Brand New - 'The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me'

Last time we heard from NY rockers Brand New (long, long ago… in 2003), “emo” and “screamo” were just being forced into the mainstream consciousness. But a mere three years after their last album, Deja Entendu, it seems as if every band from the tri-state area has jumped on the genres’ bandwagons with eyeliner firmly applied, 10-year-old girls’ jeans tightly pulled up and emotionally stunted lyrics about bleeding, heartache and selfishness haphazardly assembled.

But not a single one of these bands can emote on the highly placed, deeply weird level of Brand New’s frontman, Jesse Lacey. A worshipper of the almighty Morrissey, Lacey takes narcissism to new levels on Brand New’s brand new (ha ha!) album, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me.

This collection of 12 tracks is a step up from the often awkward, overly self-indulgent blathering of Deja Entendu. Where Deja was chock full of Lacey singing about how awesome, yet jerk-tastic, he was, Devil and God finds him grappling with fame, drugs and, especially, God. “Millstone” forces all three worries into one dark gem, as Lacey recalls how things used to be. Lines like “I used to be such a burning example. I used to be so original” and “I used to pray a God was listening. I used to make my parents proud. I was the glue that kept my friends together. Now they don’t talk and we don’t go out” reveal the man’s distaste.

Older Brand New songs like “Am I Wrong” hinted at Lacey’s Catholic guilt/obsession, but “Jesus Christ” lays it all out. An offshoot of punk/hardcore, emo has always been about the personal and the philosophical, and Lacey certainly sticks to both here. Over Brian Lane’s steady drum beat, he discusses not his fear of death, but of the afterlife.

Other standout tracks include the album opener, “Sowing Season (Yeah),” “Degausser” and “You Won’t Know.” These rockers overcome Lacey’s melancholy and stir up a storm of anger and frustration. “You Won’t Know” is particularly searing, with some of the most pissed off guitar work from the band ever. Its only equal is the track after it, the instrumental “Welcome to Bangkok.”

But while this is a solid Brand New album, it does bear a few faults. For a guy who jocks the crap out of The Smiths, Lacey sure does seem to channel more Conor Oberst than Moz on some tracks, like the pathetic ending to the otherwise brilliant “Degausser,” or just about any measure of the mellower songs “Luca” and “Handcuffs.” They’re still good songs, but man, can they be grating sometimes. The Smiths had a sense of humor and biting political commentary, you know.

The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, in addition to having a silly title, is a difficult album. Clocking in at nearly an hour, its pseudo-prog rock moments may scare away some and irritate others. But those who dare to make it through the whole thing will be rewarded with one of the best Brand New songs ever — “The Archers Bows Have Broken.” Lacey spent too much time on Deja Entendu talking about how he could’ve been a great songwriter if he actually tried. But “The Archers Bows Have Broken,” with its quick pace and unyielding sense of U2-style bravado, is proof that he wasn’t lying. The song, and the whole album, is stunning.