Jamie Lenman's Devolver Listening Party - My Thoughts
I've just had the pleasure of being involved in the Devolver listening party the latest in a genius suite of preorder bonuses from Jamie Lenman and Big Scary Monsters.
Here's some of my thoughts on each track.
1. Hardbeat
The extended album version of the single released earlier this year. "Dunga dunga dunga dunga" chugs the intro before soft spoken vocals, bass and electronic beats combine into a fairly dance oriented opener. Later we get a big drum breakdown followed by some cacophonous squealing Lenman guitar. This is quite unlike anything I've heard from Jamie before.
2. Waterloo Teeth
Another single released earlier in the year. I was lucky enough to pick up the 7" at Jamie's Glasgow show back in May. This song opens with an absolutely crunching riff and launches into Jamie's trademark melodic shouting vocals. This song just gets heavier as it goes on, devolving into a much screamier (not a word) vocal style more reminiscent of some of the material from the heavy side of Jamie's last album Muscle Memory. This extended version ends with what sounded like a little girl chanting. An odd end to an intense track.
3. Personal
"This time it's personal". This track opens with real swagger progressing into a chugging bridge before going, in Jamie's own words, "full on metal". The riff at the end of this track hits like a fucking steamroller.
4. Body Popping
A much less metal oriented track with a bass intro followed up by a clean guitar solo and drums moving into stabbing guitar chords. The vocals are soft and at times almost robotic as Lenman repeats "your body's overrated".
5. Comfort Animal
Originally written as an extension to Body Popping this acts as a bit of a pallet cleanser for what has come so far. This track is a short, calming, ethereal soundscape conjuring up images of light piercing through a dark underwater landscape. It immediately brought Sigur Ros to my mind.
6. Mississippi
This song was previously released long before any new album announcement was made and got me, and I'm sure many other Lenman fans, excited for what was to come. This is a leftover from the Muscle Memory sessions; not quite soft enough for the soft side and not quite heavy enough for the heavy side. It opens with a chugging fuzz guitar riff and some shouted vocals from Lenman followed by chants of "I cant let go". There are some interesting electronic sounds thrown in there for good measure. The track ends on a big and heavy sing along of "M-I-DOUBLE-S-I-DOUBLE-S-I-P-P-I".
7. Hell in a Fast Car
A fun, up-tempo but agressive track. The falsetto vocals are a real highlight and lyrics like "we're going to hell in a fast car, with the top down, and no seatbelt" are truly memorable. This is a song about not being left behind and trying to stay relevant.
8. I Don't Know Anything
Genuine excitement before this track began as Jamie announced this was the finished version of a mysterious little ditty that was heard on Reuben's "What Happens in Aldershot Stays in Aldershot" DVD. The intro reminded me somewhat of Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang and went off in some very different directions over the course of its run time. I don't think my brain had a chance to properly digest this one!
9. Bones
A real album highlight this. Bones opens with plinky plonky piano notes over a fuzzy blues infected bass line before a smoky jazz bar trumpet gets thrown into the mix. At times it reminded of Digging My Own Grave by Thrice but this is much less straightforward. Just wait for the squealing, ragged guitar solo played over piano key stabs towards the end of the song!
10. All of England is a City
A really infectious intro that for some reason made me think of a slower paced heavier version of Lit's My Own Worst Enemy minus the last two notes. Does that even make sense? Anyway the song has some interesting falsetto vocals and ends on a great shouty sing along of the track title.
11. Devolver
Maybe I'm just giddy after getting an early chance to listen to the album but THIS SONG IS A MASTERPIECE. A perfect closing track that reminds you not to take yourself too seriously; the vocal "I am irrelevant" is both soaring and heartbreaking. A nice moment harkens back to album opener Hardbeat before launching into a punishing riff as heavy as anything else on the record.
Hope you enjoyed reading some of my thoughts on the album. If you were involved in the listening party let me know what you thought in the comments below or on instagram and facebook.
Devolver is released on 27th October via Big Scary Monsters.
