I felt like i had to add a review of this album, as i suspected that most would side with NME writers and dismiss the band as retro rip-off merchants more obsessed with their image than music.

Anyone buying this album should not expect to be blown away by originality or complex arrangements. Rather, if you can view the Bravery as i do, that is, with tongue firmly in cheek, you can appreciate their overblown -synth-rock theatrics and Neo-New Romantic image for what they should be: irresistible pop without pretention!

Sure, sometimes Sam Endicott's backing vocals and improv lines are so cliched or ridiculous you feel like cringing into the foetal position on his behalf. Yes, some of the arrangements and solos are so anachronistic and overblown you imagine Michael Zakarin taking to the stage with a flaming guitar and studded codpiece. And okay, there are some very obvious examples of near-plagiarism, both in terms of musical arrangements and style, but should you let these things get in the way of your enjoyment of this awesome example of nouveau-retro ear candy?
I, for one liken The Bravery to Andrew WK. Yes there's elements of farce and grand comic turns to their music, but isn't that what great rock is about? AC/DC have peddled the same brand of unself-conscious unpretentious balls-to-the-wall rock for decades. The Darkness failed because the humour was the cornerstone of their music, and jokes tend to grow old fast.
Andrew WK went a different route but again fell by the wayside. It remains to be seen whether The Bravery can sustain popularity on their third release. Here is my review od the album's tracks. I have included the bonus track, which appears on some releases of the UK album.

1) 'An Honest Mistake'

The track which laid all the foundations for The Bravery's success, this is now an indie-club classic, and for many, their saving grace. As noted by many, the awesome pounding bass-drum intro takes inspiration from New Order's 'Blue Monday', soon dissolving into a rippling wave of synths. The verses are calculating and well-delivered in deadpan baritone by Endicott, with ice-cold synths adding a lustre. The bridge sees him exchanging emotion before the singalong chorus with strange guitar which almost sounds like its attempting to catch up with the rhythm section at first! What makes this track enthralling is it's evolving hooks post-chorus, which hold the listener's interest, especially at the middle-eight, with harsh, cutting synths leading to some excellent drumwork before a final chorus in which we end with Endicott going up the scales before the well-timed climax.

2) 'No Brakes'

Bit of a let-down after the epic opener, it nevertheless features a rather nifty bassline, but this is a strange track, a meandering verse section leads to a false bridge, then we build on the second bridge to an expected booming chorus, but instead its more of a fumbled attempt at an aching power ballad, with Endicott straining for...nothing in particular. A really bizarre track, which ends with some pompous organ synths, and fades to a muffled drum roll. This will not convert non-believers.

3) 'Fearless'

Ah, this is more like it! A brainless but brilliant track, where Endicott's lyrics are childish at times ("The best time i ever had, waiting around for something bad"), and the message seems to be that being dumb but brave impresses chicks! ("...And i know thats why you love me Chica") With tongue planted deep into cheek, this is fantastic, a thrilling ride of nonsensical lyrics, ear-pleasing synth hooks and monstrously good drumming allied with a well-judged ascending/descending bass rhythm. Pop par excellence!

4) 'Tyrant'

The most serious, and probably finest track on display, 'Tyrant' is an example of The Bravery when they tone down the eyeliner and codpiece theatrics. Icy synths throb in on the tracks opening and a strangely ominous bassline ushers in some more zapping keys, and an instantly recognisable ascending keyboard hook. Endicott's vocals are for more understated and suit this powerful track about a caustic relationship. Even the high, near-falsetto of the chorus is pulled off brilliantly, Endicott's passionate strains probably echoing the sentiments of anyone who has been at the whim of a love who poisons your self-worth. A high point of The Bravery's short career. An interesting point of note is the inexplicable use of the word 'rote'!

"You'd better teach me how to live, 'cos you make me wanna die, you took it all, now you're all I've got"

5) 'Give In'

Back to the ever-so-slightly-comic touches with the brilliant thundering drum intro, and Endicott opens with "All I want is everything". Well, what riposte is there to such a statement of intent? A pretty corking guitar riff cranks up the volume, and Endicott's vocal line strains out to some mighty melody. There is a slightly strange tempo change at the middle eight, but overall a track that pleases the ears, and Endicott's theme of hating change but wanting it at the same time resonates. We end the way we started, with some tremendous drumwork.

