When the Bravery's "An Honest Mistake" became a fair-to-middling hit a couple years ago, they seemed to be at the butt-end of a mainstream radio trend of electro-synthers that also featured peers/rivals/labelmates the Killers. Since then, the Killers have become an "important" band while the Bravery have withered into potential one-hit-wonderdom.
Even though the Bravery will most likely never write something as catchy as "Mr. Brightside" or "When You Were Young," they've done something nearly as unexpected on their second album: they grew up.
That's not to say they've ditched their '80s-flashback ways: "Every Word is a Knife In My Ear" certainly pulls from the same Depeche Mode school as their debut. But they mine other territory equally well: "Angelina" is an Elvis Costello-meets-the-Cars pop-rocker, while "Tragedy Bound" is a Shins-ian ballad and "Bad Sun" takes a whistling cue from Peter, Bjorn and John.
Do we need a band like the Bravery— consistent imitators who never step into their own shoes? No. But if they continue imitating this well, there may be more than one hit for them after all.
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