The cover art scares me, but a taxidermy image of hungry, angry, little birds might fit Stir The Blood just fine. Hacked off, The Bravery are larging it, and are showing us a slightly irate Sam Endicott. A lot has happened to the DIY New Yorkers since their EP debut in 2004; and despite all that’s right with their musical career, there’s still a lot of crap in the world. So why not use an album as a cathartic experience? With raffish honest lyrics, the deep rasp and strained screams of Endicott on almost every track are backed up with his bandmates’ stark beats and a heavier use of electronics than The Bravery usually puts out. But the record still manages to be organic, unprocessed even though a producer like John Hill (M.I.A., Santigold and a boat load of others) had a hand in it. Recorded in an abandoned church, it just may be what inspired the track Song For Jacob, with its reflection of the cleansing of the blood, rebirth lyrics and on the go keys. On the whole though, it’s a walk on the darker side of The Bravery. Endicott even admits that the attempted suicide of his long-time girlfriend did a huge number on him, and this is a way of lashing out his pain. It seems all the guys poured out their creative juices on this album; the bassist Mike Hindert wrote She’s So Bendable, which might be the tamest ballad you’ll find on the album. The Bravery have always done it their way, whether it’s the disturbing music video which got pulled off their MySpace just recently or the drummer’s bright idea of urinating on an indoor air conditioning unit (Of course, he was tanked). The album might be up-tempo at first listen, but it’s a knuckledragging cry to understand life as they know it. If pithy (danceable) rage is your thing, then you’ll be elated by this one.
Key Tracks: Adored, Slow Poison, Jack-O’-Lantern Man
Moods: Energetic, Stylish, Dramatic, Exuberant, Indulgent, Reflective
Buy: Stir the Blood
