brand new

Don't judge a book by its cover-or in this case, an album by its genre. Sure, with Brand New's reputation for whiny voices and chugging power chords, their sophomore major-label release, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, could be brushed off as yet another typical emo album. But from the bare, strummed melody of the opener, "Sowing Season," it's obvious that this is anything but.

The album brings to mind a haunted Victorian mansion, full of darkly Gothic undertones (think rich and heavy bass lines) and whispers of past tragedies. In fact, "Degausser," starts off with the rough whisper of lead singer Jesse Lacey-accompanied by a hollow, echoing guitar melody-before building into a crowded multitude of voices and instruments. Yet the album has its funkier moments-namely in the mostly instrumental "Welcome to Bangkok," which opens with an address to a space cadet.

The Devil and God is a finely crafted and emotionally moving album that goes far beyond the borders of the oft-derided and the even more often mocked emo genre. But don't go listening to it expecting to be cheered up.