After years in their hermetically sealed bubble of artistic integrity, the new wave group Devo is ready to begin delivering a product that everybody will enjoy -- a reality series.The pilot documents the typically private process of creation and marketing of the Devo brand, in which profound statements on the world we live in mix with the inherent absurdity of modern life. Tune in at clubdevo.com every Tuesday and follow this five-episode series starting 6/15, and purchase the album of the same name "Something for Everybody". Pt 1 introduces the band as they shake hands with Warner Bros. Records.
"Continuing on their quest of de-evolution, Devo, Inc.'s COO, Greg Scholl, presents Warner Bros. with an "epic" marking deck, which features his "synergistic trident." The the trident represents the band, the label and the consumer, but there's still a missing link. Enter Mother LA, an ad agency that promises to make Devo more appealing using their "test to learn" approach."
The lead-up to Devo’s first new album since 1990 was a lot more fun than the album, itself. Which isn’t really surprising. It’s rare for any artist to return to early triumphs and bring with them anything more than disappointment for their fans (The Godfather Part III, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, the last Indiana Jones movie, etc.)
That being said, I enjoyed Something for Everybody a lot more than I thought I would. I was one of those folks to take part in Devo, Inc.’s “song study,” a focus group formed to help Devo’s new corporate overlords determine the most consumer friendly version of the album. It was a lot of fun, even if the samples of the new songs left me a little underwhelmed. My favorite song on the original roster, What Us Work It, didn’t make the cut for the final CD.
Still, there’s a level of detail and craftsmanship on display on the album that’s impressive, even if some of the songs haven’t really stuck with me. There's an old-school '80s bounce to these tunes that never sounds like a nostalgic pose. Something for Everybody stays true to the band's original premise of social devolution, going so far to proclaim at the start of No Place Like Home that it's a "song of truth and beauty for you" with all the misguided sincerity of a machine.
My favorite track is Please Baby Please, which has a funky New Traditionalists kind of rhythm to it, not to mention the album's most searing guitar tracks. Human Rocket is also pretty cool and, while I dig the idea and execution of Don't Shoot (I'm a Man), I'm a little perplexed by the band's use of something as dated as "Don't Taze Me Bro" for the song's closing refrain.
Maybe my dissatisfaction is just lingering disappointment on my part: Devo has always been my patron saints of musical ethics, the rare example of a band smart enough to know when to quit. Too many bands stick around just long enough to make you resent them, but Devo got out with their legacy intact. I'm happy to see them back (and writing new music again that's NOT Dev 2.0) but worry that it's not going to end well.
That being said, Something for Everybody is still a fun little diversion, even if it falls a little shy of the precedents set by albums like Freedom of Choice and Q&A. If nothing else, I'm delighted to see Devo getting a little love after all these years.
Devo recently conducted an online "song study" to let fans choose which songs would appear on their first new album in 20 years. Tuesday night they held a press conference (lead by Devo, Inc's chief operating officer) to announce the findings. The video is above.
Usually, it's just good manners to warn folks when you're going to be away for a few days. I'm hoping for partial credit by explaining my absence after the fact.
It's nothing dramatic: I just took some time off to hang out with friends, family and a few wild animals (at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, S.C.) Anything you hear about my behavior over the weekend is probably the product of a deranged imagination and should be ignored.
While trapped in the car for hours on end I decided to introduce my nieces to late '70s alt rock/nerd punk via Devo and The Dickies. Both of them now have Working in a Coal Mine and The Banana Splits tattooed forever on their brains.
In that spirit, let me share a link with you: the new Song Study from Devo, which lets fans select the final tracks from the band's forthcoming album. It's a lot of fun, and I have this feeling that Wes Anderson was somehow involved with the site. Enjoy!
.) Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any Dev2.0 costumes. Let's all pretend that didn't happen, okay?
kind of rhythm to it, not to mention the album's most searing guitar tracks. Human Rocket is also pretty cool and, while I dig the idea and execution of Don't Shoot (I'm a Man), I'm a little perplexed by the band's use of something as dated as "Don't Taze Me Bro" for the song's closing refrain.
and Q&A
. If nothing else, I'm delighted to see Devo getting a little love after all these years.
. Both of them now have Working in a Coal Mine and The Banana Splits tattooed forever on their brains.
