One Year Later - DEVO Something For Everybody Album Review
As the well-worn chestnut goes: Time flies (too fast). Time from a devolutionary perspective, doubly so. Incredible as it may be, an entire year of devolution has occurred since the release of DEVO's first new album of the past two decades, Something for Everybody. The run up to its release on June 15, 2010 was an exercise in crowdsourcing, memes and viral marketing of the most ingenious sort. DEVO didn't stage a comeback album as much as they let those of us fans who were clever enough to "get it", back into their world.
Something for Everybody holds up just as strong, if not stronger, a full year after its release. With this album, DEVO crafted its most cohesive set of music since Freedom of Choice. The sound is a precise blend of both electronic and traditional instrumentation, resulting in a listening experience which feels like the natural progression of the band.
The album has that rare quality of being an addictive listen. The more you hear it and let yourself get lost in its sound and lyrics, the more you will find how great it really is. Despite being in a music age where more and more artists eschew the album format, DEVO embraced it and created a set of songs which play equally well in their intended order as well as if you let chaos reign and hit Shuffle.
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| DEVO live at Club Nokia Los Angeles 3-19-11 |
This is an album that defines the technology-based, fast paced, always in a race, era in which we live. An era of the ubiquitous internet, with its countless pieces of cat-related media and people getting their allotted 15 seconds of fame (with all due respect to Mr. Warhol for the time change) via YouTube. These messages are most prevalent in a set of the best pieces on the album: "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)", "Step Up" and "Later is Now". A sort of "modern human trilogy" if you will.
There are quirkier pieces, like "Let's Get to It" and "Signal Ready" which feels like a 70's DEVO song warped forward in time and sound. "No Place Like Home" plays like a sequel to their classic "Beautiful World". And maybe, just maybe, if we didn't exist in a world where radio has devolved to point which it has, songs like "Fresh", "Watch Us Work It" and "Sumthin" would have seen extensive airplay, and dare I say, been "hits". With all of the creativity springing from this album, let's hope the Spuds don't make us wait another 20 years before gracing our ear canals with more of their subversive genius.
There is only one thing which I am disappoint with Something for Everybody. There has yet to be a deluxe physical release with all 16 tracks yet; something I fully expected their record label to have done by now. If you haven't checked out this album, then by all means sample it for yourself. Even a year later, there's still something for everybody.
Video of DEVO performing their classic "Girl U Want" @ Club Nokia, Los Angeles
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