DEVO: Something For Everybody - no thread yet?

So here it is. Better than Shout, Total Devo and Smooth Noodle Maps, though not as good, as the previous ones. Still, I quite like it.

co-sign

I was more excited about this when most of the songs were just 45-second clips revealed in the process of voting. Disappointed that they didn't sustain interest in their complete form. Also, why release a version of the album w/o including the best of your recent material, "Watch Us Work It"?

deluxe edition iirc

cat listening party

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/7681531

http://www.ustream.tv/devo

NYT review...ouch:

"In that spirit I suggest you stay away from this record. It’s not inept, and the band is almost academically true to its own style. The presence of the producer Greg Kurstin — with, according to the credits, some input from Santigold, John Hill, and John King from the production team the Dust Brothers — suggests that bright brains were enlisted in its making, though it’s hard to tell how they helped. But Mr. Mothersbaugh and Mr. Casale are probably making their best work down other avenues. If there’s any dark subtext left in this slight and armored music, it’s the darkest one: Here’s the album you deserve. The joke’s on you. BEN RATLIFF"

sod the NYT.

i agree with the 88% focus group.

its devo. its very good devo.

not as good as the classics of course, but very few bands are, but still, its devo.

also, while we are here, are the remastered editions of the bands classics sounding good ?

i have the Virgin 2fers1 editions and have always thought they sounded somewhat limp in comparison to the vinyl.

should i invest in the remasters, or just turn up the eq on the versions i have already ?

I've only heard the samples online, but they didn't make it sound like it could possibly be better than Shout.

remastered editions of new tradionalists and q: are we not men .. have now been added to my original vinyl version, the uk virgin cassette and the vigin 2fer1 cds.
as the remastered versions are nowhere to be seen uk-side, i succumbed.
from a quick dip on the laptop the sound is way better than the uk cds, lot fatter and more bass from what i can tell.
oh, and the original artwork just adds to the bonus points.

new traditionalists i meant of course.

Nice crisp production. Rife with lots of buzzing, whirring, digital squelching. A more muscular sound to Bob 1's guitar than previous efforts. Big anthemic choruses. Some cringe-inducing lyrics ("Human Rocket"). Big hooks. Certainly way better than everything between Shout and Smooth Noodle Maps. Shiny and bold, but lacking that sort of indefinable "what the fuck is wrong with these guys?" element that made their first three albums so completely amazing. I suppose ya can't go home again. It all seems like they're trying way too hard (to put it mildly). It's better than I was expecting, though.

Live show is still gonna kick ass.

That's a given. Even at their arguable worst (circa Total Devo), the band has always delivered live.

The album is definitely very good, so ignore the NYT. If I have any complaints about it at all is that it kinda trails off at the end a bit (a detour into earnestness?) and not sure what they were going for with the song "Cameo" besides remind folks that they did all this stuff before in the 80s too. And yeah, I'd have like to have had "Watch Us Work It" on here too but I can always tack it onto the end on my iPod. Way better than it should have been at this point in their career path.

It's no Devo 2.0 but it's aight.

Better than Shout, Total Devo and Smooth Noodle Maps, though not as good, as the previous ones. Still, I quite like it.

Solid assessment; I'm hearing this now for the second time through (I put it on repeat) and I'd have to agree. There's no way this is on par with Devo's first four or so albums, all of which are untouchable. But this is a lot of fun, regardless. If they play Austin I will be there again, last time was utterly joyous and fantastic.

Some cringe-inducing lyrics ("Human Rocket"). Big hooks.

You're listening to the lyrics? This song is awesome. That buzzy squelching synth is slaying me. Catchy as fuck. All I need is to catch a bit of the words ("I am a human rocket") and I'm good dancing to the rest.

This album is really fun!

No kidding, I'm liking it a lot myself too.

I love how creepy their new headgear is:

http://daynnightblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Devo.jpg

oh i forgot about this. i saw them live on something on tv and they fuckin stuck it and it was awesome, but of course the question of 'is the album gonna be good' is a totally different dog. glad to be hearing good things, may pick it up.

love love love this album.

having a bad day and in a bad mood ?

then this album will fix that.

"Watch Us Work It" came up on shuffle and I was astounded at how hooky and concise that song is. Really strange that it didn't make the "official" release for whatever reason. Overall I think this album is about on par with Oh, No! It's Devo - really catchy songwriting, kinda gimmicky, and the production goes too far (this album's loudness bothered me from the first minute). "No Place Like Home" has got to be one of their greatest songs ever though, never expected Devo of all bands to pull the curtain back like that

I like this album, but thought the 'Something Else for Everybody' demos collection that came out last year was much better, partially because it doesn't have the loudness problem frogbs mentions

"No Place Like Home" has got to be one of their greatest songs ever though,

soooooo glad to hear i am not the only head that realises the brilliance of this track.

its epic and heart warming, but still devo.

the whole album is hooky as f*ck though.

As exhausting as the sound is I can't help but think that it's part of the overall aesthetic. I remember them saying the cover art was designed to be as appealing as possible but also somewhat unreal - obviously nobody's skin could possibly look like that. The sound is very much the same, every sound is processed to hell and back, even the voices mostly sound unnatural. I'd really like to hear how they sound live - I saw 'em in Green Bay of all places about 7 years ago and they were really good - obviously nobody knew at the time that they'd ever do new material.

I can't say I've listened to it again since...2010.

i'm relistening to it now, if they'd replaced tracks 7-10 with the four bonus songs this would be a lot better

love love love this album.
having a bad day and in a bad mood ?
then this album will fix that.
― mark e, Friday, 17 January 2014 17:51 (two years ago)

i was right.
this album fixes bad moods.