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Your Favorite Weapon

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Your Favorite Weapon
Studio album by
Brand New
ReleasedOctober 9, 2001 (2001-10-09)
Recorded2001
Magic Shop Recording Studios, Manhattan, New York[1]
TomandAndy
Nada Studios, New Windsor, New York[2]
Sapone Productions, New York
Genre
Length41:27
Label
Producer
Brand New chronology
Your Favorite Weapon
(2001) 		Brand New / Safety in Numbers
(2002)
Singles from Your Favorite Weapon
  1. "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad"
    Released: November 11, 2002
2011 Deluxe Edition Cover
10-year anniversary re-issue[9]

Your Favorite Weapon is the debut studio album by American rock band Brand New, released in 2001. Recorded and released a year after the band's formation, the album consists of pop punk songs about the highs and lows of teenage life. Your Favorite Weapon received positive reviews from critics and sold over 315,000 copies.

Background

[edit]

Vocalist/guitarist Jesse Lacey, bassist Garrett Tierney and drummer Brian Lane played in a band called The Rookie Lot with Brandon Reilly before the band eventually broke up.[10] After a period of inactivity between Lacey, Tierney and Lane,[10] the trio formed Brand New in Long Island, New York, in 2000.[11] The name came from Lane and Reilly.[10] Reilly went on to play in The Movielife.[10] Shortly afterwards, Brand New acquired guitarist Vincent Accardi, who had previously played in One Last Goodbye.[10] The band self-released a demo and started gaining attention outside of their home state after touring with Midtown and Glassjaw.[11] Lane had a job working at a recording studio which the band would use to record material.[12]

The band signed to Triple Crown after their second-ever show.[13] Fred from Triple Crown was initially interested in hardcore band Home Town Hero, a band that featured Tierney and Lane, but by the time Fred contacted Lane, Home Town Hero had been broken-up for six months.[14] Instead, Brand New sent Fred their demo.[14] Lacey said the label was "excellent" for the band "in every way".[14]

Composition and recording

[edit]

Your Favorite Weapon, Brand New's debut studio album, was recorded in 2001. The album consists largely of power chord-heavy pop punk songs. The lyrics detail the highs and lows of teenage relationships and experiences and were described as being "bitter about ex-girlfriends" with a concentration on "post-breakup angst".[15] Asked about his influences, Lacey cited Lifetime, Foo Fighters, The Cars and The Smiths.[10] The band listened to several bands while in their van, such as Saves the Day, Modest Mouse and Green Day.[10] All of the songs on the album were written, according to Accardi, "within our whole teenage years. Some songs were written two or three years before the record came out."[16]

"The Shower Scene" references actress Janet Leigh's story in the film Psycho.[17] The title of "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" references actor Jude Law.[17] "Failure by Design" is about Lacey experiencing writer's block.[18] "Seventy Times 7" was written about a feud between Lacey and Taking Back Sunday guitarist John Nolan.[19] Nolan wrote about the feud from his point of view in Taking Back Sunday's "There's No 'I' in Team".[19] The name of the song is a reference to a Bible passage, specifically Matthew 18:22.[19] "Soco Amaretto Lime" was written for Lacey's friend Peter and about Lacey's girlfriend.[10] Peter saw the band "the way we [...] have changed in the last couple years."[10] People were giving Lacey's girlfriend "shit for wanting to be with me. [...] they were being spiteful, and old, and envious. [...] That's where the last lines in the song came from."[10]

Your Favorite Weapon was produced by Mike Sapone, a friend of the band.[11] The whole album was re-recorded when the original recording was lost on a computer's hard drive.[20] All of the songs on the band's demo were re-recorded for the album.[14] The band later admitted that they did not like the overall sound of the album.[17]

Release

[edit]

Original release and touring

[edit]

