Zen style

For many signed US indie bands the pressure to produce quality follow-up albums after a stellar debut release must certainly be high. The significance of their ability to back-up signifies scrutiny.

Scrutiny from the fans that the album measures up to their preconceived notions of what it should be and what they should deliver and scrutiny from the record label that it will do exactly these things for the fans.

In the case of Manhattan electro-modsters The Bravery, little heard of on Australian shores since their self- titled debut of 2005, which brought them to tour that same year, they have no need to fear scrutiny from their fans and will likely draw a new following.

Available this month is their sophomore offering The sun and the moon complete which from what I can gather has been re-released from an initial launch last year. Touring as part of the We Love Sounds tour circuit with some side shows snuck in too, this might have been the impetus behind a re-release but this reframing has a significant twist to add to the mix a second time around.

Two discs: the sun and the moon are presented to form this album, with the novelty that the songs which appear on the sun disc, appear in the same order on the moon disc. The accompanying music behind these tracks is what has changed. Bloc Party and other Indy bands have dared to do it with their music being remixed by DJs but for The Bravery they’ve seen no need to look outside their own bedroom studios used for mixing, as the talent lies within.

The lyric penned by Sam Eddington the front man, guitarist and producer and sometime genius to The Bravery albums has again been clever in his song writing. He’s charged the album again with emotional pleas to understand relationships, navigates his listeners through tough times and of course dealing with the loves and losses of life. It’s the arrangements of music he’s used to underpin these tracks that provide the powerful force in delivering such heartfelt songs and truly demonstrates the wonder of music and the ability to invoke different moods in you.

“The ocean” whilst the last song on both albums in the sun version a strong emphasis on guitar and ditty- like, gives this is a Beatle-esque feeling whereas on the moon version it’s a much faster paced, electronic and somewhat cleaner song than it’s diverse instrumental counterpart. Optimism probably lends itself to the more upbeat moon version while the meandering sun version gives a sense of despair.

“Angelina” on the sun version has underscoring of Brit-pop and a dash of fun to it in stark contrast to that of the moon version which delves into a manipulated synthetic sound. My observation here is that the journey attached to each song, whilst the lyrics are the same is so very different.

In fact this is the case for most of the parallel tunes. Fans might remember the single release of “Time won’t let go last year”, the original sun version is slow, deliberate and reminiscent of one of The Rapture’s or Franz Ferdinand’s songs. The electronic version offers a dancey and fast paced rollercoaster ride.

Both these albums are successful in their own right and stand as a legacy for The Bravery to be proud of. Worthy of detailed scrutiny for the many gems you can discover. If you agree with me make sure you support them in their touring, as they are well worth the time to see, I saw them in 2005 and they deliver just as well live as they do recorded.

Posted: October 11th, 2008 under ALBUMS.
Comments: none