The Bravery is one of the new wave indie rock bands from the 2000’s. The group consists of Sam Endicott (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Zakarin (lead guitar), John Conway (keyboards), Mike Hindert (bass guitar), and Anthony Burulcich (drums). The group is often called rip-offs of The Killers (which all started by the front man Brandon Flowers.) While The Bravery had a similar look, the band’s sound is quite different. Yes, both have bouncy bass lines and synths, but The Bravery’s music is a bit simpler and playful Compared to the Killers. Despite the music being simpler through, I find it much more catchy than The Killers. Much like Jale, I feel they never really had a bad song (though they had plenty of bad remixes.)
THE BRAVERY 2005
The album starts with the best song “An Honest Mistake.” We get a dance bass riff as well as some nice guitar work. “No Brakes” is another great tune with a nice bass line. My favorite part though is the end with Sam repeating the line “Can I leave it up to you?” as we get some nice synths. “Fearless” continues the dance like bass line while we get some more nice keyboard tunes from John. “Tyrant” is mostly synthesized, but it’s still a good song. “Swollen Summer” is mostly guitar while synths only dominate the verses. “Public Service Announcement” brings back the dance bass with a simple yet catchy tune, especially with the back-up vocals from Anthony and Michael Zarkarin. “Out of Line” is another simple yet catchy tune with some great synths. “Unconditional” is a fast paced rock tune with a nice sound from the bass and excellent vocals. “The Ring Song” is the only real weak track I found on here. While it still has some nice riffs, the tunes not impressive compared to the rest. The last track “Rites of Spring” is a catchy rock tune with excellent guitar work from both Michael Zakarin and Sam with some great vocals from John after each verse.
THE SUN AND THE MOON 2007
After their debut, the band decided to ditch the heavy synth sound (as well as the punk look) and go for a more acoustic and rock sound. I think this was a good direction as the songs have stronger riffs on all of the instruments.
The disc starts off with a nice intro song all done on keyboards and happens to have the same tune as the next and their most popular song “Believe”. Immediately, we get an incredible bass riff and some great guitar work. The first three verses are the real good parts have the bass riff continues through them and we get some nice vocalizing from Michael Zakarin and John. “This is Not the End” is another great tune with great guitar and added violin. My favorite part of the track is the “La lala lala” midsection and end. “Every Word is a Knife in My Ear” is a rock tune with the return of the dance bass playing that continues in the next track “Bad Sun” which is much more acoustic. We get a beautiful keyboard pattern and great work on a pedal steel guitar. “Time Won’t Let Me Go” was another single. I really enjoy the keyboards in this track as well as the ba bababa ba chorus. “Tragedy Bound” is an interesting tune done on acoustic guitar along with some violin work. It fades into the next track “Fistful of Sand.” We get more great keyboard work as well as nice vocal work from Anthony (whose voice seems more dominant in the verses of this track.) “Angelina” immediately hooked me with its “do dodo” vocals. In fact, the whole song is filled with catchy vocals. “Split Me Wide Open” is an okay track with some good instrument including the rapid guitar playing. “Above and Below” has a similar sound as “Believe” except the bass isn’t as bouncy. The last track “Ocean” is acoustic much like “Tragedy Bound” except it’s much more catchy and peaceful.
I really enjoyed this album and I feel it showed how good the band really was.
THE SUN AND THE MOON (MOON SIDE) 2008
Many fans didn’t seem satisfied with the direction of the second album. So the band decided to release a remix version of it. Unfortunately, remixing was never really the Bravery’s strong point and while they had a few good ones, most of the time they’re mediocre compared to the original tracks. The moon disc is no exception.
