Reviews > The Bravery
The Bravery Owes Me Thirty Five Minutes
By Johnny Firecloud
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Bravery have long been overshadowed by their chart-topping rivals The Killers for a reason: they are utterly and completely mediocre, shamelessly hybrid-xeroxed and living proof that it takes more than shimmery alt-rock derivatives to be respectable in the rock scene, no matter how hard Mother Label is pushing the product. After two albums of lukewarm synth-revival hit misses, The Bravery should’ve gleaned a little wisdom through their associations and semi-failures, at least enough to put out a solid third record.
But they didn’t. This album is a mess. Soaked in echo effects and sounding as if the synth keys that pervade most of the album were recorded deep inside a steel tube, Stir The Blood is a display of echo-soaked mediocrity that will likely mark the end of their long-expired benefit of the doubt among fans, critics and labels alike. At least one can hope.
The pop sensibility leans toward British wankery, a far cry from the post-punk revival that they tried to ride to fame – with lukewarm effect. I wouldn’t go so far as to call the album outright plagiaristic, but it certainly wouldn’t exist without Robert Smith and the Killers. For a band so curiously eager to criticize their far-more-successful label-mate rivals, they sure know how to lift melodic structure.
Singer Sam Endicott has increasingly added faux-English accents to his vocals through the bands career, but on Stir The Blood it’s downright embarrassing. You can barely hear what the hell he’s mumbling through Song For Jacob, but don’t those tinny electronic drums just sound so awesomely retro? Unfortunately, no, they don’t. They just sound cheap.
Speaking of Endicott, the album was reportedly written after the singer’s girlfriend tried to commit suicide. Whatever sense of pain or passion that may have come out of such a personal crisis would’ve been buoys of soul to the album, but the only track resembling genuine emotion is Hatefuck, featuring a yearning recklessness and a shredding solo. Unfortunately, it’s probably the most single-worthy song on the record.
She’s So Bendable is a quaaludes-drenched slow dance that stretches the borders of the album’s ever-widening inspiration void. I Have Seen The Future, clearly born of their unplayed Blue Monday cover, is an annoying mess that utterly fails in melancholy earnest. Sugarpill, meanwhile, is a complete waste of time, a meaningless ditty built around a throwaway riff. Are there no redeeming qualities on this album? If I had to find one, it would be that after hearing it I’m left wanting to listen to The Cure, The Smiths, anybody who does what they do with a little more soul, a little stronger sense of authenticity.
Everything bright and poppy about the band’s first two records has been summarily flushed through the melancholy machine, as if through some bid to capture a more danceable Disintegration kind of feel. But somehow, of course, it doesn’t quite work.
Where’s the ingenuity? Where’s the fucking heart? You won’t find it on Spill The Blood. The Bravery are hiding behind this album, refusing to lay it out there and push themselves. Until they do that, they’ll remain a mere recognizable name with stunted street cred and vague reference. I wouldn’t hold my breath.
- 01. Adored
- 02. Song For Jacob
- 03. Slow Poison
- 04. Hatef--k
- 05. I Am Your Skin
- 06. She's So Bendable
- 07. The Spectator
- 08. I Have Seen The Future
- 09. Red Hands And White Knuckles
- 10. Jack-O'-Lantern Man
- 11. Sugar Pill
Tell us how you really feel Johnny! I think you nailed it.
Disagree with this big-time. is he listening to the same band?
This guy’s approach seems to be based on hackneyed out-of-date ideas – eg peddling the idea (which he has clearly taken personal offence to) that the Bravery are into dissing successful labelmates (if memory serves, the singer had a go at the Killers singer only after the Killer singer had made a personal thing of repeatedly slagging off the Bravery in public – which Mr Brandon Flowers of said band later apologised for, realising the Bravery weren’t after all anything to do with his own band). There is that outmoded idea, and then the review is saturated with ridiculous ideas of what it takes to be a topnotch band in today’s climate – eg that you don’t have ‘influences’ at all. All bands have influences eg the Killers, it’s what you do with it that counts and the Bravery’s strange, literate and melancholy rock-dance fusion is something you can’t find anywhere else. New Order (if we are thinking of ‘indie-ish’ dance acts) make a different kind of sound and, notoriously, don’t have much going on in the lyrics department. As the NME once said, it’s like you’ve got a dance rock band with Morrissey as the singer – which you just don’t get elsewhere.
come on people wake up. When you stop looking, like this guy here, for a more ‘pop’ act you might just realise there’s a more interesting kind of band here, something different.
And in the meantime, get hold of some valium to calm down or something, you wont’ do your blood pressure any good.
maan,antiquiet commenters are crazy. i thought this band played at Projekt Revolution? Had no idea this was their genre.. never even heard one of their songs. I’ll avoid this. Thank you kindly
haha was that a publicist for the band or something up there?
I always thought these guys were riding the coat-tails of interpol more than the killers, both being new york bands doing the retro thing. but you know, interpol only got better.
you guys get the new kraftwerk reissues yet?
i was positive this was a skwerl review till I saw your icon at the bottom Johnny. Haven’t heard anything by them except for that single that was kinda ok, but judging by that promoshot, they totally deserve to be ripped to shreds.
No surprise here…this band totally sucked from the start.
@Harry – a lot of empty words don’t make a rebuttal, though your intimate knowledge of the Bravery/Killers animosity is fascinating. Nevertheless, there’s nothing innovative, exciting or original about the band. End scene.
@RodgeDaMan – apparently so.
@porkspam – not yet, keepin’ an eye out though.
@Keavin – thanks!
haha… a skwerl review? have i been pigeonholed? am i the garbage man around here? amusing. :) i liked that one single off the last album (believe). but then picked it up and it didn’t really go anywhere.
“After two albums of lukewarm synth-revival hit misses…” you chose to listen to and review the 3rd album? Did you think it would be somehow drastically better? Was this the most hopeful album you had access to that hasn’t been reviewed here yet? I mean, this is in the same category as Lady Gaga… you know exactly what it is before you listen to it.
The headline sums it up. Luckily, the Bravery owe me nothing as I have given them not one stitch of my time. BORING! Thanks for telling it like it is, Johnny!
haha not quite pigeonholed, but I guess I’ve gotten used to you taking overrated bands and tearing ‘em to little shreds
Worse things to be known for, I suppose…
I interrupted packing in order to read this hot mess of a review and I thought the Madonna-esque accented vocals were my imagination. Guess not.
The little that I’ve heard from The Bravery has always left me with a “what’s the point?” taste in my mouth because I don’t get reason for this music’s existence. Cliff notes version: it’s been done before and done way, way better, right? Agreed.
And I honestly didn’t understand a word that Harry said.
cool guys
so……….what’s with the kid’s bikes?
Im a diehard bravery fan, so ill admit this album is super super crappy, but its still better than the killer’s day and age by far, what the hell happened to both of these bands, Sam endicott’s voice is so terrible, and Brandon Flower’s lyrics are some of the worst ive heard
You sir are a dick of the highest rank, and should be removed from this world. Maybe to some world where those who live are tone deaf. The Bravery has surpassed The Killers in every way possible. Their lyrics have meaning, their great live; so I don’t see why your such a asshole? Did no one love you as a child? No sex life? You can be sexual frustrated all you want, but taking it out on The Bravery is something I would advise you not to do.
Pete Galli is freakin awesome!!!