In this month's issue of Spin, Chuck Klosterman remarks that "The Bravery are the most hated band in America" ("Pretty Hated Machine," July 2005). A few months ago, I read in the LA Times that Brandon Flowers essentially referred to the Bravery as poseurs and thought, well, there's the pot calling the kettle black. Maybe the next step is for Interpol to call the band a rip-off of Joy Division. Whatever, dude. I like the Bravery.
I heard "An Honest Mistake" on KROQ a few months back and the high notes resonated with me. I cannot help it. I am a sucker for the high notes. A few weeks later, Estelle and I were sitting around sipping cocktails when she mentioned the Bravery.
"He kind of looks like Morrissey," she said.
"Yeah, totally," I answered. Granted, he's not on the level of hearing aide and nipple bandage-wearing Moz, and the black eyeliner needs to go, but he's cute and he can hit the high notes.
Did I mention that I'm a sucker for high notes?
A few weeks after that, I perused the sale rack at the local corporate record store and saw the Bravery's album on sale for under $10, so I decided to give it a shot. That night, I was stuck in traffic so bad that the cd lapsed twice. I thought, this is pretty good. It's not anything original, but what is original? I swear that the progression in "Mr. Brightside" came straight off Underworld's "Born Slippy." There are nods to XTC, The Jam, The Clash and, of course, Joy Division and Gang of Four all over the airwaves. Indeed, this means that there are also nods to Blur (c. Parklife), Elastica, Pulp and Supergrass (c. I Should Coco). But let's not stop there. Given that these influences are primarily British, everything sort of boils down to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks. (And, as my mom would say, "Don't forget the Merseybeat bands!") So what's the big deal?
If it's cool to admit liking the crap that emits from the Incredible Shrinking Lindsay Lohan and Future Jerry Springer Guest Britney Spears, why is it not cool to admit listening to the Bravery? Indie was rendered a useless term in 1992 (and all of the bands referenced herein released albums on major labels in the U.S.) and you can buy a Gang of Four t-shirt at Hot Topic. However, good music is still just that and, as for the Bravery, well, I think it's pretty damn good.