head on with the limo she was in.
Jesse has stated that this story changed his perspective on life, and pushed him away from former friends who he knew to drive drunk.

Jesse often uses religous imagery, although he is not religous anymore himself. Personally, I would say that he is agnostic, he often alludes to wanting to believe in a God, but seeing too much around to convince him that a God cannot exist, or that he would hate a God that would allow it.

On "Daisy" there is actually less overt religous reference, and I think it is a sign of his move away from mainstream religion. Grappling with his faith is one of the cornerstones of Jesse's Brand New lyrics.
Vinnie writes lyrics too, he wrote "Gasoline" and the last three tracks on "Daisy", as well as "Handcuffs" on "D&G".

I love Vinnie. He's the only good looking member of Brand New these days. Jesse would still be good looking if he tried, but for some reason his appearance is that of a man who could not care less what people think about him.
Here's the proof

A : http://www.100xr.com/100_XR/Artists/B/Brand_New/Brand.New-band-2003.jpg

B: http://www.rocksound.tv/images/uploads/brandnew1300.jpg

Exhibit A is early Brand New with Jesse in his striped top and quite clearly posing for the camera. Exhibit A is interesting too, and as for someone reason Vinnie is dressed as a French prick.

Exhibit B is current Brand New. Note that you cant really tell in his picture, but Brian, the drummer in the middle, is built like a brick-shithouse. Vinnie is on the end on the left looking sexy. And Jesse is second in from the right, wearing the most hideous shirt known to man.

Post-Deja Jesse rarely does interviews. In fact, he *never* does American interviews because he reads the music magazines and hates seeing himself in them. Brand New barely do any publicity at all in America.
And it's weird because it makes them a sort of paradox, they have gotten more and more popular the less they had promoted themselves.

It is very apparent if you watch Jesse in video interviews, especially recent ones, that he is extremely uncomfortable doing them. His answers are usually quite monosyllabic, and he often remains quiet and lets Vinnie or Brian do the talking.
He is also known for, well to be honest, making things up. When fans ask him questions about the meanings of his songs he often just lies, or says something that doesn't really mean anything.

Top 5 things I would love to know about Brand New:

1) What he actually says in the chorus of Noro
Is it "I'm on my way out", "I'm on my way down", or "I'm on my way to hell".
Have a listen, and you tell me.

2) Where did the mysterious music video for "Jesus Christ" dissapear to, and why wont they let the world see it?

3) Whether he actually said "Is that what you call tact? You're as subtle as a brick in the small of my back" to John Nolan.
I mean, that is awfully fucking eloquent for an angry phone conversation, even from Jesse.

4) Which of the Fight Off Your Demons demo's are their favourite?

5) When the fuck is album 5 coming out?