Album of the Decade – The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

As the decade comes to a close, debate rages in the media as to what was album of the decade. Well, let me tell you.

The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me – The most intelligent, emotional, tour-de-force since Napoleon stormed into Russia then got a little upset. Ranging from shrieked guitars and vocals to the closest you can get to crying in song-form. This is not emo. This is ridiculously emotive music where the band have put their hearts and souls into a record. This is the album of the decade because it means the most.

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TDAGARIM is the most emotionally intelligent album of the decade. Brand New, within the space of two records, turned their sound from angsty-bored teenage punk rock into sinister, pained, truly emotive music. To define them as emo, or rock, or indie, or anything, would be inaccurate. TDAGARIM, written predominantly by frontman, Jesse Lacey, with a little help from lead guitarist, Vincent Accardi, consists of 12 tracks and one reprise.

The music is beautifully discordant – the realism in the record shines from an avoidance of squeaky clean studio songs. In my opinion, the strength of an album comes from the lyrics. Though the guitars and song structures are mature and diverse, the lyrical content and context is unbelievable. Opening track, ‘Sowing Season’, borrows from Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If” and suggests the tremendous effort Lacey and the band put into writing the record.

Losing all my friends/losing them to drinking and to driving/losing all my friends but I got them back

The personal touches in the songs are what makes the album. It is not a detached piece of money-spinning – when the demos of the album leaked it affected Lacey greatly, and only two of ten of the tracks made it onto the released album.

Some have suggested the album is a concept piece charting the conversations and thoughts of a drink-driver, a victim, and victim’s mother. I think this is a bit off, but nonetheless the stories and emotion poured into the tracks make hairs stand on end. Single, ‘Jesus Christ’, sheds light on the depressing state of mind of someone struggling with life and death. The way the subject addresses Jesus is extremely powerful. There is a real sense of vulnerability and desperation.

I know you come in the night like a thief/but i’ve had some time alone to hone my lying technique/ i know you think i’m someone you can trust/ but i’m scared i’ll get scared and i swear i’ll try to nail you back up

‘Welcome to Bangkok’ is an instrumental interlude that holds the album together as a journey. This is the strength of the album – it is not just a collection of 12 songs, it is a story in 12 parts. The pained shrieks of ‘You Won’t Know’ leaves the listener genuinely terrified by what Jesse has done. Likewise, the suggestions in ‘Handcuffs’ are darker than Your Favourite Weapon ever was.

I’d drown all these crying babies if i knew that their mothers wouldn’t cry/ i’d hold them down and i’d squeeze real soft and let a piece of myself die

Reviews from other websites from varied from those you may guess only listened once – Rolling Stone – to those who must have given it thought – Sputnik. I am not being close minded, however, I find it hard to believe that any one who truly listens to this album can not rate it highly.

Words can not describe just how good this album is. The intelligence and innovation that shines throughout, teamed with guitars bleeding delicacy yet strength, make a musical masterpiece. This album changed the way that emotional music should be written. It also demonstrated that a band that struggles with its directions needs to look at Lacey et al for inspiration. Without a doubt, the most compelling, powerful album of the decade.

Vote for this as album of the decade below or here…or else. Nah, just joshin’… but really.