Devo – Something For Everybody

I’m going to let you all in on a secret.  For a few months now I have been conducting a social experiment.  This experiment requires asking people the question “Do you like Devo?”, and then recording their answers.  Analyzing the collected data has allowed me to separate the population into two distinct categories.  We’ll call them Categories A and B just to keep things simple.

Category A consists of the people who seem almost offended by my question.  They refuse to respond with a concise answer such as yes, instead going on at length about the “great” and “important” Devo.  Reluctantly, I have been forced to stop a few of these marathon tirades when I ran out of tape in my voice recorder.  These instances only seemed to fuel the proverbial fire however, normally resulting in the interviewees launching into yet another fiery string of statements containing adjectives such as “amazing”, “fantastic”, and “visionary”.  Shockingly, although there is an almost overwhelming amount of passion on display in Category A, it seems that passion does not translate into a large percentage of the overall population.

Quite the opposite, Category B contains the vast majority of people interviewed.  Striving again for simplicity I have lumped similar groups of responders together.  Thus the people who responded to my question with “Who?” along with the people who had little working knowledge of the band, yet knew of their existence, are classified the same way.  Below I have included a sample conversation which effectively simulates my exchange with one of the latter people.

    “Do you like Devo?”

    “Yeah, no.  That song "Whip It" sucks.  Oh, and those hats they wore in the
video were soooo stupid.”

    “I see.”

Admittedly I belong squarely in Category A, but I have tried to keep my personal feelings from affecting the experiment.  My hypothesis is this.  I believe that if a person from Category B actually sat down and listened to Devo’s new album Something for Everybody, I could ask them a second time whether or not they like Devo and their new response would be a resounding yes.  Here is why.  (Alright, that’s enough of the academic nonsense!)

Something for Everybody is a fantastic album that rocks from start to finish.  How do I know?  Easy.  It makes me happy and invigorated every time that I listen to it.  Not good enough?  How about this.  Even though there have been countless imitators, the band still manages to produce a sound that is unmistakably Devo.  Guitars and synthesizers go to war with each other in a battle for supremacy alongside drums that alternate between sounding organic and computerized.  The vocals are playful, sincere, and unique in this age of growlers or ultra-polished, vibrato leaden sound-alikes.  And then there are the songs.  Oh, the songs!

Opening salvo “Fresh” is a fine introduction to the album, but for my money the real show begins with track number two.  “What We Do” serves as Devo’s mission statement, assuring the listener that they know exactly what they are doing with catchy mantra-like lyrics layered over pulsating synthesizers and a driving backbeat.  More standouts quickly arrive with the dual threat of “Mind Games” and “Human Rocket”.  “Mind Games” is so “Girl U Want” catchy it should be quarantined by the Center for Disease Control.   “Human Rocket” begins with a pre-liftoff warm-up, quickly ignites the engines to build speed and energy, breaks through the atmosphere with a guitar solo, and finally deploys the parachutes to bring the listener back to Earth.  Don’t feel a proper album is complete without a heartfelt ballad?  Fear not my friends.  “No Place Like Home” is there for you with it’s fatalistic social commentary evoking a range of emotions similar to the classic “Beautiful World”.  Truthfully, picking a few songs to highlight from the album is tough as each one is memorable and strong.

The bottom line here is that everyone searching for a fun, high quality, engaging album need look no further.  Take it from someone who was through being cool years ago.  You may think you don’t like Devo, but after listening to Something for Everybody you may just find yourself ordering your very own energy dome (those stupid hats).  Did you know that they come in blue now?

-- Penfold

Buy here: Something for Everybody

Extended Play Tuesday (on wednesday!): Tigger Clarkson, The Sweet Kill, The Doggs

Tigger Clarkson – The Balance EP

Pulling this EP from the stack and reading the artist name immediately conjured up some joke about Winnie the Pooh, but all humor was thrown out the window as I listened to this guys soulful approach on this four song mini epic. The first thing to know is that Tigger Clarkson can’t be pigeonholed into any particular genre. He uses elements of soulful R&B in his particular brand of rock n’ roll, but slips in little flourishes of jazz and funk, some heavy swamp blues, some alt-rock . . . mixing everything together to create one of the more enjoyable, and surprising, releases of the year. Opening track “Get Back To Me” refuses to have the listener walk away without swaying the hips or tapping the toes. Reminding me of later era Duran Duran with the soulful exuberance of Hall n’ Oates and sung by Seal, this song has all of those aforementioned elements screaming to be heard. It has a bit of a techno/electric feel to the drums, but the guitars mixed in have a touch of alternative distortion, which helps to give the sound some edge. Then, with the vocal performance, Tigger adds a vibe of that classic Philly soul sound. This is an addictive song and one that simply can’t be listened to more than once.

