The Bravery at the Paradise, February 19, 2008
By JIM SULLIVAN | February 26, 2008
The Bravery |
What with song titles like “Split Me Wide Open,” “Every Word Is a Knife in My Ear,” and “Tragedy Bound,” it’s clear that Bravery frontman Sam Endicott is working out some angst. On stage at the Paradise a week ago Tuesday, on the second night of a two-night stand, he worked it with frenetic urgency, and the dance pop of the Bravery’s neo new wave recalled the Cure, particularly given Endicott’s yearning yelp. In other words, in spite of the angst in the lyrics, a Bravery set feels celebratory. In the mix of guitars, John Conway’s synth washes were everywhere, buoying Endicott’s plaints.
The Bravery are in a curious position, touring behind last year’s Brendan O’Brien–produced The Sun and the Moon and ahead of the forthcoming The Sun and Moon Complete (both Island). The new release, out March 18, is a two-disc package offering the original album and a self-produced second disc where the same 12 tracks are re-envisioned. The new versions, said bassist Mike Hindert post-set, are “more electronic, dancier. It’s like us doing our own remixes.”
In part, the release of Complete is the result of “Believe,” a sleeper of a single with a desperate theme and a hopeful chorus that’s become the Bravery’s big radio hit. They played that tune straight at the Paradise, but at least three others from The Sun and Moon were delivered in electronic-remix mode. Still, it was with “An Honest Mistake” and “Fearless” — two rockier anthems from the band’s homonymous 2005 Island debut — that the Bravery hit their stride. That was late in the set, but it enhanced the evening’s sense of uplift.
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Topics:
Live Reviews
, Brendan O'Brien, THE BRAVERY, THE BRAVERY
