countdown to a brand new brand new album

Long Island's Brand New is either the smartest band in the world or the dumbest. We've seen enough of the VH-1 Behind the Music specials to realize that if a band takes more than a year and a half to make a record it's going to be a great album or an unmitigated disaster. I'm willing to give Brand New the benefit of the doubt and say it will most likely be the former.

After demo tracks leaked online a year ago, it seems as though the new record, "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me," could be a quiet hit for the quartet, not unlike Death Cab for Cutie's "Plans." This, of course, is based on the strength of the first two tracks from the final pressing of the album that have been posted on sites like Myspace and Purevolume, "Sowing Season" and "Degausser."

Surprisingly, Interscope is releasing the album in the fourth quarter, a time that is usually reserved for greatest hits compilations, holiday themed albums and surefire platinum albums. Since "The Devil and God..." is neither a best-of or a Christmas record, then we can assume that Interscope has some pretty high hopes for the album.

Post "Deja Entendu," Brand New has managed to wander away from the pop-punk/emo soundscape altogether and place themselves in a general rock-defined genre with their brand of bombastic, escapist pop.

The only downside to all of this, however, is that Brand New has taken such a long time making a new record (it's been three and a half years since their last studio recording) that people may have already forgotten about the band. After all, bands that are considered to be heavyweights in the genre such as Taking Back Sunday, From First to Last and several others have released two albums in the time it's taken Brand New to make one. But then again, it is about quality, not quantity and if there's anything to be said about Brand New's commitment to releasing an album, I don't have a doubt in regards to its potential greatness, but will the kids still care?