___Background_____________________________________ ________
The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me is the third album from Long Island band Brand New.

It builds on the successes of their previous albums and takes the band further away from the simple pop-punk of their debut to more experimental, boundary-pushing rock, with an emphasis on meaningful lyrics and atmospheric sounds.

___Lyrics________________________________________ ___________
As a whole, this album features darker lyrics, reflecting on the fragility of life and potential tragedies (most chillingly on 'Limousine' where Jesse's vocals perfectly capture the emotion of letting go of a loved one).

That being sound, the band also incorporate some singalong choruses, most notably on 'The Archers Bows have Broken' a quasi-political song with a definite message, but stays just the right side of preachy.

Spirituality and existence is also a major theme in the lyrics, in particular, 'Jesus Christ', 'You Won't Know' and 'Handcuffs' (a song about the difficulties of staying good and moral when everything seems to be otherwise).

___Music_________________________________________ __________
'The Devil and God' once again sees Brand New expand their musical ambitions and demonstrates the considerable talents possessed by the band members.

Guitar solos feature much more prominently than on previous albums and reinforce the reason solos exist: not to merely demonstrate ability, but to add meaning to the song.

This is evident in 'Jesus Christ' in which the guitar 'weeps' over the drums and bass, truly adding to the song.

Another theme of the album is stylistic change, similar to those Nirvana took mainstream in the early 90's. 'Limousine' in particular uses, the quiet-loud formula as the instruments build up to the finale, where all the emotion in the lyrics comes crashing down in the form of the band playing as hard as they can.

Indeed, the album as a whole tends to follow a similar format, as 'Welcome to Bangkok' proves. A watershed moment for the band, it could be argued that the wall of sounds and eery screams mark the moment when the band decide to embrace their vices and give way to the devil inside them (most obviously on Handcuffs, composed by lead guitarist Vin).

___Conclusion____________________________________ __________
'The Devil and God' is a landmark album, relying on heartfelt musicianship and vocals to involve the listener, but one that too many people seem to have missed.

It is a body of work that is more than the sum of its parts - each song sounds fantastic on its own, but to be truly appreciated, the album must be listened to in its entirety (in my opinion, the atmosphere is more suited to headphones, but the louder sections work well on speakers).