There’s not much that can be said about The Bravery that hasn’t been said about a ton of cool, glam-leaning, swaggering rock bands that have come out of NYC over the past few years. However…that doesn’t necessarily mean they should be ignored. There is some stuff here worth checking out…just don’t expect to be blown away by originality. To be honest, I got a 7-song advance that I thought was great. I was all set to write a perfectly glowing review. And then, I got the full-length release, which had those 7 songs on it and 4 that were new to me. It turns out that they should have stuck with the shorter tracklist. “Out of Line” is one of the 4 additional songs, and it features keyboards that are turned up a bit too loud, nearly obscuring even the vocals. It’s fine to go with a retro feel. Just look at what bands like The Killers are doing with it, but full-on reliance on new wave keyboards is just tired at this point. Another song from the 4 that irks me is “The Ring Song.” It sounds forced and far too cheesy for its own good. The rhythm never seems to settle, and the faux accent that Sam Endicott cops when he says “…make of me an honest man” is too affected to be taken seriously. On the flip side, the perfectly descending bass line in “Unconditional,” one of the 7, is absolutely delicious. No, it’s nothing you haven’t heard before, but it’s the kind of thing you never get bored with. It’s impossible keep still when this song is on, whether you’re driving, cleaning your living room or hanging on the back row. You will get into it. What works so well on "Unconditional" and other songs like “No Brakes” and “Fearless” is the balance that was so glaringly missing from the first song I mentioned. When they use bass, guitar, vocals and drums in equal proportion to keyboards, the result is catchy, quality songs. That’s what they should stick to. Since The Bravery has 7 songs that I’m still feeling really good about, I would say the record is on the whole a success. I like the power-pop vibe. I like music that makes me want to whip my head around and bounce around my house. But I get the feeling that it’s gonna be a short ride.