Bracket – Requiem

While I don’t know much by Bracket, the prospect of their new album still excited me. Takeover Records knows how to sell their CDs I guess. You see, I love 90% of the bands on Fat Wreck Chords, probably even more that that; and while Bracket was one that I never got into that much, I did enjoy the odd song here and there and gave their last studio album, When All Else Fails a spin every once in a while. So when I heard that Bracket, a band who had previously released four full lengths on the famed SoCal label, was releasing a new album I was intrigued. Add the fact that they had complete control over the album as it is engineered, produced and mixed by the band themselves, the excitement was bubbling over. But after finally hearing Requiem I guess Bracket will fall closer to the 10% portion rather than the 90%.

It’s not that the band’s first studio album in six years is that bad, it’s just that Requiem doesn’t live up to all it’s hype and expectations. Sure, they have that nice Lagwagon feel to it, tinged maybe with a poppyer version of Screeching Weasel, but there’s not enough variations to give the songs a real life of their own. Throw in the fact that all seventeen songs carry the exact same name with a different part attached to the end (IE: Warren’s Song Pt. 16 vs. Warren’s Song Pt. 11) and all the songs combine into one giant melting box even more.

If only more songs sounded like Warren’s Song Pt. 17 (whose’s beginning brings up instant memories of Lagwagon‘s Violin), then maybe Requiem wouldn’t be such a bust. But the way it is now, there isn’t a big enough hook to make the album, or the songs, stand out in your memory. And what makes the CD even worse is the fact that you know the band has the ability to make those songs more memorable. It will be a very long time before I ever forget the simplistic, acoustic, sing-along ditty Warrens Song Pt. 26 even though the name just falls into pointless categorization. And it’s just depressing that the band isn’t able to transfer that feeling to the rest of their songs.

Requiem will definitely sell it’s fair share of copies thanks to Takeover Records‘ promotional powers, and many people will love the pop-punk melodies they discover. But soon, they will realize that whileBracket may have an impressive background, it doesn’t mean their CD will forever awe you, and after a few listens you’ll probably be switching CDs to find a song without the words “Warren’s Song Pt.” in the title.