Brand New
3.5/5
I had almost been counting down the days that Daisy would be released since it was announced that Brand New would be delivering a new album towards the end of September. Needless to say, a few days ago, I searched for Daisy on Mininova.com, based on my impatience and slight hope that on the odd chance, it might have been leaked a couple of weeks early.
To my surprise, there was Daisy staring right back at me. After much apprehension and a quick evaluation of my personal ethics regarding free torrent downloads, I did it. I knew someone was bound to spoil it for me by giving gentle hints of its quality before I'd have managed to buy it anyway. There, justification for downloading it sorted, not to mention I'll be buying a tangible copy the moment it comes out.
Obsessive fan intro aside, Daisy challenges its predecessors with a notably eclectic sound. Brand New have expanded their genre beyond alternative punk and yield signs of blues, post-punk, and metal influences. Daisy's sporadic Southern inclination is notable in 'In a Jar' and progresses into a sound that is somewhat reminiscent of the Delta blues in 'Be Gone', while 'Daisy' samples a Texan hymn from the 60s.
The echoing guitars in 'Bed' and 'You Stole' indicate Brand New might have succumbed to the post-punk revival that has made its mark on commercial radio over the past few years. However, combined with Jesse Lacey's heavier-than-usual vocals, most notably in 'Vice' and 'Sink', the indie facade vanishes, culminating in an experimental rock album that blurs the boundaries of musical genre. On that note, Daisy opens and closes with a sample of 'On Life’s Highway' written by Bertrand Brow, again adding to the confusion of the band's new direction.
Overall, Daisy appears to be the unification of a handful of the band's influences, much like The Alchemy Index was to Thrice. Although, where Thrice separated each genre into a different volume, Brand New have intertwined them in no apparent order. Whether this works for them or not, I'm still indifferent.
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