In my opinion, Kevin Devine is among the best modern singer/songwriters of our generation, and his newest album, Brother’s Blood is a success that exhibits just why this is the case. The best way to describe this album is to quote Kevin himself as “The end of days, a dead dog and his sailor master, hallucinogenic fever dreams, sexual infatuation, vividly imagined infidelity, Irish women, Irish Spring, baby boomers, cold feet, getting responsible, life on life’s terms.” And this all makes perfect sense. Basically, this album can’t be lumped into a category, only poetry; heartache and musical brilliance.

The first song, “All of Everything, Erased”, is an uplifting melody parlayed with meditative imagery that draws you into Kevin’s world, his process. “Carnival” provides a swirling experimental introduction setting the tone for carnival-esque aural experience. In any event, the intro was my favorite part of the song and the rest of it kind of dragged, but it did show off some good recording techniques. Now, the third song “Bag of Bones”, is possibly one of the best off of the album describing an inside-out world with ponderous lyrics awash in a tremendous crescendo. This might be considered inflammatory to some, but freaking amazing to me.

“Hand of Good” has some good harmonies combined with a burgeoning folk acoustic element. The next tune “Brother’s Blood” is an eternal ode to guilt and grief over a lost one, offering a delicate guitar turned angry, a fragile voice turned mournful. This is one of my favorites on album highlighting Devine’s varied and textured styles. “Fever Moon” is compelling and rich, delivering a Latin flavor in what is a serious departure from what we have heard on “Brother’s Blood”. It is such a sexy piece of work featuring lyrics such as, “You’re burnt sky, A fever moon that makes the sun jealous at night, Fix them unto me and bring me back to life.” What else can I say!

“It’s Only Your Life” is a soft spoken song, truly beautiful, and another testament to the human condition. Next we have “Mr. Murphy” a song about the mourning of one’s “best friend”. I know what he means…I have so much trouble even writing it. But, Kevin has a way of singing about weighty and sad topics, but in a sweet sometimes celebratory way. “Mr. Murphy” costars the sublime vocalist Jaymay, and can be described as jazzy, even jolly.

The next song, “I Could Be With Anyone” is kind of pop, punk, featuring some synth and reminding me a lot of Elvis Costello. It’s just not as good as the other songs, though, possibly because of the out-of-place electric drum intro. ”Yr Husband” is not one of the strongest either but towards the middle it ventures into a cascading guitar riff that has the ability to stay in your head for days. You will see what I mean.

“Tomorrow Is Just Too Late”, is a simple acoustic tune, touching upon the same elegant approach to exposed songwriting. Overall the album highlights Devine’s lyrical ability to deliver melancholy via a panoply of styles. Each song has a place on this album. I appreciate Kevin’s sweet voice, his occasional screaming, and his experimental sounds alongside the more earthy tones throughout the album. I think we all owe it to ourselves to see him live because I hear he is one of the best in the business.

Next NYC Show:
October 30th 8pm @ The Blender Theater in Gramercy w/ The Get Up Kids and The Life and Times