I took some time a few months ago to share some initial thoughts on Kevin Devine's double album release of "Bubblegum" and "Bulldozer".
I didn't really know what to make of the double release... I wasn't sure if they should be considered as a collective "double album" or treated as individual releases.
After catching the band in support of the albums a few weeks after the release, I decided on the latter.
In my head and heart... I can't shake the feeling that they're a lot like Use Your Illusion I and II by Guns N Roses.
Not in sound or prose... but it's hard to listen to tracks on the record and not want to slip out the other to hear stuff off the other album.
Bubblegum is a little more abrasive/aggressive when compared to Bulldozer. I sorta liken it to Use Your Illusion I, in that it's the album that has tracks I would prefer to hear live.
The comparisons purely reside in my head tho'... there aren't any songs about wanting to live his life in a coma.
There are however a number of songs that touch on very pressing topics. One of the most refreshing thing about Kevin Devine's work is that he's decided to comment on very complex contemporary topics. Left leaning debate on Obama & Drones, Private First Class Manning and the Fiscal Cliff are all addressed on the FIRST THREE Tracks of the album.
It's not all heady conversation tho'... there's a number of foot tapping songs about self doubt and love too.
One of my favorite tracks on the album is titled "I Don't Care About Your Band". I'm not exactly sure if the dialogue is between him and a critic or a label that opted to pass on these albums. It's anthemic of what the two albums are collectively about tho'.
Stand Out Tracks:
- Nobel Prize
- Private First Class
- Bloodhound
- Bubblegum
- She Can See Me (very Pixies)
- I Don't Care About Your Band