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Perhaps more than any other song in Brand New’s oeuvre, let alone recent LP The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me, Jesus Christ feels as if it’s been written by chief songwriter Jesse Lacey after directly channeling Morrissey.
Jesus Christ – renamed simply 'Jesus' for the single, presumably not to enrage conservative America – begins with a beautiful chiming melody which ebbs and flows over light acoustic guitar before drummer Brian Lane locks into a propulsive beat which forms the backbone off which the rest of the arrangement hangs. It really is a stunning melody, one that Johnny Marr would no doubt be proud of. So it’s with some shock that Lacey begins in hushed tones, “Jesus Christ that’s a pretty face/The kind you’d find on someone I could save/And if they don’t put me away/It’d be a miracle.”
This sets the scene as Lacey takes a deep turn towards Moz territory wishing he was somewhere more eventful, bemoaning sleeping (in bed alone), dying (alone) and living (again, alone).
But what Lacey does perhaps better than any songwriter today is call himself out on his own shit; and it’s to this end that the second half of the song is dedicated as Lacey fears God in a singular and insightful way. “I’m not scared of dying/I’m a little bit scared of what comes after,” Lacey confides, “Do I get the gold chariot/Or do I float through the ceiling?/Or do I divide and pull apart/’Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark?”
The subversion of such a beautiful and timeless melody being paired with such a confrontational lyric (in content matter, if not necessarily in the words chosen) is one of the high points of a strong album and completely justifies it’s chosen position as second single even though there are perhaps more likely candidates.
After taking so much direct inspiration from the Smiths for Jesus Christ, it is perhaps fitting for an alternate version of Millstone to be the featured b-side. Directly cribbing the Smiths classic There Is A Light That Never Goes Out for it’s chours, “Take me out tonight,” this version of Millstone plays less like an alternate and more as a straight up demo.
Slower, less polished and less intricate sonically, Millstone makes for a fascinating listen. The production doesn’t seem as overcooked as the album version, so where the original feels pushed to breaking point, this alternate version feels looser. It also finds Lacey’s lyrics easier to understand, so where the original inspired for its craftsmanship this version feels more heartfelt. Nowhere does this pay more dividends than the bridge.
“"They never hit their brakes..."/"There was no time to see,"” Lacey’s voice trembles, “"He just ran out in the street..."/"Does anybody know his name?"/"I think I recognize him..."/"He sure as hell paid for that mistake..."”
An additional b-side – Brothers – is also included on the US CD single and on the UK vinyl release. Its difficulty to acquire for UK fans however, is somewhat puzzling as the track has been widely available on file sharing services online for some time as one of the leaked demo tracks; Untitled 03.
A simple acoustic protest song, Brothers features warm vocals by Lacey accompanied by a lazily strummed guitar. The narrative contrasts the tale of two brothers spending an idyllic summer wrestling and going out against the backdrop of the war in Iraq. A fine demo, the melody has since been adapted into the haunting aloC-acoC (Coca-Cola, spelt backwards for fear of angering litigious multi-nationals) and it is for this reason that the song does not stand up.
For all it’s use of sly literary techniques (“We’ll be lying like lions out in the sand”) and sledgehammer moralizing (“A few mothers sons will never really be enough/Not 'til half our names are etched out in the wall/And the other half ruined from the things we saw”), Brothers is only a fascinating insight into where the band were in 2005 when writing the leaked demos. While this would be fine for a regular b-side, its wide availability seems lazy on the band’s behalf. Like giving a gift they know fans already have.
Lacey and crew have already claimed to have upwards of 40 partially completed songs yet this single, like it’s predecessor, finds Lacey mining the fertile leaked demos even further. Surely instead, they could have found the time to finish a new song or two for fans dedicated enough to buy the single?
Even the time honoured tradition of an obligatory cover would be more enticing. Perhaps the Smiths cover Lacey’s little fanboy heart is dying to make. My suggestion? Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.
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