Being a massive Brand New fan, words couldn’t describe my anticipation when I first heard about the announcement of Daisy, the fourth studio album from the Long Island experimental alt-rockers. To me, their work has been so diverse and unique it’s quite ”“ if not impossible ”“ to anticipate what they’ll do next. The ride between Your Favorite Weapon to Deja Entendu was highly dramatic and speculative. Fans were torn between wanting to love and adjust to the new sound and sticking to their guns and calling foul play. But ultimately the effort by the band turned out to be a true success, proving to the doubters that their pop-punk roots were more than just a one-trick pony, and with Daisy, they’re back to show us once again just how innovative they can ”“ or can’t ”“ be.The first sign of something fresh is the ballet music/gospel hymn the album opens with at the beginning of ‘Vices’. “"Far away from any road, froze my heart in solitude” Bertrand Brown sings in her song ‘On Life’s Highway’. At first it seems pretentious and overambitious, but upon reflection once you’ve heard the huge drums kick in and Lacey screaming “we need Vices” ”“ you know you’re listening to a Brand New record. You kick back and smile and you’re pretty damn well stoked for the next song. It’s definitely a progression, even if the slightest, from a band that’s been so incredibly consistent. But there’s a catch ”“ we’re not hearing Jesse the wordsmith’s finest lines. Instead, the majority of the album’s lyrics were written by Vinnie, and those looking for the lyrical depth found in previous records may come away disappointed.As with every album, there are flaws and weaknesses. ‘Be Gone’ tries new hard to impress with it’s backwards-recorded avant-garde vocals and frisky guitar whilst ‘Bed’, being one of the lyrically stronger songs on the album seems to be a direct re-hash of ‘Millstone’ from The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. But as a whole there are definitely some outstanding tracks, some of which I even consider to be some of my favorite Brand New songs. The striking chorus and melodic guitars of ‘Bought A Bride’, the evidence of existence of Your Favourite Weapon in the catchiness of ‘Sink’ and the track that makes up for the ones that make us think “we’ve heard this all before” ”“ ‘Gasoline’.'Gasoline' is a signpost on New Direction Avenue and Brand New are driving down it full-speed ahead. The sheer power packed into Jesse’s vocal delivery and the anthemic production delivered by Mike Sapone is enough to convince me that these guys are just going to keep going and going. It’s certainly not their best effort, but then again, try choosing the ‘best effort’ out of their previous three. A solid album with a tight sound that’ll be playing in my library for quite some time yet.Brand New on Myspace