On the other side of Tigger’s songwriting spectrum, we have “Lies and Confessions” that I swear is a missing track from the latest Black Bone Child album. Stripped down and filled with a sludge-y swamp blues sound, this song is a rip roarin’ jamboree in some backwoods juke joint. Listen closely and you’ll hear the rain pitter-pattering one a hot tin roof while all inside the club are glistening in a coat of sweat. The bass drum is like thunder cracking in rhythmic time, the stuttering guitar lines like the rain crashing against the structure, the voice . . . oh Crom, that voice, is pure sexuality. Hot . . . steamy . . . filled with sultry swagger. “Blind Eye” and “Autokinesis” incorporate more of the 90’s alternative rock sounds, but Tigger does an excellent job of mixing in that rhythm and blues, and stuns the listener to comatose obedience with his voice. Can’t wait to hear a full length offering from this guy!  -  Pope 

http://www.myspace.com/tiggerclarkson

The Sweet Kill – Suicide EP

Now, I’m not one to normally celebrate my depression, or someone else’s depression, for that matter. But, in the case of The Sweet Kill, I might just twirl a noise maker around a couple of times. This 6 song EP looks to be a one man project and the brain child of one Pete Mills, who tackles the majority of the vocal duties and all of the instruments, with the exception of the drums. The songs contained within can be categorized as electronic, I guess . . . though I have a hard time with that classification because this stuff has a lot more soul than your traditional techno-infused electric music. Listening to this EP, I hear stuff that full on reminds me of the late 80’s, new wave polished goth scene. A scene made up of a lot of people who feared the sun and had a passion for dark clothing . . . and then get their freak on at some underground dance club with several hundred other like minded goth-y folk.

Every song on this disc has something to do with death. Suicide seems to be the ongoing theme, hence the title Suicide, but it’s not limited to self inflicted death. And throughout all the depressing subject matter, the music has a low end, danceable groove pushing it forward that one can’t help but feel the need to tap their toes or shake their ass to the thing. “Suicide Club” is an upbeat tune with a melody that immediately reminds me of New Order or Depeche Mode. That classic 80’s sounding electric drum and synth action makes me a little nostalgic and I find myself swaying in time with the rhythm. Mills’ voice has quite the range, powerful through the verses . . . in fact, a little gruff and aggressive, and then he shifts to a smoother quality in the choruses. He also does a great job of adding a little character to his performance by generating these little high pitched squeals in the midst of the more sultry lines, and I think this adds something fairly unique to the overall sound. “Night Terror Creeper” has a nice bass driven groove and the overall tone of this song has an ominous air. Mills does a great job of creating dark tension and still making it accessible.

“It’s A Good Day To Die” immediately makes me want to go clubbing in Europe. This song is full on up tempo and bouncy, and the overall mood of the song has a happier quality like all things are rosy. Then the chorus kicks in with its bubbly upbeat rhythm and rhyme, and we find out that today is a good day to die. If keeling over is this jolly, it’s no wonder why people commit suicide. They obviously know something that the rest of us have been missing. In all seriousness, I can’t help but love this song. The contrast of mood is cool with its darker lyrics and lighter musical style working in this odd yin-yang symmetry. This is a fun disc to be depressed to!  -  Pope JTE

http://www.myspace.com/thesweetkill

The Doggs – The Doggs EP

Imagine if Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf-man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon suddenly got Mohawks, pierced their cheeks, formed a band and threw all night, raving bon-fire beach parties.  That’s a bit of a hint at what awaits you on this freakishly cool four-song EP from Italy’s  The Doggs.

Blending a way-mutated sixties beach vibe with old horror film panache and both nostrils full of punky snot, The Doggs EP sounds like what’d happen if Johnny Rotten fronted the Cramps.  Big, swooping, uber-cool, post-sixties bass lines lay down the backbone for the barely controlled phlegm that follows.  Toss in some of the coolest, avante-punk saxophone work I’ve heard on an album in ages and those Johnny Rotten vocals and we’ve got ourselves a winner of alt-suave-garage-beach punk.

“Underground Drain,” is a bit of an inauspicious start.  It’s got one helluva cool, sixties-spy film, bass line, some damn fine, swirling retro-beach organ, and that amazing sax wailing away.  It’s also got the vocal that serves as the band’s mission statement. “We came from the underground drain/no hope to save our brain/we came from the underground drain.”  But over all the song serves really as an intro to the freaky mutant crew you’re about to meet.  The EP really takes off with the next track, “Kiss My Blood.”  There, the full spittle of the Sex Pistols vocals rage in full effect.  Some choppy punk guitar, sex sounds, and driving bass push this song over the edge.  Here we get the full beauty of the rotten Cramps, in kitschy, ghoulish effect.  “No Lights,” is a monstrously cool, post-swingin’ sixties retro-instrumental with that damn sax positively setting the tone over some wild wah’d out guitar. The hole shebang riding across a mountain of a steady bass line.  While “Animal” brings back the punky rave-up with some tasty guitar licks and a super-swingin’ melody.  Johnny Rotten’s back to amazing effect.  . .  and did I mention that sax?  Seriously, this song is about as stylishly cool as you could imagine.  A lava lamp party for the punky undead.  Don’t miss it. -- Racer


www.myspace.com/thedoggs69