Brand New - Sic Gloria Transit...glory Fades

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 18 / 2 / 2004

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Review

Brand New are one of the new breed of emo bands, and they sound like Finch. I’ve been a staunch supporter of emo, but at some point it stopped sounding fresh, and like all scenes, has reached that point where the bands are too often doing exactly the same thing. As good as Brand New sound, it just doesn’t convince me, because I’ve heard their combination of tight rhythms, pop punk guitars and screaming before. The A Side of this single is alright, but doesn’t merit a second play. Both B-Sides are, however, great. The first, an acoustic version of 'The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows' is lovely, a combination of a pretty melody and a heartfelt vocal. Something emerges from the simple setting that makes me hear a similar sense of potential that Radiohead have on 'Pablo Honey' Then there is a Moleman Remix of 'Soca Amaretto Lime', which is impressive. They don’t lose the essence of the band, but subtly divert its direction. A real indication of what Brand New could achieve if not so constricted by their genre. A good band is hiding in Brand New, but the actual single is rubbish.

Track Listing:-

1 Sic Transit Gloria ... Glory Fades
2 The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows (Acoustic)
3 Soco Amaretto Lime (The Moleman Remix)