every radio on the planet, the self-titled album kicks off with the unique style that only a few can afford without looking (or sounding) plain silly: basically, 80s cheesy made cool. Going through it song by song, the recurrent theme is the desperate desire and the loss of love, layers and layers of infectious keyboard riffs and chopped guitars – the whole of it surrounded at times by hilarious lyrics such as “And I know that’s why you love me, chica” (Fearless), “you put the broke in broken hearted, you put the art in retarted” (Public Service Announcement), and at times by sheer introspective thoughts “Me and the ocean, me and the sea, I don’t think so, I don’t think it was meant to be”. Stand-out track Unconditional is capable of sending the listener to heaven every time those 11 seconds of bass & synthesizer open the song, before the drums kick in. Bonus track Hot Pursuit is the album’s best kept secret, a serenade full of dark grace. Above all, it should be pointed out that frontman Sam Endicott is not only the singer and guitarist, but also the producer. And when, reading the credits, one realises that this is pretty much a home recording, the enthusiasm for The Bravery might well turn into madness. http://www.thebravery.com Giada Arnone |
