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Review Summary: Daisy Entendu *DISCLAIMER* This is ripped from a conversation I had earlier this year. Almost none of it is altered *DISCLAIMER*
I'm a fan of many genres so the change from "indie" rock to an album that clearly has its roots in post-hardcore was a welcome change. Daisy is the antithesis of TDAG - it is the explosion that, retrospectively, TDAG was clearly building towards but never reached. Every piercing scream on Vices was Brand New further proving themselves as artists, always progressing and evolving. The problem is, Daisy should have came before TDAG. I keep going over thier catalogue in my head and cant fathom how a band this self aware of their progression as artists could have created TDAG before Daisy. Was it just a spark of brilliance? Who knows....the logical progression from their pop-punk/teen angst vibe found throughout Deja and YFW, to me, would be an album such as Daisy - an album filled with angry screams, more basic and primal lyrics, and an atmospheric tone akin to falling down the rabbit hole; akin to losing yourself in your own mind.
Daisy is an album that's full of the same intense emotions as their previous works, only this time invoking a feeling of hopelessness, not of internal and external struggle. Throughout their earlier works, TDAG included, Brand New have progressed immensily as musicians and Lacey as a lyricist, but they have always tackled their themes of struggle/sadness with a hint of hope/energy. Daisy, not simply because of the song "In a Jar", reminds of Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar - a novel that gets so lost in its own hopelessness that it actually forgoes any attempt at happiness. This same intense feeling is something I've only found from these two works, and more recently, La Dispute's Wildlife. Lacey still tackles the same themes of sex, relationships, happiness, but does so with a hauntingly detached persona on Daisy.
Which is why my previous statements regarding their progression could just as well be wrong. Maybe this is exactly how they should have progressed - maybe the truth about life that Brand New have been seeking isn't as bright as they would have hoped and that's exactly what Daisy comes off as - more darkness at the end of the tunnel.
But the thing is, without hope, without a reason or a purpose, art is simply existing for the sake of it, and this applies to any form wether it be music, writing, film, tv, etc. And this is why Daisy is a lesser work than TDAG and arguably Deja, although I see it as objectively/personally being a better album than the latter.
TDAG, musically, was airtight, accessible yet intricate, and emotionally was a journey through the mind of a regular human being trying to make sense of the dread surrounding him, hanging onto any shred of hope he could find in his cynical mind. Daisy seems to be that same man giving way to his Vices, losing himself in the dread, and ultimately not finding any solace. Which is why, from the get go, TDAG will be a better album. At least to me.
TDAG is clearly a mature album while Daisy, contrastingly, is, for lack of a better word, immature. It makes sense if you perceive their emotional progression as realizing that life is what it is, and that they should just succumb to their vices and release their humanity in its most raw and simplistic form. This realization makes Vices an even more fantastic/fitting opening track
With Vices, they legitimately smack any lingering aura of TDAG out of your mind and replace it with their new mantra - that life is what it is, a unstoppable, forward moving, entity that will gladly leave you behind if you spend too much time in your thoughts. While in TDAG, ALL Lacey did was spend his time trapped in his thoughts, organizing his emotions. This could also shed light on the degraded nature of the lyrics on Daisy - it serves its purpose. I get more lost in Daisy - to an extent - than even TDAG. To further make my point (and contradict myself), Daisy earns its place as Brand New's second best album because of its placement in their discog. It's funny, the more I reason it out, the more my initial sentiments that Daisy should've have been made after Deja seem to falter. That was me trying to add logic and coherence to Brand New's musical/emotional progression. But, in reality, emotions and, in turn, life, are not logical.
As a stand alone album, or if it was made earlier in their career (after Deja), Daisy's flaws would be more glaring and it would further lose its credibility as a fantastic album. This phenomena occurs because the tone/atmosphere/lyricism/cadence of Daisy makes it's full impact after progressing through Brand New's earlier work and coming to the haunting realization along with the band that life may simply not give a f*** about you and that sometimes you just need to let go.
Let go of your past thoughts (YFW/Deja), let go of your preconceived notions and your attempt at adding logic (TDAG), and accept your humanity for what it is - flawed (Daisy).
If you allow yourself to truely appreciate Daisy, you will realize it's necessity in allowing Brand New to move on as artists (which they will be, considering Lacey has stated that their next album will, for once, not be thematically similar to their previous works and actually progress into the realm of happiness). Just because you recognize and understand the barren plane that life seems to emulate, doesn't mean that you can't build a f***in' waterpark right in the middle of that wasteland.
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Album Rating: 3.5
My conversations about music usually go
'listen to this, it's really awesome'
'what the hell is this shit'
'oh okay :['
This one was a bit more intellectual...
