Genre 10 - Emo/Post Hardcore Albums: #2 Brand New

David Ames digs through his music collection to count down his top ten favourite albums in a specific music genre. For his second genre choice, David gets emotional about Emo/Post Hardcore. At #2 he's already heard Deja Entendu...



The next genre on this list takes me back to my junior high and high school days. Few genres can better express the feelings of an angsty teenager than Emo/post hardcore. A lot of bands get lumped into this genre so be prepared for some music you may not necessarily feel are good representatives of the style. Like bands that were lumped together with the grunge era, many bands that came out in the late 90s and early 2000s were associated with this movement. For my purposes here today, I am talking about a group of albums that were influential to me at that time and from then on. Emotional and usually clever/intelligent lyricism is a staple of this genre, along with punk and pop influences. There are even elements of screamo present on this list. Hopefully you will recognize some of these albums and if you’re like me, the part of your brain that recognizes nostalgia will be buzzing with activity .


Find the other albums in David's Genre 10 Emo/Post Hardcore



#2: Brand New – Deja Entendu



Ughhhhhhhh…Brand New is so damn incredible, releasing so many albums that personify not only the genre but also the mind of an anti-social teenager. Jesse Lacey may be one of my most cherished lyricists and although he has suffered some severe issues in the public light in recent years, this music will forever hold a place in my heart. The themes span from date rape (by a girl) to angst to depression and more Deja Entendu is not my favorite of their albums (The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me holds that honor) but this album is the most influential of theirs. It is like a darker, more aggressive Taking Back Sunday which is appropriate considering the beef between the two bands which plays out over both of the bands’ debut records. I can’t sing the praises of this album enough but to whet your appetite beyond just the songs below, I am going to post some great lyrics from different songs on this album. You HAVE to give this one a listen.



“And we learn as we age

We've learned nothing

And my body still aches

And you take cause they give

Though I love you

And my body it leaks like a sieve.”





“I’m sinking like a stone in the sea.

I’m burning like a bridge for your body.”





“If looks could really kill, then my profession would be staring

Please know we do this cause we care and not for the thrill

Collect calls to home to tell them that I realize

that everyone who lives will someday die and die alone”





“The fever, the focus

The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell

Die young and save yourself

The tickle, the taste of

It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up

Die young and save yourself”





Singles:



“The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows”









“Sic Transit Gloria…Glory Fades”









Best non-single track:



“Jaws Theme Swimming”









Image - Amazon