The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me

Boring emo-lite.

By times, these guys remind me of Dollar Store brand Billy Talent

Favourite songs: Millstone, Sowing Season (Yeah), You Won't Know, Archers, Not the Sun, Degausser

Least favourite songs: Jesus Christ, Limousine, Untitled

3/5

A great emo choice and an album I've wanted to listen to for a long time, so I'm glad I finally get the opportunity. I was familiar with some of Brand New's work going into this, but I expected them to be poppier than they were (not like Paramore or MCR, but more like Jimmy Eat World and Say Anything), so when I opened the album up and got an artsier form of traditional emo I was even more intrigued.

The first half of this album (i.e. the first 5/6 songs) is brilliant and easily the highlight. They have a great flow and are mired in the emo dreariness you come to expect from these kinds of releases. This is the aforementioned artsy section of the album, these songs are mostly Midwestern emo and post hardcore (hell, Limousine is basically prog rock, it sounds exactly like The Mars Volta), they connect melodically and have the best songwriting on the album. It's lyrically very depressing too, but I'll analyse those more on repeat listens.

The second half has a noticeable dip in quality, it's not bad by any means (it's actually pretty good!) but the moody and tight atmosphere that has been built up to this point promptly falls apart. This is also where the pop that I was expecting is introduced, the more aggressive and oppressive sounds replaced with straighter alt rock and emo pop songs. It also bounces around genres a bit more unlike the consistency from the first half.

Overall I loved this, on first impressions I think it's rightfully regarded as one of the emo classics, and with a lot of depth. I look forward to getting deeper into this over the coming days because I think this has potential to be a 5.

Should it be on the main list: Yes 100%

Top 3 songs: Sowing Season, Degausser, Limousine

One of my favorite albums of all time. The themes and instrumentals are both dark and brooding, but with just enough of a hint of hope to keep things from being entirely bleak. The cover art is incredibly provocative too.

This album just never really clicked for me. Deja Entendu is a 5/5. This one is a 3.5 but I'll bump it up to 4.

I do find it weird how some bands become huge in the US but never quite crack the UK. I'd never heard of these guys, and I wasn't really listening to new music when they were about, but they're good, a little goofy and tender.

Modest Mouse at home, which isn’t the worst thing a band could be

Never been a Brand New kinda guy, but there is enough lyrically to keep me around and pass this one around.

Jesse Lacey groomed underage fans. Let's get that out of the way—he's a piece of shit. But this is about the album.

The album opens with emo screams that hit fast, then stumbles into simplistic territory with "Millstone" (saved only by the basslines). "Jesus Christ" pulls it back with a slow build and stronger lyrics. It feels like two different bands fighting for control.
Then something shifts. "Limousine" is haunting, almost reminds me of Pulp's This Is Hardcore era—sparse, sad, lyrically heavy. "You Won't Know" nails the darker indie-rock thing with eerie guitars that lean toward Modest Mouse and Nirvana. The emo screams actually fit here. Four endings, driving intensity. "Welcome To Bangkok" is just noise and sonic waves—instrumental and effective. These four tracks in a row are impressive.
Then "Not The Sun" arrives like a bad Placebo/Linkin Park rip-off and nearly derails everything. "Luca" recovers with Pink Floyd-style guitars that break wide open. Reminds me of The God Machine. "Archers" is a decent singalong, but "Handcuffs" feels like a strange closer. Not bad, just not as emotionally strong as the rest. The violin overdoes it.
Uneven, but when it works, it really works. A good listen.

When it came out I was a massive fan of Deja Entendu, and I had a soft spot for Your favourite weapon but I’d say this one hasn’t aged well.

Not sure I ever listened to this album before, come 2006 my music taste had moved away from pop/punk/emo music. Listening to this I’m blown away with how good it is, kicking myself for listening to this earlier I feel obliged to give it five stars now..

The inflection point between pop-punk BN and emo BN, featuring none of their most famous songs (but a few really good ones). A very good album, which falls just short of full marks for me. A decent shout though