Kevin Devine is going it alone these days. Not musically, so much, as he’s never short of collaborators to lend their hand to his various efforts. But, in just about every other respect, he’s operating largely as a one-man operation. He’s releasing his own music through his newly-minted Devinyl Records imprint, crowdsourcing via Kickstarter to fund the release of his records, and even doing the lion’s share of the legwork on the promotional front. You know, because the life of a working musician isn’t busy enough.
Kevin Devine seemingly couldn’t be more reenergized by the entire process, so much so that the fruits of his fundraising allowed for not one, but two new records, each one tailored to decidedly different sides of Devine’s punchy pop rock personality. “I might be someone who is uniquely positioned to do it, since I have a few pretty distinct iterations of my musical personality,” Devine says of his decision to parse his new material out over two separate recordings. It’s an accurate statement coming from a songwriter with a firm grip on the two potentially pejorative strains of power pop, that of the sweetly sentimental singer/songwriter and the rock star with a noisy taste for flavorful hooks. Devine’s music dips its toes in both waters,
So to date we have “Bulldozer” and “Bubblegum”, two records with their own feel and identity that together paint a portrait of the artist. But, don’t be fooled by the titles. Ironically enough, the tough-sounding Bulldozer gives in to Kevin Devine’s more streamlined pop inclinations. Backed by members of countrified alt poppers Everest, Devine and his backing Goddamn Band shape-shift their way through the pop rock spectrum, offering up acoustic ballads (“From Here”, “For Eugene”), atmospheric alt rock (“Couldn’t Be Happier”, “Matter of Time”), Beatles-esque pop jaunts (“The Worm in Every”), and hard-driving guitar rock (“She Can See Me”). The reference points are deliberate, with Devine citing Neil Young (Zuma and On The Beach, to be precise), Elliott Smith, Nebraska-era Springsteen, and Teenage Fanclub as sources for the record’s inspiration. It’s quite the grab bag of influences, but Devine makes good use of the sonic sprawl and everything plays nice together.
But, if Bulldozer plays the part of mature older brother, Bubblegum, is the snot-nosed middle child crying out loudly for attention. In part two of his musical juggling act, Devine strips away much of the polish and pop finesse boasted on Bulldozer, allowing for a less deliberate sound that gets by on scruffy volume and youthful exuberance. Devine’s take? “I actually think they kind of yin and yang together pretty well,” he opines. In the end, it’s hard to argue. One hand washes the other,
The Fat Angel Sings 