Donnerstag, 24. Sep 2009, 13:20

So, instead of downloading Daisy, I decided I'd rather wait until it had officially been released on CD until I listened to it. I had heard At The Bottom, yes, as it was a single, Gasoline, Bed and Bought A Bride. The rest was all new to me. Cheekily, I listened to those songs first but then, as always on a first listen, I began at the top.

Walking down the street to the train station while listening to Vices probably wasn't the best idea as it resulted in me looking like a freak. I'll be honest and say that my immediate thoughts when hearing the woman singing in a 30s style accompanied by the piano was basically "what the hell.. ". Then my mind turned to Bio Shock (anyone who's played that game will fully understand why). Then the band kicked in and I literally jumped. Naturally, I began to laugh to myself - thus resulting in odd looks from the public. Anyways, I was too shocked to really listen fully to the song. On my second/third listen, I really began to like it. It's fair to say that Daisy contains a lot more screaming from Jesse than any of their previous albums and, truth be told, I think Vices is one of the only songs on this album where Jesse pulls it off.

Bed. Well, I watched a live preformance on youtube and really liked this song. On the album I think I like it even more. This song is Brand New at their most sinister. One of my favorites of the album.

I love the intro to At The Bottom but can't help but think that it doesn't quite flow that smoothly into the full blown song. It's easy to see why this song was released as a single but I feel it doesn't reflect the rest of the album. It's more "classic" Brand New (if there is such a thing) than the rest of the songs. Not a bad song on the whole, however. Jesse's odd vocals did eventually grow on me.

When I saw Brand New in June they played Gasoline and it was utterly amazing. It's another immediate favorite but it's far better live! Intense. It's a song I can see being stuck in my mind for days.

On first listen I wasn't really keen on You Stole; I found it rather boring. However, while it's not one of the best on the album, it is growing rapidly on me. The lyrics aren't as good as I'd like them to be but Jesse's attempt at haunting vocals kind of makes up for them. I do have to say, though, that the latter half is far superior and it's worth listening through the verses to get to.

Well, OK, Be Gone.. I'm unsure. I like the countryfied guitar in the background but while others may think that the disorted vocals work, I don't. If any track is disappointing on Daisy it's Be Gone. Had no vocals been recorded for it (or even if they simply had not been disorted), this song wouldn't be half as uncomfortable to listen to as it is. I see myself skipping over it on future full album listens.

Like You Stole, Sink was another song that I didn't really like to begin with. It was too much screaming for my liking. The singing vocals backed with screaming vocals in the second half of the song is a little awkward to listen to. I'm quite sure how to put it, but it doesn't feel quite right. EDIT: After having this song on repeat for a half hour I'm starting to appreciate it more.

I'd heard Jesse's solo version of Bought A Bride on youtube and didn't really like it. Yet, the album track is much better. This is another example of a track where Jesse's screaming works.

Now, the title track, Daisy. To begin with I thought it was going to Untitled take 2. I was wrong. This is definitely one of the best on the album. Remove the vocals, and you'd never guess it was Brand New. Really amazing track.

The jury's still out on In A Jar.

So, finally Noro. They sure saved the best for last. This track mixes creative vocals with dominating drumming from Brian and an intense bass line. Ending the album how it started gives the listener a chance to reflect on the intense experience they've just undertaken.

Summing up, Daisy is definitely grower. The Devil and God is slightly tipping it for me though at this point but that could easily change soon. Brand New have yet again successfully changed their sound once again. When Jesse described this album as being an exhaustive listen I didn't really understand how he meant such a thing, but now I can fully understand his statement and wholely agree. But it's well worth it.

Stand out tracks: Gasoline, Daisy, Noro