Deja Entendu

As I have done with all of the other reviews on this blog, I will continue to review albums that have had some effect on me. Deja Entendu by the band Brand New is an album that I grew up with that has given me such enjoyment over the years and still does to this day. This album is heavy on the conceptual side and it is first seen with the deliberate title of “Deja Entendu” which translates from French to “already heard”. The contrast of the album title to the band name shows the ironic awareness that is present within the lyrics, song names, and even the actual music. This conceptual decision alerts the listener as to what the band is trying to achieve and to where the band knows it place within the contemporary music scene. The band’s intent is not to create a breakthrough work of art. Rather, they are trying to create an honest album with honest intentions.

Brand New is composed of lead singer Jesse Lacey, guitarist Vin Accardi, drummer Brian Lane, and bassist Garret Tierney. The four members converge their creative talents to create a well rounded and iconic sound that can properly be described as alternative rock music. The sound never quite leaves the room but I still find that it has a deep emotional impact, which is probably due to the poignant lyricism and affecting vocal work of Jesse Lacey. The song structure is simple yet it always seems to go unnoticed because of the artistry that the band seems to instinctively have. Essentially, the band embraces traditional music methods and attitudes and creates from them something beyond itself. This is why this album has always stood out from the rest. It’s the type of album in which every song seems a classic and every lyric a memory. This album will continue to grow with me and it will always have that special place in my life.

Sappynostalgia etcetcetcetc.

Although every song on this album is classic, these are a few of my favorites.

The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't

Plack Crack the Sky

Tiger's Jaw Self Titled

Tiger’s Jaw is a five-piece band from Scranton, Pennsylvania that has been prominently involved in their respective music scene since their debut in 2006. The album covered in this review is their second one created in 2008 which is self titled. The band members include Pat Brier on drums, Brianna Collins on keyboard and vocals, Adam McIlwee on guitar and vocals, Dennis Mishko on bass, and Ben Walsh on guitar and vocals.

This album’s songs are, for the most part, pretty simplistic in terms of how the listener initially receives them (in my case anyway). The band’s aim isn’t to create complex melodies that show off any miraculous talent (not to say that aren’t talented). Rather, they seem to mainly be interested in music for the expressive aspect of it.  This expressive element in their music is reminiscent of 90’s emo, which includes pioneering bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Mineral, and Cap’n Jazz when teen angst was at an all time high. The combination of this type of sound with pop punk and indie, when combined with deliberate and powerful song structure, proves to be both catchy and emotionally affecting. They achieve this through anchored rhythm guitar, simple but memorable lead guitar riffs, electronic synth highlights, and emotionally charged dual vocals.  Ben Walsh provides the steady vocals and lyrical content while Adam McIlwee prvides the raw, emotional vocals that can come off as “whiny” when listeners hear him at first. The lyrics mainly revolve around the emotional experiences of relationships (not just romantic), but its not uncommon for there to be insights on the human condition which make them more dynamic. Listening about relationship troubles alone for a whole album could be tiring.

All in all, this is a fantastic album. I’m more than glad that I didn’t pass it off after my first listen. 

I Saw Water

The Sun

Somebody That I Used To Know

This review may stray from my standard format, but I just needed to get this one out. An extremely popular youtube video, which has received 85,000,000+ views, hasn’t left my mind since I first viewed it. The video is a music video for the song “Somebody That I Used To Know” by the solo artist Gotye featuring Kimbra. I don’t doubt the fact that most people are familiar with this song, its addicting as a song could possibly be and the video is more than successful in emotionally engaging the viewer.

At an intuitive glance, it is clear to see that the song and video is based around the concept of a break-up in terms of relationships. The conflicts that arise from the break-up process are what ultimately fuel all aspects of the song and video. This base concept is why I believe that the song has had so much success. It adds a dimension to the music video that allows it to be very relatable to society at large. Most people have had problems related to the content the music video, which is why an emotional chord with the audience has been struck. 

How the combination of the song and video strike such a chord warrants analysis. In terms of the song structure, the song begins with a simple melodic beat highlighted with light vocals which progressively grow in energy and variety of melody. The introduction of Kimbra’s section of the song creates a deeper dynamic between the two perspectives in the break-up situation, as the listener is now aware of the direct conflict between the two. After her section, the song climaxes as both vocal dimensions of the song fuse together through harmony and chords to create a deep profundity of emotional angst and heartache in which the theme of the song is further defined. The video is very successful in capturing the essence of the song. It blends animation and captured video as the break-up story is told. It has the two singers (and suggested couple) standing and reacting naked next to each other with an animated backdrop. The female character watches her past love in anguish as the male character cant bear to make eye contact due to his love, unrequited. Although the concept was whimsical, as described by the artist, the painting of the body serves to symbolize the universe that their love had created. The ending scene reveals that the female is no longer painted, as she is detached (but still a present existence) from her male counterpart in life and in love while the male is still covered in paint, unable to bear the break-up.

All in all, the music video is undoubtedly an artistic success and an obvious chord has been struck with the audience.