6) 'Swollen Summer'

Right, throw out your pretensions and head-bang like no one's watching again, this track is so jaw-droppingly stupid you will struggle not to laugh, but it is absolute pop genius! Thundering drums, flamboyant guitar and some wacky synths, and as if that isn't enough, Endicott adds some hilarious backing vocals at the book-end of each verse line ("Alright!", "It's true!", "Doesn't matter anyway", "Didn't want it anyway"), and then even more brilliantly 'tussles' with his own backing as the chorus crashes in, a mash of trancey synths, driving guitar and meaty drums. The witty, knowing line of "What if I'm getting dumber?" makes you want to rejoice at this shameless bonehead anthem. A whirlwind of dumbass rock that makes you feel slightly better about the world.

7) 'Public Service Announcement'

The first thing that hits you about this track is the masterful, driving drums and funk bass. This is definitely the high point of the track, but there's still time to enjoy some more masterful stupidity in the form of outrageously childish lyricism from Endicott ("You put the 'broke' in broken-hearted, you put the 'art' in retarded"!), and his wonderfully simple high-note humming of the melody all the way through, again it sounds ridiculous but so good you can't help but smile.

8) 'Out of Line'

Kicking straight in with cracking snares and an awesome tremulous guitar effect, this is another track with quirky lyricism and a chorus where Endicott strains perhaps a little too far with his vocal melody. That said, it burrows under your skin and lays eggs in your brain. They will hatch in a couple of days and you will have this playing on repeat endlessly in your head!

"I think I'm sick but I might be well, I think I'm broke but its hard to tell…"

9) 'Unconditional'

Like a lot of people, this was the track that made me sit up and take notice of The Bravery, an aching rocker about loneliness. It seems like Sam Endicott is a fan of Bono, and you can tell by the way he wrings every last drop of emotion out of his vocal chords, like his idol. Endicott's understated lyric of wanting 'something for nothing' hints at a great songwriter lurking below the tongue-in-cheek cock-rock exterior. Opening with beautiful twinkling keys and a bassline that sounds like a motorbike being kick-started, the melody is turned down on the almost acapella verses, before a fury of drums and guitar duke it out on the bridge, before an epic chorus, led by that gorgeous keyboard melody. A masterfully constructed synth-pop song.

"I'm a beggar and a chooser, I'm accused and accuser, but nothing's unconditional"

10) 'The Ring Song'

Not the best follow-on from the brilliance of its predecessor, this nevertheless has its own charms. It's a welcome change of pace from the high-paced syth-pop explosions of earlier, a slow but thoughtful track about the future, marriage and the like. Puritans will again be staggered by some sloppy lyrical turns, and Endicott has a fixation with the slang term 'broke', which appears in its third different song here. That said it charms you, some very cute melodies and backing vocals on display.

"Love in this town is like a joke, I must have had fun, 'cos now I'm broke"

11) 'Rites of Spring'

Luckily, we end the original album on a high note with this ode to a woman who 'made me a man', according to Sam. A ferociously high-pitched riff that could demolish mountains, drums sent from Heaven, nice backing vocals and some crazy effects at the middle-eight make this a memorable climax.

Bonus track: 12) 'Hot Pursuit'

This appears on some UK versions but quite frankly you are not missing out if you don't have it. Some nice quirky synths abound, but clichéd lyricism and rhyming couplets make this a forgettable addition, and it spoils the original powerhouse track which concluded the album.

A point of note is that Sam Endicott wrote all of the original tracks, except 'Tyrant', which he co-wrote, and he also produced the album himself. Congratulations must go to him for making Anthony Burulcich's excellent drums so crisp and dominant, an infinitely satisfying feature of the album.

Artwork:

Front cover art is an Oil on Canvas representation of a phoenix scaled down, entitled 'Phoenix' by C. Finley. The bold yellow and orange hues merging the phoenix with flames (for obvious reasons) are certainly eye-catching, and somehow suit the album well. The inside carries more prominent pieces of the same rendering, and the inner booklet contains lyrics, and strange 'snapshot' style photographs of all the band members, as well as the usual information you'd expect to find in an album's inner sleeve. For the record, the band members are:

Sam Endicott: Vocals, guitar, programming
Michael Zakarin: Guitars, backing vocals
John Conway: Synthesisers, programming, backing vocals
Mike H: Bass, backing vocals
Anthony Burulcich: Drums, backing vocals

I will nail my colours to the mast and say I love this album, its fun-filled, hook-laden and essentially brainless, but with one or two very fine musical gems lurking too. It really depends on your musical stance: if you slavishly devote yourself to the darlings of the NME, or worship Radiohead then you'll hate this. If you think that music can be enjoyed without always comparing credibility or reasoning then you too may enjoy the secret pleasure that is…..The Bravery.