The Bravery drop bold debut

I remember walking into the local Best Buy, doing my rounds and looking for stuff to buy over spring break. When I walked up to the register, an old friend working there came over and asked if I had ever heard of a band called the Bravery, to which I kindly replied "No." He then rushed over to a counter and handed me what would be the Unconditional EP that came free with my purchase. I popped in the CD as soon as I returned home and by the middle of the first track I knew I would find myself purchasing the debut full-length the day it hit shelves.\nThe Bravery, hailing from New York City, play an equal mix of New Wave electro-rock and atmospheric dance grooves resulting in a blend of the Killers, Interpol and even small bits of the Strokes from time to time. The self-titled debut features 11 tracks that make you want to hit the dance floor if even to just let your head keep bobbing to the beat. The strong opener "An Honest Mistake," along with the undeniably poppy "Unconditional" and sing-along anthem "Out of Line" all showcase the Bravery's saccharine love affair with '80s keyboard electronica and it works extremely well on these tracks. The standout track "Swollen Summer" takes a simple drumbeat and nonsensical guitar soloing and lets it swell into a chorus which lets you picture an audience clapping along and excitedly jumping in the air.\nUnfortunately, not every song on this release is worthwhile and catchy. "No Brakes" starts off with a Strokes-esque, low-riding bassline and then just meanders about with no real musical payoff. While some of the techno background on "Tyrant" is really atmospheric and enjoyable, it all gets wasted once the chorus rolls around and the vocals head into U2 territory. "Public Service Announcement" should be advising the listener against repetitive sound conditions because the beat never changes and relies on terrible '70s imitation disco complete with "woo woo woo hoo-ooo" humming. \nGranted this isn't a perfect release nor extremely original in terms of musical styling, the Bravery is an act whose really good songs make up for the weaker ones. Most tracks clock in a little over 3 minutes and remain enjoyable while not overstaying their welcome. An added bonus on the CD comes in the enhanced content which contains videos for "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional," both of which are quite cool. The Bravery definitely does a fine albeit emulative job on this debut release, which merits checking it out. While the music is anything but a breakthrough, at least the Bravery did a damn good job letting its influences shine through.