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The Bravery's sequel to their self-titled debut album
from 2005, The Sun And The Moon, maintains the band's position
as post new wave tycoons creating a fusion of modern rock and
synth rock with electro-pop metallics that is quickly likeable
and has universal appeal. For music fans from the '80s, the band's
second album is reminiscent of the likes of Depeche Mode,
Thomas Dolby, The Thompson Twins, and Howard
Jones. For the younger generation, the band's new album is
of the same ilk as Editors, Kaiser Chiefs, Shiny
Toy Guns, The Rapture, and Stars Of Track And Field.
Produced by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage
Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots), The Sun
And The Moon incorporates tinges of orchestral pop and alternative
country which broadens the album's textures without making those
elements seem out of place in the emporium of modern rock fusion.
The New York City based rock quintet of singer/guitarist/songwriter
Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, bassist
Michael Barreto Hindert, keyboardist John Conway,
and drummer Anthony Burulcich, pride themselves on being
"hopeful misanthrope" according to their website. Their
latest outing walks that line between being hopefully optimistic
and dismally cynical. The music is overall upbeat and delightfully
energetic but the lyrics are fraught with pessimism and regrets;
like in the first single from the album "Time Won't Let Me
Go" when Endicott moans, "If I could go back once again,
I'd do it so much better." There is a pleading in Endicott's
voice which borders on a bedroom eyes dreamy delirium and a man
holding his head in his hands sobbing and yearning for what has
slipped through his fingers. Endicott's pathos isn't milksoppy
but rather genuine so listeners feel like this could be them.
The lyrics relate to what people go through and human vulnerabilities.
The music gives listeners a sense that they can lift themselves
out of the muck, which makes the songs really cool and shares
factors with the '80s new wave movement.
Tracks like "Believe" and "This Is Not The End"
fuse synth rock and electro-pop scripts prodigiously with lively
dance rhythms and exhilarating let-it-rip guitar solos that smoke.
The heavy guitar burns and fat drumbeats on "Every Word Is
A Knife In My Ear" amass vibrant textures latched onto pouffy
synths while the vocal echoes add to the fulminating effects.
What makes The Bravery stand out are their rock guitars which
add kicks and jabs in the synth rock fabrics. The jubilant indie
pop tempo of "Bad Sun" is embellished by a limerick
of twittering whistles that resemble the jolly melody of The Seven
Dwarfs whistling off to work in the Disney animation of Snow
White. And yet, The Bravery did this without making the song
sound cheesy. The band also places sections of flowery violins
in numbers like "Tragedy Bound" and "The Ocean"
which spruce up the country-toned acoustic guitar melody. Tracks
like "Angelina" and "Split Me Wide Open" have
electro-pop luster with synth rock swags and meaty dance beats
that are finely slashed by soaring guitars. The songs are put
together so diligently that they never fail to infatuate.
The Bravery's latest release The Sun And The Moon keeps
with the band's philosophy about writing songs - which is to encourage
their generation to stand tall and not be afraid of what is up
ahead. Endicott explains on the band's website, "Everyone
in my age group wants to know what they're going to do with their
lives. They all think that they're worth nothing and they're heading
nowhere. People are drowning in these thoughts and I just got
sick of it. I didn't want to be like that…People are constantly
waiting for something bad to happen. I…formed this band to
make sure I didn't get overcome by that sense of fear. That's
what this band is about--standing tall and not being afraid." The Bravery's second album reinforces their philosophy to be
brave from the record's upbeat momentum to its vulnerable lyrics.
-Susan Frances
Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Believe
3. This Is Not The End
4. Every Word Is A Knife In My Ear
5. Bad Sun
6. Time Won't Let Me Go
7. Tragedy Bound
8. Fistful Of Sand
9. Angelina
10. Split Me Wide Open
11. Above And Below
12. The Ocean
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