The Bravery

Timing, it's all about the timing. The Bravery have both benefited and now possibly suffered at its hands. Last year's debut single 'Unconditional' arrived at just the right moment, catching the beginnings of the crest of a wave and convincing a lot of people that here was the band 'most likely to' in 2005.
Time waits for no man however, not even achingly cool New Yorkers, and The Bravery now face the distinct danger of sounding a little old hat. No matter how eagerly awaited it might be, The Bravery is not without its problems. The initial concept (that the '80s actually were worth ripping off) has become all too familiar and there's now nothing new to be found in their analogue keyboards and widescreen guitars. The ice cold production too does them no favours either, particularly the effects on Sam Endicott's vocals (he of the Flock Of Seagulls haircut) which leave the whole thing too reminiscent of The Strokes for comfort.
Yet for all this carping, The Bravery do manage to pull it off, at least to a certain degree. Much of that comes down to their self belief, which allows them to swagger and shine even when the songs are perhaps not quite up to it and positively shimmer when they are ('An Honest Mistake', 'Unconditional', 'Public Service Announcement').
Ultimately, you end up seeing what they dont have (The Killers' really top notch tunes, the sheer warmth of Bloc Party) rather than what they possess, but this is still pretty good.
Now they need to get over here in the summer and really wow us.