Your Favourite Weapon

Your Favourite Weapon was my CD of choice for my commute this morning, the debut album by Long Island’s Brand New.
An album that is massively different to its successor, so much so that possibly one track, Soco Ameretto Lime is the only track that hints at the route they would take on the subsequent albums.
This was my introduction to the band though and Mixtape from this album appeared on a mixtape that I did for my wife, a later mixtape contained the song Jude Law and a Semester Abroad. We were going through a bit of an emo phase at the time.
This album has more in common with the likes of Taking Back Sunday than it has with the namechecking Morrissey that would form the sound of their more recent albums. Taking Back Sunday, particularly early Taking Back Sunday are always a good influence but I don’t know if it works for me on this album. Time hasn’t been that kind to the album and its clear now with hindsight they can do better.
Also on one hand you have clever well thought out lyrics and on the other you do have the track Mixtape which although it is one of my favourite Brand New songs, its so badly written, it kind of makes you flinch. The Promise Ring do an equally bad job on their similarly themed song Make Me A Mixtape. I see a pattern.
However, this is an alright album and its power pop shapes left me wanting more, I didn’t turn it off to listen to Talk Sport so it must be at least OK. 6 out of 10



Mixtape by Brand New