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The Bravery S/T music review
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The Bravery S/T
Island Records
The Bravery are the most recent band to the scene, but yet could most easily take it over single-handedly. Their self-titled album, to be released through Island Records on March 29, is up to the brim with sex and rock and roll. The Bravery are the drugs themselves
In life there are two things that are best when use together: speed and music. The Bravery do just that with the greatest of ease, and it ends up making their self-titled debut one hell of a teaser. You'll already want their sophomore release by the time the disc is done playing.
The addictive band consists of Sam Endicott (lead vocals, guitar, programming), Michael Zakarin (guitar, backing vocals), John Conway (synthesizer, backing vocals, programming), Mike H (bass, backing vocals) and Anthony Burulcich (drums, backing vocals).
The opening track is none other than their second single, "An Honest Mistake." There's that ever-present disco/techno beat, prominent bass, and an electrifying guitar that debuts during the bridge, which really sends the song off. The tune's hook will be stuck in your head for days, especially after the last round of the bridge and chorus, where riffs are heightened incredibly with intensity and painstaking fretwork.
Although all the instruments are represented equally, there seems to be a place in each track for a selected band member to let loose. In "No Brakes," for example, the keyboards take spotlight at one point, along with fast drumming and vocal reverb tagged by sexual innuendos.
A smooth intro and techno beats with a glimpse into the 80s bring in "Fearless." Endicott sings straight out of the disc to you, in this lyrically catchy song. His vocal pitch jumps at times, but with his sultry, pleading vocals, it's easier to overlook with humor and enjoy.
The Bravery are a fast-paced band with nothing to lose. Musically they serve as a blast from the past, blending Joy Division, The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Sex Pistols, and many more into each and every track. There musical production is commendable-- it's the best revival of their predecessors, but smoothed out, blended, and improved.
"Swollen Summer" brings up The Sex Pistols with an in-your-face guitar intro and another solo to leave tender fingers bleeding once more. There's call-and-answer singing here, and some of the vocalists cover each other in an almost echo effect, tying the song together. Synthesizers take the lead with an especially notable rolling drum-in chorus, and it ends with more get-down guitar work.
The retro touch, though continuous, sets The Bravery apart from everyone else. And though often compared to The Killers (a common misconception), the New Yorkers are only really connected to them through business, since they are label mates. The Bravery combine everything needed to let loose and be loose in their album, and it flows perfectly. There's no overkill, no dead tracks, no nothing. Most impressive is that it was almost entirely produced at home-- and by Endicott himself-- adding that much more quality to it.
There's no point in trying to persuade anymore. There is just simply no getting around it-- take this album home now.
