Review Summary: Let it sink in.
Here we are, 5 years since the release of this record, one that has been a topic of discussion among Brand New fans, reviewers, and music critics ever since it came out. Some say it's their best record, and some others say that it's their worst, and to some extent, both sides of the spectrum certainly have a point. For me, this is a crude example of genuine emotion in music form.
This is an album that's clearly not for everyone; it's a dense, depressive and rough record, and that may seem to be the dealbreaker with some people. It also lacks the melody, choruses, song structures and overall aesthetics that made The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me a classic. But the thing here is that Daisy is a different kind of beast...
The first noticeable difference is that Vin Accardi was the main lyricist this time around, and it shows. From the opener Vices to the closer Noro, you mainly get 11 songs filled with ambiguous lyrics, and delivered with a full range of emotions that go from rage and sorrow to regret or complete and utter sadness. That's what makes this album so sincere, it's unapologetic delivery. You can notice from the get go that these guys are not trying to make a radio friendly record, they're trying to say something different with this piece of work, they're trying to make you feel like they did when they made this album; dirty, depressed, in despair.
The instrumental side of things goes from completely out of tune/distorted guitars, to chunky, greasy basslines and a drum performance that's actually unlike any other i've heard. They convey all those emotions mentioned earlier through these instruments, and at first, it may sound like a boneless, noisy wreck with odd structured songs and somewhat nonsensical lyrics. This is where it begins to unravel it's true purpose.
Only after repeated listens (required if you want to get the whole point of this), will you start to notice the small details and subtleties that make this album a classic. It doesn't need clear, completely understandable lyrics or melody driven songs to make a point, they're not trying to convince you of anything. They make the picture even clearer, they are a group of lost individuals among a storm of emotions, and with no musical boundaries.
All in all, this is not a bombastic record trying to make a point, or trying to reach out to something else, this is a statement about nothing and everything, and that's what makes this record shine among others that have tried the same, the fact that it's not even trying to be anything.
