Brand New

Like AFI and a handful of other acts, Brand New plied hardcore roots and mainstream ambition for a strain of dark, chart-conquering rock that was at the right place at exactly the right time. Blending throttling screams and tight mechanics in an inky, wide-screen atmosphere, the Long Island quartet jumped from Triple Crown to Interscope, dispensing with jokey song titles in the process. The band's exponential success was confirmed last month when Daisy, Brand New's fourth album, debuted in the Top 10. It's an interesting record, to say the least. The bending guitar and swaying vocals of lead single "At the Bottom" seem like an obvious nod to Modest Mouse. To a lesser degree, so does the stripped-bare dirge "You Stole," albeit equipped with broad lyrics and a glaring solo. Pitched between the experimental and the accessible, Daisy gives Brand New room to be restless.