Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon Vinyl Re-Issue [2011]

For Fans Of: Emo of the last decade.
Preview: Seventy Times 7 by VinylQEight

For me this album has stood the test of time, time and time again. I can go months without listening to it, play it randomly one day, and wonder why the hell I haven't listened to it in so long. Any time I hear it I am immediately transported back to high school, sitting in my friend's cars and jamming the fuck out on the way to/from class/parties/hangouts. Out of so many albums composed of songs filled with teenage angst and the torment of lost love, this was always included in the list that stood out. It's the one that made you want to stay at that age forever. The one that spoke to you when that girl fucked you over, and made you realize how much you appreciated reminiscing with friends while sitting on an overpass.

Fast-paced, pounding electric guitars are coupled with lyrics both of the emotional pain and scathingly vindictive anger varieties - lyrics which are still quoted on a regular basis a decade after being written. There are also some good acoustic parts mixed in there. Overall it reeks of emo cliche, but in a way that is fun to hear and look back on. Although the band's sound has changed since this release [whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on who you ask], it will always hold a place near and dear to my heart, not just because it's a good album, but also for nostalgic purposes. Of course, Deja Entendu is probably their most memorable, but Your Favorite Weapon provided a solid start to a band that would go on to make even better music with Deja, as well as The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me [which despite it's so-so reviews will actually impress you if you give it a chance, see Jesus].

You can celebrate the ten-year release with this re-issue, which features a different cover than the original and comes in black, clear [out of 500], baby blue [out of 500], and white [out of 1000]. It also includes seven demos and quick takes. The cheapest I was able to find it was via Insound, which is selling the black version for $15.98. If you're new to Brand New, I recommend listening to their older albums first and then coming back to this one. It will help you to laugh more at how immature it really is in comparison. Stay eighteen forever, folks.