Singles Review: Kevin Devine - Part of the Whole/Luxemboug 7''

Critiquing one of your favorite artists is no easy task. Kevin Devine as an artist will always be good, that's something I'm sure of in the way that I'm sure my closest friends will always be their for me. I can always count on his music to melt my heart, to make me happy, to remind me why I invest my emotional and financial support in an artist.

Devine is everything I could want in artist: a warm lyrical heart, a strong voice, a gripping storyteller, an interesting interview subject. I can go on but you get the drift. In anticipation of a new album Devine has released two new 7'' singles.

"Part of the Whole" opens with a calm guitar before it builds up to the drums booming in a little over a minute musical intro, before the first words are sung: "Back your mind you're counting it down, you want what you want you're not worrying now."

The songwriting and lyrics are great, but the guitar falls short. This little flaw is heard around 3:26--an annoying guitar sound that drifts for the rest of the song. Funny, how Devine ends the song with, "You've gotta face it whole." So, with that advice, I think it's necessary to critique the song as a whole because that 13 seconds of guitar is just part of the whole song. Overall, the guitars get pretty loud and pop with urgency as Devine sings about dealing with what you can't control. Specifically, he talks about it being about the gentrification of the lower east side in NYC, which you can read about in the interview below, but being the lyricist he is, Devine makes his lyrics universal, so that you can apply and interpret, "you try and let go of all that you can't control," and "you've gotta face it whole, you've gotta face it, oh, you've gotta face it" to mean anything to the listener. He's not really singing about the gentrification of the LES, but that's what it means to him. More importantly it's what YOU take the lyrics to mean. The genuine nature  that he delivers in his poetically crafted, story telling songs is ace. If you like the guitar in Bad Books, then this will be a song you'll enjoy.

Moving along is the second single, "Luxembourg," where Devine boldly confesses: "I've got weakness like all my brothers do." Within the song, Devine talks about being lost in Luxembourg. He continue, "time won't heal our wounds." For the longest time, I've heard and believed that 'time will heal.' Here Devine rejects that notion. "Kids do stupid things and I was and I did....Speak no argument, you're nowhere close to shore/ I'm sorry, but I don't have time for sorry anymore." The way Devine sings calmly and beautifully sings this song is lovely. Overall, these songs are pleasant and showcase the growth of Mr. Devine. They may not be perfect, but they're enough to make me happy I'm a Kevin Devine fan. Anyway, no artist, no person is perfect, and I'm not expected to like every lyric or every part of the music. But by assessing the music as a whole you begin to realize that you can't dismiss a song on the basis of the part you don't like. If that was always the case, then we'd be missing out on the best parts of the whole--not just with songs but it has greater meaning to your life.

Listen to Part of the Whole and read an interview Devine did with Spinner here:  http://www.spinner.com/2011/05/12/kevin-devine-Between-the-Concrete-and-Clouds/ 


More info on "Part of the Whole" and "Luxembourg" at Academy Fight Song.