Categories : Electronica, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 Reviewer: Greg Hutton |
Anticipation tends to accompany apprehension when a beloved cult band comes back from an extended hiatus. While a group like Mission of Burma proved that they could still produce albums essential to their discography 20 years after initially breaking up, a diehard’s inescapable fear of the gospel being corrupted is part and parcel of the news of a reformation or fresh material. Thankfully, Devo can join the ranks of Burma with their newest release Something for Everybody, which may not reach the heights of the group’s earliest material, but certainly avoids being stigmatized as unnecessary or a simple cash-grab. In addition, the band has done an exemplary job of making the album an event rather than an object, most notably by releasing 16 30-second sound clips ahead of the album’s release and inviting fans to vote for their 12 favourite. Coupled with a marketing campaign that stresses Devo as a brand rather than a band, this approach shows they have retained their interest in pushing boundaries.
Coming 20 years after Smooth Noodle Maps, their last studio album, Something hits the ground running and sets the tone for the rest of the album with its opening three songs. ‘Fresh,’ ‘What We Do,’ and ‘Please Baby Please’ all have upbeat 4/4 rhythms accompanied by subtle synths and bassline / drum sounds that border on the electronic. Restrained, jagged guitars have been carried over from the earliest Devo albums, an effect best exemplified in ‘What We Do’ which contrasts stabs of guitar with soaring, metallic interludes. The chorus of ‘Please Baby Please’ also stands out for being decidedly un-Devo like, with its big prechorus and clear backing woah-oh-oh-ohs pushed up front. Even if the opening section is not exactly groundbreaking, the songs are catchy and provide reassurance that the group still have some gas left in the tank.
‘Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)’ switches gears and situates the paranoid Devo of old in the viral video world. As the narrator is on his way to work in his hybrid car he is scanning rooftops for snipers, reminding an unknown assailant to remember that he too is a person. At first, this seems to directly reflect the overwhelming suspicion of a track such as 1978’s ‘Too Much Paranoia,’ a similarity which is reinforced upon further examination – where ‘Too Much Paranoia’ included lyrics from Burger King’s signature jingle, Mark Mothersbaugh concludes ‘Don’t Shoot’ by repeating “don’t taze me bro.” Both lyrics are surprising and to a degree off-putting. And while the BK jingle has, to a certain extent, worked its way into the collective unconscious, it will be interesting to re-examine the conclusion of ‘Don’t Shoot’ 20 years down the line and see if anyone has any idea what the hell Mothersbaugh is talking about.
If the opening half of the album is more likely to prompt sighs of relief that Devo have not irrevocably tarnished their legacy with an ill-advised reunion, the closing songs can be classified as outright good. ‘Cameo’ retains the electronic feel of the rest of the album, all the while combining war whoops, demon voices, descending guitar lines, and a staccato synth line into a wonderfully weird amalgamation. ‘Later is Now’ brings things down a bit but ‘No Place Like Home’ is the closest thing to a ballad on the album. Beginning with the line “A song of truth and beauty for you,” Mothersbaugh later sings “In the bigger scheme of things, we haven’t been around here more than a moment / And yet many it seems believe, we are creating a brand new world around us.” An outright condemnation of the destruction of the world, the song unfolds as a ballad to a planet reclaimed by nature in the absence of humanity. ‘March On’ doesn’t necessarily end the album on a positive note as it follows a soldier marching far from home, but the repetition of its title in the chorus suggests that it isn’t quite time to abandon all hope. Taken together, the closing section ensures that the album does not feel overly repetitive.
Despite that, the biggest drawback of Something for Everybody is that it is same-y throughout, with very little evolution (or devolution) as it progresses. But its hooks are ridiculously catchy, the songs are delivered energetically, and it often hearkens back to the odd. Be a good consumer and stand behind the Devo brand.
