Devin Davis Lonely People of the World, Unite!
Ok, I jumped the gun on this one! I had only heard 3 of the 11 songs on the record and had already declared it my album of the week before actually owning a copy. I never imagined it would be so hard to locate it at the local record shops. So I had to order it from Insound, which is never a bad thing but it certainly delayed matters. So do I still declare this an album of the week after hearing the record in its entirety? You bet I do! Heck, the 3 songs that I did hear ("Iron Woman," "Turtle and the Flightless Bird," and "Deserted Eyeland") are worth that distinction. The explosive opener, "Iron Woman" is easily one of my favorite singles of the year and will sure to find its way on The Music Lovers Best of 2005 show. A lot of times when an artist attempts a "perfect pop" album it comes out with mixed results. Davis' attempt is one that pays off from start to finish (minus "Cannons at the Courthouse" which attempts to be funny and witty yet fails at both). At only 35 minutes long, Lonely People is so tight that it only contains the essentials: simple but heartfelt songs that make you bob your head back and forth. It's also definitely 60's inspired pop which I am sure will lead to a fair share of Brian Wilson references (Davis even looks like Wilson on the back cover) but I think that connection is often over used by music critics. It is probably safe to say, though, that Davis loves the studio process of recording (Davis himself recorded and mixed the album) and that he has heard his fair share of Beach Boys records as well as the Kinks ("Paratrooper with Amnesia" could easly have been an outtake from the Muswell Hillbillies sessions) but I am also reminded of Guided By Voices if they cared for their records to sound clean or even an Elephant 6 project if they cared to appeal to the masses. Keep your eye out for Devin. The copyright for this new release is 2003 so we might see a newer release sooner than later. I hope so!