Your Favorite Weapon was released through Triple Crown[20] on October 9, 2001.[21][nb 1] Between late October and late November, Brand New toured the U.S. with support from The Reunion Show.[22] In January and February 2002, they toured the U.S. with support from Further Seems Forever, Recover and Hot Rod Circuit.[23] The band then went on a spring tour[24] in May and early June[25] with Finch, The Starting Line[24] and Autopilot Off.[25] The band went on a short tour with Dashboard Confessional in early June.[25] In June, the band was supported by Thrice and Recover.[26] In late June, Iodine Recordings released Your Favorite Weapon on vinyl along with an extra track, "...My Nine Rides Shotgun".[27][nb 2] A music video for "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" was released through Much Music in July.[27] It was filmed at Skate and Surf Festival.[27] The band went on a summer tour with Taking Back Sunday and Rufio.[27] In September, it was announced the band had re-recorded "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" for a potential release to radio.[29]

Brand New supported Face to Face for a week's worth of shows between late September and early October.[29] The band then toured with The Movielife between mid October and early December,[29] with support from The Reunion Show[30] and Orange Island.[31] In November, the band released the re-recorded version of "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" on MP3.com.[32] The album was released in the UK on March 10, 2003, through Eat Sleep.[33][nb 3] Also in March, the band went on a tour of the UK with Finch.[35] Between late April and early May, the band toured the U.S. with support by A Static Lullaby and Orange Island.[36] Hot Rod Circuit was originally announced to support the band,[36] before being replaced by The Early November.[37] The band ended the touring cycle with a show in New York to a crowd of 5,000 people.[16] "Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" was released as a single in the UK on June 2.[33]

Reissues and legacy

[edit]

On February 9, 2004, the album was released in Australia through Below Par.[38][nb 4] With the success of Brand New's second album, Deja Entendu (2003), Razor & Tie reissued Your Favorite Weapon[20] on April 22.[39] The album was reissued in Australia through Cortex on May 5, 2007.[40][nb 5] Triple Crown hosted a 10th anniversary show of the label in December 2007.[41] At this show, the band played the album in full, with the exception of "Seventy Times 7" which was played as the encore; "Moshi Moshi" was played in its place.[42] On November 29, 2011, Razor & Tie released a 10th anniversary edition of the album, with seven demos as bonus tracks and new cover art.[43][nb 6] The new cover art was taken by Derrick Sherman.[45] A vinyl release followed on December 13.[46][nb 7] The band played the album in full again for New Year's Eve in 2011.[48] Over time, as Brand New's sound changed drastically, many songs from Your Favorite Weapon were phased out of their live shows. A 2004 interview with Kerrang! described the band as feeling "somewhat ashamed" of the album.[49]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunkFavorable[50]
AllMusic[3]
Consequence of Sound(favorable)[4]
PopMatters(favorable)[51]
Punknews.org[5]
Sputnikmusic[6]

Your Favorite Weapon found "cult-like success", according to CMJ New Music Monthly.[52] By July 2003, the album had sold 50,000 copies.[16] Prior to the 2011 reissue, the album had sold over 315,000 copies.[43] It received positive reviews from critics. The album was included at number 15 on Rock Sound's "The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time" list.[53] In 2013, BuzzFeed ranked it at number 6 on their "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die" list.[54] In 2014, NME listed the album as one of "20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic".[55] "Soco Amaretto Lime" was included on Alternative Press's "11 Classic Summer Jams" list in 2014.[56] Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 29 on their 2019 list of the "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time".[57]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Brand New,[58] except track 11 written by Brand New and John Nolan[59]

