"The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me" Review
Originating from an era when bands like Taking Back Sunday and Finch traded their suburban homes for their mothers’ mini-vans, it’s interesting to see the distance every band that ascended from the early 2000’s have traveled to reach their significant present situation. Brand New has taken the biggest successful and most unorthodox leap forward from their 2001, “Your Favorite Weapon” onto their most compelling project to date, “The Devil and God Are Raging inside Me.” The album title coming from a conversation Jesse Lacey had with a friend who’s diagnosed with schizophrenia. The band has had many problems in the recent years and dispute uncertainty of where the band was headed as well as the leaked acoustic demos, Jesse Lacey and his majestic band-mates pushed on surpassing their highly praised “Deja Entendu” album released in 2003.
This album is definitely no cake walk. Taking retrospect into religion, life, death, and human psychologies, Brand New was able to create such lyrics which creates storylines in our minds and forces us to analyze every character we come across on this album. Songs such as “Not The Sun” paints an image of a sadness and longing for that someone special who refuses to take on the role. Another track, “Jesus Christ” dives into the sins of men and women, singing questions of uncertainty alongside every note. I hate to say it, but you really aren’t going to find any songs of happiness and good times had by all. Each song has its own tragic tale or quest for a resolution from depression. Conor Oberst tears couldn’t compete with this album even if it tried.
With so much controversy surrounding the “The Devil and God Are Raging inside Me” and small occasions to actually get these questions answered, it’s hard to get any true facts written in stone. One thing the band did express is the fact that they produced the album and worked the website with very little label help. Throughout the album, you can actually hear producer, Mike Sapone ask how the album is going. But with the way the instruments take on a life of its’ own is something beautiful. You rarely hear a bands mature and solidify themselves as musicians like Brand New has. And sweetly ending with the acoustic serenade titled, “Handcuffs;” it was a perfect resolution to such an engaging album, bringing the listener back to earth in a silent resurrection.
I can’t express how impressed I am with Jesse Lacey’s lyrical ability to write all these songs except for the song he didn’t write, “Handcuffs.” I feel he’s grown the most out of everyone in the band. With this few found formula of musical ability mixed with their familiar sensation which got them noticed, they are able to uphold the praise and smash any ideas of Brand New going south. But with Brand New raising the bar and breaking through the success they’ve had with “Deja Entendu,” can the Long Island quartet strike lightening thrice on the same euphoric sound? And if so, when?
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