We left our love in our summer skin...
Before You Read This: DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS POSTING WITH A TORRENT OF ANY THOUGHTS OR FEELINGS THAT MAY BE INTENDED TO SWAY MY JUDGMENT. I HAVE ELOQUENTLY PREPARED THIS POST AND HAVE EDITED IT 3 TIMES BEFORE ULTIMATELY THROWING IN THE TOWEL AND HITTING 'POST TO _waste0fpaint_'. SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TAKING THE TIME TO WADE THROUGH THIS MESS AND SEE IT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE.
My long-surviving love affair with Brand New has sadly, burned out.
I first fell in love with them when i was in the 11th grade, which places me at about the age of 16. But i have a late birthday so i may have been 15, either way, it was love. I'm not exactly sure which song from "Your Favorite Weapon" I heard first.
Theory # 1
It may have been "Mixtape" which my first, and hands down worst, boyfriend Mike burned (ironically) onto a mix CD that he made me for me. While the mix CD had been an attempt to brainwash me with the types of music he thought i should listen to, "Mixtape" was the one salvageable song on the CD that consisted of roughly 12 or 13 songs.
Theory # 2
It may have been "Soco Amaretto Lime" which my shortest friend Tyler burned for me on a mix CD she created to help me feel better after Mike ultimately dumped me (extra credit info: he dumped me the day after we had sex for the first, and luckily, last time. just a little side rant to get that one off my chest).
Either way, it was one of those two songs. I must admit, i was not blown away. It had hardly been "love at first listen" or what-have-you. At the time i heard these songs, i was really into A Perfect Circle and music of the sort so it wasn't really my 'type'.
Then came the unfortunate Zoloft Incident of 2003. It occurred in the late summer/early fall of the year 2003 and only lasted about a month. I was spiraling into some sort of post traumatic-lost virginity-no one will ever love me black hole. My doctor's first instinct was to write a prescription for the newest anti-depressant that he was being paid to peddle. This new found sense of hopelessness led me to the discovery of Brand New's second album.
Deja Entendu.
This time, it WAS love at first listen. I was absolutely hooked. I could hardly contain myself. To believe that someone could have the genius to not only write the lyrics to this CD but the musical score as well. it single-handedly changed my life.
Shortly after having a 'zombie' episode (which is a surprisingly common side affect of Zoloft for patients under the age of 18) in which i spent the hours between 9 am and 9 pm lying on my bedroom floor staring up at the ceiling, i was stripped of my chemical friend and left to navigate my way back to normalcy alone.
Armed with "Deja Entendu" (the only CD i owned, i didn't have a job so don't judge me), I started to put the shattered remains of my social life back together. Although the year that followed, my junior year of high school, was indisputably the worst year of my life; i like to think that it was the year that i grew up the most. You grown and change every year, you're never the same person. But this year (fall 2003-spring 2004) held the most challenges i've ever faced.
I delt with the frantic highs and disparaging lows and no matter what song of the moment made me feel better, i always gravitated back to Brand New. when i was happy, when i was sad, when i just was. it always came back to Deja Entendu.
And then it all fell apart.
Three years after shamelessly worshiping Deja Entendu, Brand New decided to grace the world with "The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me". To call the album an abortion is incorrect. It was more of an abomination. "Jesus Christ" was the only halfway decent song on the entire CD. But the vibe of the CD was somewhat similar to that of Deja Entendu so I gave it a chance. I listened to it time and time again. hoping each time that my opinion would be changed. magically, i would see it for the intelligent piece of artwork that it truly was. it HAD to be genius. This was written, sung, and recorded by the one and only band to ever really grab and hold my attention. the only band that I've ever driven 7 1/2 hours to see. IT HAD TO BE BRILLIANT. Unfortunately, no matter how many times i played the CD or read through the lyrics or leafed through the CD booklet, it did nothing for me. I felt no emotion. I felt no connection with any song. I was left heartbroken.
But ever vigilant, i remained loyal. Knowing that it couldn't have been easy to follow up a masterpiece with another magnum opus. They just needed some time off the road to recollect themselves, sort out their ideas, and carefully create a sound that would, undoubtedly, blow me and every other fan away.
I stand corrected.
Their 4th album, "Daisy", is set to release on September 22nd, 2009. In true Napster fashion, some of the songs from "Daisy" have been leaked on the internet. To be completely sure that what i was hearing was, in fact, the actual tracks from the actual album; i have downloaded them on 3 different programs including iTunes which has yet to fail me as a reliable source for leaked music.
It appears that time has stripped Brand New of their ability to create decent music. or even music for that matter.
Their new songs are riddled with the age-old, time-tested tricks unsigned bands use to get noticed and seasoned veteran bands utilize to generate a younger, hipped fan base. They use 1930's era music for their opening sequences. They a-rhythmically scream through entire songs (scream in a way that only Job For A Cowboy fans could appreciate). They interject old movie quotes into songs that are lacking for some sort of "whimsy".
It has absolutely broken my heart.
I am no longer able to see them for the creative minds that gave me songs like "Me vs. Maradonna vs. Elvis" and "Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows". I am unable to put on my metaphorical blinders and pretend that the musical massacres also known as "the Devil & God..." and "Daisy" do not exist.