No.TitleLength
1."The Shower Scene"2:24
2."Jude Law and a Semester Abroad"3:41
3."Sudden Death in Carolina"3:01
4."Mix Tape"3:57
5."Failure by Design"3:15
6."Last Chance to Lose Your Keys"3:25
7."Logan to Government Center"3:02
8."The No Seatbelt Song"4:29
9."Seventy Times 7"3:32
10."Secondary"3:01
11."Magazines"2:50
12."Soco Amaretto Lime"4:46
Total length:41:27
Bonus tracks
2001 vinyl tracks
No.TitleLength
12."...My Nine Rides Shotgun"3:16
13."Soco Amaretto Lime"4:46
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."...My Nine Rides Shotgun"3:16
10th anniversary edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Jude Law and a Semester Abroad" (2000 demo)2:24
14."Secondary" (2000 demo)2:47
15."Logan to Government Center" (2000 demo)3:13
16."The Shower Scene" (2000 demo)2:25
17."Logan to Government Center" (2000 throwaway demo)3:23
18."Last Chance to Lose Your Keys" (2000 throwaway demo)3:18
19."Magazines" (2000 throwaway demo)3:05

Personnel

[edit]
  • Jesse Lacey – vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Vincent Accardi – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Garrett Tierney – bass
  • Brian Lane – drums, percussion

