My Amazon Reviews: The Bravery "Stir The Blood"

Iron Poor Blood
3 out of 5 Stars

The Bravery make another stab at blending their love of 80's Duran Duran/New Order/Cure songs into the platinum turf of The Killerson their third album, "Stir The Blood." After exploring more organic territory on The Sun And The Moon, they swing back to the synth-beat heavy sounds of their debut While the songs are competent and catchy, The Bravery still can't get past their slavish devotion to the MTV sound that would have made them video stars alongside of A Flock of Seagulls.

What could be called progress hear is just how angry leader/singer Sam Endicott has become. Both "HateF**k" and "Jack O'Lantern Man" are raging and violent, with the former about an abusive relationship. The bulk of the songs are frenzied and distorted, with Endicott's vocal yalp sounding slathered over. Which makes the final song, "Sugar Pill," all the odder. After making and album that pulses with frantic dance beats and a Robert Smith sing-a-like style, suddenly his voice is pure, clear and dropped down to a Nick Cave zone. Along with the opening track, "Adored," "Sugar Pill" is the song that makes me think Endicott - in an interesting side note, he wrote the smash hit She Wolf for Shakira - and company might make The Bravery into something more than a second tier Killers.