Friday , March 29 2024
Are we not men? We’re still Devo.

Music Review: Devo – Something for Everybody

Remember the 80’s, the New Wave Music Movement that spawned bands with new sounds and new gimmicks, making some memorable and some, not so much? Recently, many of the new wave vanguard have made attempts at comebacks and have fallen short, their sounds over worked and over sampled, some sounding like re-hashed copies of their earlier work.

Thirty years ago, one band stood in the forefront of the music movement and created a sound that was both vibrant and hypnotic, a sound that spoke to many of the world’s youth that felt they needed something to connect with and feel passionate about. It has been 20 years since Devo’s last album, Smooth Noodle Maps, and now Devo has released their new album, Something for Everybody to the delight of devoted Devo fans and new fans alike.

Something for Everybody is rich in originality and audio texture; there is the techno-rich sound and the futuristic vibe that Devo is famous for as well as a bright and crisp new tone. Devo has created in this album an environmental sound that has technical computer sounds but is not over sampled or over dubbed. The group is known for its ability perfectly mix the “Sci-Fi” sounds with its highly skilled musical ability and the vocal talents of their lead man, Mark Mothersbaugh.

This album is not a comeback but a continuation of the one band that stood apart and is best connected not just to a time period, but could be given credit for creating an entire movement in music.

Devo stands ready for today and the future with members Gerald Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob Casale and Josh Freese, working together to create and album that is just as pivotal as their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo.

“The world is in sync with Devo, we’re not the guys who freak people out and scare them—we’re like the house band on the Titanic, entertaining everybody as we go down,” says his bandmate and co-writer Gerald Casale.

The tracks on Something for Everybody contain messages of logical thought and comment on present issues perplexing people today, and a phrasing like “Don’t tase’ me Bro’” in the song “Don’t Shoot ( I’m a Man)” touches on the individual incidents that wind up becoming political markers in history.

The lineup of song titles is:

1. “Fresh”
2. “What We Do”
3. “Please Baby Please”
4. “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)”
5. “Mind Games”
6. “Human Rocket”
7. “Sumthin'”
8. “Step Up”
9. “Cameo”
10. “Later Is Now”
11. “No Place Like Home”
12. “March On”
13. “Watch Us Work It”
14. “Signal Ready”
15. “Let’s Get To It”
16. “Knock Boots”

Devo has, in this album, created a moving picture of modern society of the run from the Pandora’s Box that was opened by its predecessors with nowhere to run to except into future, where protective jumpsuits and red helmets keep a “spud-boy” safe.

Remember your Duty Now for the Future, insure your Freedom of Choice and Shout from the rooftops, “I am,” Total Devo.

About Joseph Timmons

Writer, Artist and Musician living in California. I like Music, all Music and I have a fondness for the arts. I will write about anything, but I am most prolific when it comes to Music and the Entertainment Arts. I consider myself an admirer of Fashion and Social Events. When out and about, look around, I may be there - I travel around and get in to every party !

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