References

[edit]
Footnotes
  1. ^ U.S. Triple Crown 6469203031-2
  2. ^ U.S. Iodine Recordings IO05[28]
  3. ^ UK Eat Sleep EAT 022CD[34]
  4. ^ Australia Below Par PAR12[38]
  5. ^ Australia Cortex CTX338CD[40]
  6. ^ U.S. Razor & Tie/Triple Crown 79301833262[44]
  7. ^ U.S. Triple Crown 3152[47]
Citations
  1. ^ Discogs – the Magic Shop – (profile & discography)
  2. ^ Discogs – Nada Recording – (profile & discography)
  3. ^ a b Hopkin, Kenyon. "Your Favorite Weapon – Brand New – Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Young, Alex (December 18, 2010). "Guilty Pleasure: Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Scott (February 9, 2002). "Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon". punknews.org. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  6. ^ a b SowingSeason (October 20, 2010). "Review: Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  7. ^ Exposito, Suzy. "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  8. ^ Discogs – Your Favorite Weapon – 2011-November-22nd reMastered CD, Triple Crown Records, Razor & Tie, Procrastinate! Music Traitors (7930183326-2) US
  9. ^ Discogs – Your Favorite Weapon – (images) 2011-November-22nd reMastered CD, Triple Crown Records, Razor & Tie, Procrastinate! Music Traitors (7930183326-2) US
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tate, Jason. "Brand New". absolutepunk.net. Archived from the original on February 15, 2003. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Hopkin, Kenyon. "Brand New – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  12. ^ Larkin 2011, p. 2005
  13. ^ Guzman, Rafer (August 31, 2003). "Long Island Sounds". Newsday. Archived from the original on October 10, 2003. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c d Brand New (January 17, 2009). "Music4Autobahns Interview: Jesse Lacey (Brand New)" (Interview). Music4Autobahns. For re-recording the demo songs: 1:03–05; for Triple Crown: 1:05–34. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "Your Favorite Weapon". Allmusic. Retrieved July 23, 2009.
  16. ^ a b c "K-Rock: Brand New". krockradio.com. July 29, 2003. Archived from the original on August 7, 2003. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  17. ^ a b c "10 best Brand New songs topped by a brand new single". The Arizona Republic. April 16, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  18. ^ Kruas, Brian (December 16, 2014). "10 Bands Who Had Writer's Block (And Wrote About It)". Alternative Press. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  19. ^ a b c Cameron, Greg (April 17, 2015). "The 10 best Brand New songs". Alternative Press. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  20. ^ a b c Larkin 2011, p. 2006
  21. ^ Kenyon Hopkin. "Your Favorite Weapon – Brand New – Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  22. ^ Scott (October 26, 2001). "Tours: A Brand New Reunion". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  23. ^ Scott (January 14, 2002). "Brand New tour update". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  24. ^ a b Scott (April 9, 2002). "Iodine Fest: rock out with your socks out". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  25. ^ a b c "Iodine Recordings: Tours". effection.net. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  26. ^ Scott (June 2, 2002). "Tours: Thrice hits the road with Brand New and Recover". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  27. ^ a b c d "Iodine Recordings: News". iodinerecordings.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2002. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  28. ^ "Iodine Recordings: Releases". iodinerecordings.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2002. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  29. ^ a b c Scott (September 22, 2002). "Brand new Brand New news!". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  30. ^ Scott (September 9, 2002). "The Reunion Show new record, mp3 previews, tours, etc". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  31. ^ Scott (October 6, 2002). "Orange Island joins Movielife / Brand New tour". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  32. ^ Scott (November 11, 2002). "Re-recorded "Jude Law" now available". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  33. ^ a b "SOREPOINT RECORDS". eatsleeprecords.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2003. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  34. ^ Hopkin, Kenyon. "Your Favorite Weapon – Brand New – Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  35. ^ Tate, Jason (November 11, 2002). "On Tour Forever". absolutepunk.net. Archived from the original on March 11, 2003. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  36. ^ a b Scott (February 20, 2003). "Brand New headlining tour with Orange Island". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  37. ^ Scott (February 28, 2003). "Brand New tour change". punknews.org. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  38. ^ a b "Untitled Document". iprimus.com.au. Archived from the original on April 8, 2004. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  39. ^ Hopkin, Kenyon. "Your Favorite Weapon – Brand New – Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  40. ^ a b "Shock Music > Catalogue". shock.com.au. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  41. ^ Djamoos, Anton (December 10, 2007). "More Tickets For Triple Crown Anniversary Show". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  42. ^ Djamoos, Anton (December 18, 2007). "Brand New Kick It Old School". AbsolutePunk.net. Archived from the original on April 27, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  43. ^ a b Tate, Jason (October 31, 2011). ""Your Favorite Weapon" – Press Release". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  44. ^ Hopkin, Kenyon. "Your Favorite Weapon [Deluxe Edition] – Brand New – Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  45. ^ Your Favorite Weapon (Booklet). Brand New. Triple Crown/Razor & Tie/Procrastinate! Music Traitors. 2011 [First released in 2001]. 7930183326-2/83326S.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  46. ^ Tate, Jason (November 28, 2011). "Brand New LP Delay". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  47. ^ Hopkin, Kenyon. "Your Favorite Weapon [LP] – Brand New – Release Information, Reviews and Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  48. ^ DiVincenzo, Alex (November 9, 2011). "Brand New Announce Special New Year's Eve Show". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  49. ^ Lukes, Daniel (January 24, 2004). "He's a Clean Cut Boy on the Brink of Emo Superstardom, But Brand New Singer Jesse Lacey Insists He's Not Boring". Kerrang!. No. 989.
  50. ^ Tate, Jason. "AbsolutePunk – Brand New / Your Favourite Weapon". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved July 15, 2016.[dead link‍]
  51. ^ Dlugacz, Adam (July 7, 2003). "Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon". PopMatters. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  52. ^ Dworken 2003, p. 24
  53. ^ Bird, ed. 2014, p. 72
  54. ^ Sherman, Maria; Broderick, Ryan (July 2, 2013). "36 Pop Punk Albums You Need To Hear Before You F——ing Die". BuzzFeed. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  55. ^ "20 Pop Punk Albums Which Will Make You Nostalgic". NME. June 9, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
  56. ^ Obenschain, Philip (May 15, 2014). "Throwback Thursday: 11 Classic Summer Jams". Alternative Press. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  57. ^ "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  58. ^ "JESSE LACEY". SESAC. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  59. ^ "Taking Back Sunday's John Nolan covers Brand New's "Magazines"—watch". Alternative Press. November 6, 2017.
Sources
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (September 2014). "The 51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time". Rock Sound (191). London: Freeway Press Inc. ISSN 1465-0185.
  • Dworken, Arye (July 2003). "Brand New". CMJ New Music Monthly (114). CMJ Network, Inc. ISSN 1074-6978.
  • Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
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