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
^haha yeah same here usually but it is Brand New so I had to put in more effort
this is basically three separate posts of mine put into one, minus the other person's responses
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Decent review. I disagree that Daisy is an immature album, though. Oh and don't compare it with TDAG so much. pos anyway
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
My whole argument/"review" was built around trying to analyze Daisy's placement in their discog and its purpose in their
progression as artists so it's kind of hard not to compare it to TDAG.
Also, I think, at least from a lyrical standpoint, Daisy is quite clearly immature. But it was supposed to be.
Thanks though
| | | Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off
this is kinda sorta terrible
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
why?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I think probably because while a nice discussion this isn't really a review. You don't really say anything about the music
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
That's why I posted this 4 years after the album was released and the summary reads "Daisy Entendu" as in understood or
heard (plus I think I'm more clever than I actually am ^_^ )
My thought process was that there've already been enough reviews about the music itself, about where it lacks and
what it excels at, and that now, 4 years later, it would be appropriate to revisit the album and try to understand it in
context.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
That makes a lot of sense - gonna pos cos what you've written is really good
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
good treatment of a really good album, nice job
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
thanks m8
| | | Album Rating: 4.3
Pos'd, because it was well written
Just like all the others, this review gave the impression that Daisy is far heavier then it actually is, and I do not believe that it would have been less successful if released before TDAG - less interesting, probably, but judging music contextually like that pisses me off
Also generally, how the fuck do people think this is post-hardcore outside of Vices and (maybe) Gasoline?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Sink as well dude
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
It doesn't necessarily have to be heavy but the aggression in all aspects of the music (instrumentation to lyrics) certainly makes it moreso than any of their previous releases.
I never said it would've been less successful, but that it would be, as you put it, less interesting and therefore looked over. As much I agree with you about not judging music contextually, I've also come to believe that it's ridiculous to pretend that context doesn't influence judgement to some degree
Which is why I could still write a separate review to justify why I think it's an excellent album, focusing solely on the music, but I felt that this sort of understanding of the album (its context and its purpose) is just as important.
The tempo, the aggression, the overall atmosphere all make this album very much a post-hardcore release (even if it's not a typical entry into the genre)
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
My favourite Brand New album
| | | Album Rating: 4.3
I never said it would've been less successful, but that it would be, as you put it, less interesting and therefore looked over. As much I agree with you about not judging music contextually, I've also come to believe that it's ridiculous to pretend that context doesn't influence judgement to some degree
Okay, I get you
The tempo, the aggression, the overall atmosphere all make this album very much a post-hardcore release (even if it's not a typical entry into the genre)
I respect your opinion, but don't agree; the aggression and tempo only affect certain parts of the album and I consider the atmosphere more grungy or alternative. Agree to disagree, I guess
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Nah not even that, we both have valid points and aren't really disagreeing on anything haha
It's just kinda stupid/restrictive to label an album only one genre to begin with
As for that 1 neg, any reason why? I know this isn't my best or most up to date writing (too lazy lately so this is from
earlier this year) and that isn't "about the music" (although it is in some areas and I explained why I went a more analytical
route) but overall I wouldn't have put this together from that conversation I was having if I didn't think it was insightful
and worthwhile
| | | Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off
"why?"
pseudo-intellectual posturing
Let go of your past thoughts (YFW/Deja), let go of your preconceived notions and your attempt at adding logic (TDAG), and accept your humanity for what it is - flawed (Daisy)
and this is just the worst
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
Not really. To me, each those albums expemplifies exactly what I said they do and on top of that that one sentence is
basically the thesis to this review and is supported in every paragraph - the fact that Daisy is the acceptance of life as is
Also, saying something is "pseudo-intellectual" is pathetically "pseudo-intellectual" in and of itself
thx for ur (pretentious pseudo-intellectual) input tho
| | | Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off
accept your humanity for what it is - flawed
come on man, you're trying to be deep and profound but that's just so trite, and it's a weird connection. humans are flawed so we should appreciate this because it's flawed
there are so many nonsensical and vague sentences here:
Just because you recognize and understand the barren plane that life seems to emulate, doesn't mean that you can't build a f***in' waterpark right in the middle of that wasteland.
But the thing is, without hope, without a reason or a purpose, art is simply existing for the sake of it, and this applies to any form wether it be music, writing, film, tv, etc.
With Vices, they legitimately smack any lingering aura of TDAG out of your mind and replace it with their new mantra - that life is what it is, a unstoppable, forward moving, entity that will gladly leave you behind if you spend too much time in your thoughts.
and weird, usage of, commas
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