Deja Entendu
Deja Entendu is the second studio album by American rock band Brand New, released in 2003. It was widely praised for showing the band's maturation from their debut "Your Favorite Weapon". The album's title is French for "already heard". Two singles and videos were released from the album: "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" and "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades". The album received very positive reviews and has since been placed on numerous lists as one of the greatest albums of the decade and from the emo genre. There are three pressings of the  vinyl. The first pressing is of 1,000 individual records, and has a barcode on the back of the gatefold. The second pressing does not have a barcode. On March 2, 2015, the band stated that they were going to re-press the record. It would be first released for Record Store Day (April 18) in limited packaging, with a wider release on May 5. Both were pressed on 180-gram black vinyl. Background and composition. Brand New's second studio album was written in "the year-and-a-half or two years" that they were touring the material from "Your  Favorite Weapon". According to drummer Brian Lane, "Jesse [Lacey] wrote a lot of the lyrics about different things than 'I just broke up with my girlfriend' for the new record." Lacey wrote the songs on an acoustic guitar in his bedroom. Several of the song titles reference films. The first track entitled "Tautou" references the lead actress, Audrey Tautou, in the movie "Amélie". "Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't" is a line from "", and "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades" is a quote from Wes Anderson's film "Rushmore". In addition, the line "And I've seen  what happens to the wicked and proud when they decide to try to take on the throne for the crown" (from 'Jaws Theme Swimming') is a reference to a line from the 1999 film "Dogma", specifically referencing a line of Matt Damon's character Loki. "I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light" is a quote from the Bruce Brooks sports novel "The Moves Make the Man", and borrows lines from the song "Chumming the Ocean" by the band Archers of Loaf. "Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis" is a song that Lacey describes as being about his worst nightmare , turning into a washed-up figure after his prime has ended. The title draws a comparison to Elvis Presley, who died from a drug overdose, and Diego Maradona, who suffered from drug addiction and was accused of domestic violence. The song "Play Crack the Sky" was about the 1951 shipwreck of the FV Pelican at Montauk Point, New York where 45 people lost their lives within a mile of the lighthouse. Lacey claimed the song "touches on parts of life that I don't talk about a lot [...] I have grown up around water being from living on Long Island . Surfing, sailing, fishing, that's a huge part of my life apart from the band." The ending of the song is a reference to the run-out groove on the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967). During a show on his 2007 solo tour with Kevin Devine, Jesse explained that the title was a reference to Mylon LeFevre song "Crack the Sky". The album was produced by Steven Haigler. Release. "Deja Entendu" was released through Triple Crown and Razor & Tie on June 17, 2003. Brand New went on a tour of the US in July 2003 with  support from Moneen, The Beautiful Mistake and Senses Fail. "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" was released as a single on October 6. The album was released in the UK on October 13, through Eat Sleep. On November 3, the album was released in Australia through Below Par. "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" was released to radio on November 18. In January 2004, the band went on a tour of the UK with support from Straylight Run and Moneen. Lead single "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" peaked at #37 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart . Reception. After seven weeks since its release, the album matched "Your Favorite Weapon"s sales of 51,000 copies. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on May 29, 2007, nearly four years after its original release. It is Brand New's only release to date that has been certified. "Deja Entendu" received very positive reviews from critics, who praised the band's evolution from their debut album. AllMusic gave "Deja Entendu" four out of five stars, stating that:As of 2003, Brand New had sidestepped any notion that they'd be stuck in the prototypical mold  found on "Your Favorite Weapon". Unlike their debut, "Deja Entendu" isn't all about bitter breakups and doesn't fall into a permanent punk-pop hole. Produced by Steven Haigler (Pixies, Quicksand), this sophomore effort finds Brand New maturing, reaching for textures and song structures instead of clichés. Sputnikmusic gave the album five stars out of five, proclaiming that "We could relate to the way that Lacey screamed "This is the reason you're alone, this is the rise and the fall" at the end of 'Tommy Gun.' We understood the desperation in his voice and the subtle undertones of  sexual frustration in 'Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis.' We were just beginning to see how brilliant the lyrics were to 'Play Crack The Sky', a song that simultaneously deals with love, death, and relationships on a singular metaphorical level. These emotions were new to us, and we had a feeling that they meant something to the man singing about them too." IGN rated the album 9.7/10, calling it "probably the best underground release this year." Accolades and legacy. The album ranked at #25 on Sputnikmusic's list of the Top 100 Albums of the 2000s, one of two Brand New  albums on the list ("The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me" was included at #20). "Rolling Stone" placed the album at #19 in their list of the 40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time, ahead of "Your Favorite Weapon" at #29. The album was included in "Rock Sound"s 101 Modern Classics list at number 21. "Rock Sound" later wrote the album's "slow burn appeal and genre-defining quality" would define the album as "an emo classic." They also wrote it would become the "blueprint [that] would spawn scores of imitators, [and] make alternative icons of its creators". "NME  listed the album as one of 20 Emo Albums That Have Resolutely Stood The Test Of Time". References. Citations Sources