The Disc starts off with a bland intro followed by “Believe.” This version isn’t nearly as good as the original especially when they got rid of the bass riff that lead the original but it’s still a little enjoyable. “This is Not the End” was re-worked rather than remixed. We have some nice guitar work from Zakarin but still not as good as the sun version. “Every Word” however sounds bland as it’s nothing but synths. “Bad Sun” is another re-worked song that recaptures the Bravery sound with a dance bass line, subtle but catchy synths, and a rapid guitar riff. Both the Sun and Moon versions of “Bad Sun” are good in their own way. “Time Won’t Let Me Go” is re-worked nicely but I still find the original a bit better. “Tragedy Bound” is remixed nicely with a nice bass line and catchy synths. “Fistful of Sand” sounds a little bland with the synths but still keeps the overall tune. “Angelina” is more bland synths and it really doesn’t hold my attention. “Split Me Wide Open” is just a bland mess and for me; it has to be the worst track. “Above and Below” is decent remix but I still prefer the sun version. “Ocean” has to be the best track however, as it’s been re-worked to a great rock tune with a catchy bass line and great guitar riffs with some eerie echo effects. I actually listen to this version of “Ocean” more than the sun version.
The moon disc was an interesting concept, it was just poorly executed. It probably would of worked better if they just re-worked all the songs like they did with “Bad Sun”, “Ocean”, and “This is Not the End” rather than completely remixing the songs.
UNRELEASES, B SIDES, & RARITIES 2005-2007
The Bravery had multiple B-sides that were never released. While most weren’t that great compared to their main work, I think it would be nice if they were available on iTunes or on disc. But I guess they wanted to avoid the “Killers rip-off” accusations.
The album starts with a cover of the Cars song “It’s All I Can Do” which contains great synths and excellent vocals in the chorus. “An cat Dubh” is another cover which was originally done by U2. “Oh Glory” is a bit bland to me and probably the weakest track. Two versions of “An Honest Mistake” appear. The first version is acoustic which I think was done well. The second is a remix. It’s still catchy but honestly doesn’t need to last 7 minutes. The strange thing is that this is the only B-side that’s available on iTunes. “Hot Pursuit” is a duet with Sam and John’s sister, Gillian. It’s another good electronic track and Gillian’s vocals are wonderful. “Sunshiney Day” is a simple song with some nice guitar and synths. “Rats in the Walls” is a rock tune similar to “Every word” which is quite good especially with its catchy “You try to get away” lines. “Faces” isn’t too impressive in my opinion. “Who Left Me Out” immediately hooked me with its great “ba ba ba” opening much like “Angelina.” “Sorrow” is another cover with some good saxophone work. The best Track for me is “The Dandy Rock” as it has excellent guitar work, great choir like vocals in the chorus, and is also the first song not sung by Sam. Instead, Michael Zakarin sings lead. “Rocket” is another cover. Anthony’s voice is more dominate in the verses much like “Fistful of Sand” in this track. The last two are covers recorded live. “Lonely” is on acoustic guitar. I’ve honestly never been a big fan of the song, so I don’t care much for this version either. “Don’t Change” is a nice cover but I still don’t care much for the tune.
STIR THE BLOOD 2009
The next album came out on the first of December. The band returned to using the heavy synths much like their first album. Apparently, it was recorded in an abandoned church to give it a better sound which I think worked out nicely.
Once again, the album starts off the best track. “Adored” is full of excellent guitar work and wonderful synths. “Song for Jacob” has a wonderful chorus with Sam’s strong vocals. The next track “Slow Poison” was the main single. While “Adored” is my favorite, “Slow Poison” comes close with its keyboards and excellent vocals. “Hatefuck” is a great tune with a nice creepy sound. “I Am Your Skin” is mostly synthesized with a good guitar riff and also has the dance bass. “She’s So Bendable” is sung by Mike Hindert. The song is a catchy 50’s like ballad, though it’s not as exciting as “The Dandy Rock.” “The Spectator” continues the dance bass with a dark tune with some eerie vocals from John. “I Have Seen the Future” is a simple catchy tune with some great synths. “Red Hands and White Knuckles” is a good tune that sounds mostly synthesized. The song then fades into “Jack-O-Lantern Man” which is another great rock tune. The last track “Sugar Pill” is a beautiful soft tune and a nice close for the album.
OURS 2010
This track is only available on the Twilight Eclipse soundtrack. I honestly think the story is completely stupid and boring. However, they did manage to get a lot of great music. Of course, the Bravery song was the only one that really caught my attention. It’s another simple yet catchy song with strong vocals, great guitar work as well as a nice sound from the bass. Why is it that bad movies often have great soundtracks?
Currently, the band plans on releasing a new album. I hope thet do soon because honestly, I can't wait.
