In their guide to Glastonbury 2009, Q Magazine touted New York 5-piece Brand New as 'the emo Radiohead.' The band's fourth album 'Daisy' goes a long way to supporting this idea; a wonderfully crafted album, building perfectly on 2006's 'The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me.'As opener 'Vices' crashes into being with thundering chords topped by Jesse Lacey and Vincent Accardi's screams, the band's statement that they've approached this record the way they approach their live sound appear to have been realised. It is gloriously heavy.
Saying that, 'Vices' is followed by the beautifully sombre 'Bed' and epic single 'At The Bottom,' all showcasing three completely different, equally breathtaking musical approaches from the band. Powerful chords and screams are brought back to the foreground for the manic 'Gasoline,' then it's a quick u-turn for the fantastic 'You Stole,' arguably the closest the album gets to 'The Devil And God...'
The album continues Brand New's trend to pour newfound maturity into their albums. From furious pop punk with 2001's 'Your Favourite Weapon,' the eight years between then and now has clearly had a profound effect on them. They have evolved so far musically; tracks such as 'Sink' and 'In A Jar' prove this much. Closer 'Noro' contrasts with the acoustic closers on their previous three albums, it is a grand closer, as the lyric "I'm on my way out" is repeated and 'Daisy' merges itself back into the sample it started with.
'Daisy' is one of the most refreshing albums in years. It switches perfectly between ferocity, epic and gorgeous as the band set the bar in emotional rock even higher than they have done previously. They are so far from their 'emo,' punk rock beginnings with 'Daisy,' so matured. Reduced focus on the lyrics is no bad thing; they're still excellent and complimented perfectly as Lacey switches from screaming to beautiful vocals in a heartbeat. 'Daisy' is, with no exaggeration, a classic, and a masterpiece. All hail the new kings of emotional rock.