I will always cherish Deja Entendu as my favorite CD of all time. It will continue to be the only album that has really changed my life. But i will cease to hold out any hope that they will ultimately recreate the emotional connection to me that they had with their sophomore album.
My long-surviving love affair with Brand New has sadly, burned out.
I first fell in love with them when i was in the 11th grade, which places me at about the age of 16. But i have a late birthday so i may have been 15, either way, it was love. I'm not exactly sure which song from "Your Favorite Weapon" I heard first.
Theory # 1
It may have been "Mixtape" which my first, and hands down worst, boyfriend Mike burned (ironically) onto a mix CD that he made me for me. While the mix CD had been an attempt to brainwash me with the types of music he thought i should listen to, "Mixtape" was the one salvageable song on the CD that consisted of roughly 12 or 13 songs.
Theory # 2
It may have been "Soco Amaretto Lime" which my shortest friend Tyler burned for me on a mix CD she created to help me feel better after Mike ultimately dumped me (extra credit info: he dumped me the day after we had sex for the first, and luckily, last time. just a little side rant to get that one off my chest).
Either way, it was one of those two songs. I must admit, i was not blown away. It had hardly been "love at first listen" or what-have-you. At the time i heard these songs, i was really into A Perfect Circle and music of the sort so it wasn't really my 'type'.
Then came the unfortunate Zoloft Incident of 2003. It occurred in the late summer/early fall of the year 2003 and only lasted about a month. I was spiraling into some sort of post traumatic-lost virginity-no one will ever love me black hole. My doctor's first instinct was to write a prescription for the newest anti-depressant that he was being paid to peddle. This new found sense of hopelessness led me to the discovery of Brand New's second album.
Deja Entendu.
This time, it WAS love at first listen. I was absolutely hooked. I could hardly contain myself. To believe that someone could have the genius to not only write the lyrics to this CD but the musical score as well. it single-handedly changed my life.
Shortly after having a 'zombie' episode (which is a surprisingly common side affect of Zoloft for patients under the age of 18) in which i spent the hours between 9 am and 9 pm lying on my bedroom floor staring up at the ceiling, i was stripped of my chemical friend and left to navigate my way back to normalcy alone.
Armed with "Deja Entendu" (the only CD i owned, i didn't have a job so don't judge me), I started to put the shattered remains of my social life back together. Although the year that followed, my junior year of high school, was indisputably the worst year of my life; i like to think that it was the year that i grew up the most. You grown and change every year, you're never the same person. But this year (fall 2003-spring 2004) held the most challenges i've ever faced.
I delt with the frantic highs and disparaging lows and no matter what song of the moment made me feel better, i always gravitated back to Brand New. when i was happy, when i was sad, when i just was. it always came back to Deja Entendu.
And then it all fell apart.
Three years after shamelessly worshiping Deja Entendu, Brand New decided to grace the world with "The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me". To call the album an abortion is incorrect. It was more of an abomination. "Jesus Christ" was the only halfway decent song on the entire CD. But the vibe of the CD was somewhat similar to that of Deja Entendu so I gave it a chance. I listened to it time and time again. hoping each time that my opinion would be changed. magically, i would see it for the intelligent piece of artwork that it truly was. it HAD to be genius. This was written, sung, and recorded by the one and only band to ever really grab and hold my attention. the only band that I've ever driven 7 1/2 hours to see. IT HAD TO BE BRILLIANT. Unfortunately, no matter how many times i played the CD or read through the lyrics or leafed through the CD booklet, it did nothing for me. I felt no emotion. I felt no connection with any song. I was left heartbroken.
But ever vigilant, i remained loyal. Knowing that it couldn't have been easy to follow up a masterpiece with another magnum opus. They just needed some time off the road to recollect themselves, sort out their ideas, and carefully create a sound that would, undoubtedly, blow me and every other fan away.
I stand corrected.
Their 4th album, "Daisy", is set to release on September 22nd, 2009. In true Napster fashion, some of the songs from "Daisy" have been leaked on the internet. To be completely sure that what i was hearing was, in fact, the actual tracks from the actual album; i have downloaded them on 3 different programs including iTunes which has yet to fail me as a reliable source for leaked music.
It appears that time has stripped Brand New of their ability to create decent music. or even music for that matter.
Their new songs are riddled with the age-old, time-tested tricks unsigned bands use to get noticed and seasoned veteran bands utilize to generate a younger, hipped fan base. They use 1930's era music for their opening sequences. They a-rhythmically scream through entire songs (scream in a way that only Job For A Cowboy fans could appreciate). They interject old movie quotes into songs that are lacking for some sort of "whimsy".
It has absolutely broken my heart.
I am no longer able to see them for the creative minds that gave me songs like "Me vs. Maradonna vs. Elvis" and "Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows". I am unable to put on my metaphorical blinders and pretend that the musical massacres also known as "the Devil & God..." and "Daisy" do not exist.
I will always cherish Deja Entendu as my favorite CD of all time. It will continue to be the only album that has really changed my life. But i will cease to hold out any hope that they will ultimately recreate the emotional connection to me that they had with their sophomore album.