Track Listing

1. Tautou
2. Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades
3. I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light
4. Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
5. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
6. The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
7. Jaws Theme Swimming
8. Me Vs. Maradona Vs. Elvis
9. Guernica
10. Good To Know That If I Ever Need Attention All I Have To Do Is Die
11. Play Crack The Sky

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33632 in Music
• Released on: 2004-02-09
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
While it wouldn't be entirely out of line to align Brand New's second album DEJA ENTENDU with contemporaneous offeringsby such West Coast emo-punk types as Rufio, et al, it wouldbe 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 notshouting 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 manoeuver back and forth between the two extremes throughout the album.

Customer Reviews

Dashboard Confessional endorsed US rock
A quick glance at the track listing is enough to show that Brand New aren’t your typical US frat boys, who’ve struck lucky and got a record deal. Song titles such as the fine (and long) ‘Good To Know That If I Ever Need Attention All I Have To Do Is Die’ are a bold statement of intent in anyone’s books, but largely, this promise is delivered.

The album opens with ‘Tautou’, a brief, sparse (yet kind of ethereal) intro, which is a good way to set the tone for what is to follow.

Future single ‘Sic Transit Gloria’ is all creeping, funky bass and guitar, and the antithesis of those Hip Hop/R n B songs that boast of the artist’s sexual prowess. Singer Jesse Lacey has written this from the point of view of the sexually inexperienced male, terrified of his impending coming of age moment with a more dominant woman, a nice reversal of the man as sexual predator stereotype.

Lyrically, Lacey at times calls to mind a less eloquent, American Morrissey (albeit without the sense of humour), with his biting cynicism of those around him. Nowhere is this more evident than on (the possibly Home Alone inspired) ‘Okay, I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t’, seemingly an ode to a former lover, during which he declares his band to ‘be the best at what we do’, and that ‘it hurts to be this good’. It’s not clear how seriously we should take these claims, though one suspects the band don’t believe their own hype this much. The line ‘I hope you come down with something they can’t diagnose, don’t have the cure for’ is one which sticks in the throat, and should mean something to anyone who’s suffered from a nasty relationship fall out.

One of the most touching moments comes on the less cynical, twisted love song of ‘The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot’, Lacey declaring his feelings for a former lover who he has wronged in some undisclosed way. Clearly full of regret, it is one of the few times on the LP that Lacey allows his mask of cynicism to slip to show he’s not a complete misanthrope.

Elsewhere, ‘Me Vs. Maradona Vs. Elvis’ is reminiscent of the Foo Fighters’ ‘Tired Of You’ in its’ simplicity, whilst ‘Guernica’ is another example of the quiet verse/loud chorus formula which works so well throughout the LP, with an explosive shouty bit in the middle 8.

Closer ‘Play Crack The Sky’ is the only fully acoustic track on the album, and draws analogies between the end of a relationship and a sinking ship. The ending, with the coda ‘this is the end’ is sublime, and a great way to end one of the albums of 2003.

If there is any criticism to be made, then it can only be that sometimes Lacey has too much to say, trying to fit too many words into each line, so that on occasion songs sound cluttered. The listener can do nothing but focus on the lyrical content, around which most of the songs here seem to have been written. Whilst this is fine at present, it remains to be seen whether Lacey can find enough inspiration to keep up the standard set here over too many more albums.

Amazing, read on...
Deja Entendu is awesome. It effortlessly flows between heavy, visceral sonic fury and delicate, beautiful soft camp fire esq. music. It is at times simple and raw, and at others layered and complex. If you have an interest in guitar music at all, you can’t help but be impressed with the imagination that went into it and how far forward this band has brought music that used to be called punk. Its really outstanding and still leaves me breathless after many many plays.
It’s not without its shortfalls though, and they're all to do with the lyrics. I'm of the opinion that artists have the right to say whatever they damn well like, regardless of the way some people may interpret their words. But I know some people reading this will disagree, and with that in mind: Deja Entendu is undeniable 'emo' in the sense that it is self indulgent, and this may bother some listeners. Other words you could use to describe the lyrics are arrogant ("This is the way you wish your voice sounds, handsome and smart"), irresponsible, given that Brand New have an overwhelmingly young audience ("die young and save yourself"). Some of the songs have a tone verging on misogyny as well. This album is musically deep and mature, and lyrically deep, poetic but immature. Now these things would be annoying and off-putting if the songs here were average or just ok. But they're not, they're astonishing. And that more than makes up for their faults in my opinion, though they could not be reviewed without being mentioned.
Basically, I can't believe this band isn’t more popular then they are. They are often put in a box with bands like Taking Back Sunday and Funeral for a Friend, but really do it better than anyone musically near them. I would call Deja Entendu essential listening, there’s not many cds that you could better spend your money on. Some people won't like what some of the songs are saying but it’s worth remembering that bands don't make music to be politically correct, or to be rational and reasonable. Its about passion and raw emotion, and you get that here with a talent and an eloquence that is almost beyond comparison.

Review of Brand New’s Deja Entendu
Many people who have heard this band’s debut album will have certain expectations about this record. Whilst Your Favourite Weapon was popular, it was hardly groundbreaking. It fused what was essentially pop punk with something a bit more edgy and emotional, and was enjoyable, but not really serious music.

The new record from this band is very different; in my opinion, a step up to greater things. ‘Emo’ as a genre (whose existence is arguable) has become very popular over the last twelve months. A generation of bands have emerged who have clearly been influenced by the likes of Far, At the Drive In, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Smiths and The Cure, many of whom are talented in their own right. But countless reviewers and critics have aimed the criticism at such bands that they are following a formula, much like 2001/2’s oft-maligned ‘garage rock’ bands.

Deja Entendu seems on first listen to be the archetypal ‘Emo’ record, with its atmospheric intro track, obscure song titles and the expected heartfelt acoustic track to finish. But to me this album is so much more than that. To start with, it is a progression. The sound, in terms of musicianship and production is incomparable to that of the first album, and all the better for it. Secondly, whilst I have said that this record seems to follow a formula just as much as many others, it sounds surprisingly fresh. This is essentially to do with the bands song writing in general, and Jesse Lacey’s lyrics in particular. The band have admitted that the first record was essentially a compilation of songs played and recorded throughout their teens, but Deja Entendu contrastingly seems to be a group of songs designed to fit together. Each one flows effortlessly into the next, and it seems to me that almost all are potential single releases.

The album does however have its downsides. I am not at all a fan of the final acoustic track, Play Crack The Sky, very similar to the final track on the first record, Soco Amaretto Lime. The total lack of production, and the thumping end of the song with vaguely distinguishable voices in the background strikes me as being somewhat pretentious, and not in keeping with the style of the rest of the album. However, this is a minor complaint, as I am sure there are many people out there who, in the words of the band are “suckers for anything acoustic”(!).

In conclusion, this is a band that has proved something. They are the first average pop punk/emo band that in my opinion has graduated to make a mature and involving record, shedding the description ‘average’ for that of ‘stimulating’. I very much hope that there is more to come from a band that has captured my attention in manner that is rarely so rewarding.