Deja Entendu [LP]

Brand New: Jesse Lacey (vocals); Vin Accardi (guitar); Garrett Tierney (bass); Brian Lane (drums).
Recorded at Reflection Sound Studios, Charlotte, North Carolina.
While it wouldn't be entirely out of line to align Brand New's second album DEJA ENTENDU with contemporaneous offerings by such West Coast emo-punk types as Rufio, et al, it would be a bit of a mental shortcut. The fact is that while DEJA ENTENDU has no shortage of blaring, punky guitar riffs, battleship-heavy drum pounding, and harried, sore-throat vocals, there's another level to the band's sound. When they're not shouting and thrashing, Brand New are eminently capable of hushed, melodic vocals, atmospheric guitar textures, and relatively complex song structures. They've got their dynamic shifts down too, as they easily maneuver back and forth between the two extremes throughout the album.