Oh Brand New, what have you done? There has not been a more disappointing CD in my life since I bought Bloodhound Gang's Hooray to Boobies because I thought I was such an edgy kid back then. The release of Daisy, Brand New's fourth studio album, has been nothing but sheer tears for me since it came out on Sept. 22. The band mentioned in an interview that they were making a CD for live shows, not for headphone listening. And the fact that the members of Brand New knew they weren't coming out with a CD worth listening to upsets me the most. I will give them credit where credit is due; the single "At The Bottom," is okay, but that's as much as I can say. It is almost as if alternative-rock band Cursive helped them on this new album. They were a great band on the rise, ready for stardom with CDs like Domestica and The Ugly Organ before 2003, but then The Difference Between Houses and Homes and Happy Hollow came out and tainted their name. They began to make music just to blow out our eardrums, to yell just for the hell of it, and to be "artsy" with their music (come on, has that worked for any band out there other than Radiohead?). Brand New is excited for this new release because they feel like they got to play around with new sounds and add (as lead singer Jesse Lacey likes to call them) "strange things" to the songs. I know it sounds like I am only bashing Brand New right now, but we expect so much more out of them. The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, their third studio album released in 2006, was an instant classic and an amazing return for the band after three years of nothing. Their lyrics were cryptic, and the music was loud for the sake of the music. In Daisy, we find the music is loud for the sake of being loud, and well, it doesn't sound good. Again, I'll try to add a positive spin to it, and I will mention for those true Brand New fans, that listening to the CD a couple times helps. Most songs still won't be tolerable, but tracks like "You Stole," "Daisy," and "Noro" are decent (and I'll stretch to include "Bought a Bride," you know, just to be nice). And yes, I am being generous using the word decent. We expect so much more from a band that kept us happy for almost a decade, but don't worry, this album won't turn you away from previous Brand New work; they are still amazing; however, this CD is not.
Grade: C-/D+
Download: "At the Bottom," "You Stole," "Daisy"
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