The Bravery:The Bravery

The Bravery
Label: Universal International

Genre: Neo new-wave

Rating: 8.2/10

So after an impressive opening night at Brooklyn’s The Stinger Club in 2003, a huge bidding war that led to a deal with Island, two singles, accompanying videos beaten to death by MTV2 and MTVU, pages of articles and pages more of references, where the fuck does all that put New York City’s The Bravery? As this album slowly but surely attests, right about midfield.

You’ve heard “An Honest Mistake,” but the unedited (and, hence, unhindered) album version grooves harder than what you see on TV; it is a strangely marginal difference, but it sets this album off on the right foot and is probably the best track here. From there, the quintet struggle to avoid their influences, which range from New Order or The Cure to Morrissey (Hell, lead singer and producer Sam Endicott even looks like the Mozzer). Worse yet, Endicott & Co. often veer straight into territory Brandon Flowers and his merrier/richer Killers have already retread (“Tyrant” is a marvelous example), armed only with more brooding synths and just that little bit less style. In fact, The Bravery could very well be mistaken for The Killers except that these guys seem to have a little more soul (“Public Service Announcement”) and an infinitely cooler band name. Their unyielding dedication to 4/4 dance beats aside, there are the occasional dramatic successes (“Swollen Summer” is a corker of a tune) and ultimately it doesn’t sound so heinous on repeated listens.

Released a year ago, “The Bravery” would surely be the music accessory of choice in iPods and SUVs the country over. Instead, “Mr. Brightside” plays on as the neo-yuppie elitist anthem while The Bravery is forced to ride the coattails of a movement that may have its collar popped back into place sooner rather than later…

Back to Artist Search

Main Page