ALBUM REVIEW: Grieving Expectation – Devon Kay & The Solutions
In almost every piece of media, there is the message that you should live your life because you never know when you’re going to die. It’s been seen in books, films, plays and music. However, Chicago power-pop seven-piece DEVON KAY & THE SOLUTIONS have mixed the message up a bit. Instead of never knowing when death is round the corner, their new album Grieving Expectation argues that death is a bit further away than you think, so live life.
The album comprises 11 songs, opening with new single The Optimist. It’s perhaps the most unexpected song on the album, described by vocalist/guitarist Devon Kay as a collaborative effort between the whole band. It is easy to see why. The song has everything thrown into it, from dance and pop to jazz and rock. However, thanks to the fantastic mixing by Mike Kennerty and mastering by Erik Atwell, the song gets the album off to a joyful start.
Next track The Space In-Between starts off with trumpets before kicking into the most uplifting song on the record with a heavy focus on jazz which suits the song a lot. Parchment & Petroleum slows things down a little pacing wise; the song itself is fun and upbeat, however, after the first two songs being distinct, this one falls into the background a bit.
Until The Wheels Fall Off is another slow song – slower than the previous song even. This affects the pacing of the overall album because the slower songs are often reserved for the middle of a record. It is a shame because up until now, the album had a fun, upbeat sound to it. There is still an upbeat tempo, but it seems to be missing something key. The outro of the song is nice, as it just has an acoustic guitar and vocals.
Thankfully, Liver picks up the pace, throwing the listener back into a joyful song that is more in the same vein of the first two tracks. It has everything from trumpet solos to guitar solos, and while for most bands this mixture of sounds and genres would create a chaotic sounding mess of a song, DEVON KAY & THE SOLUTIONS get the formula just right.
No One Is Thinking About You (Or Anyone Else… is another upbeat song, while S.A.F.E.T.Y. after it is vastly different. It’s a short interlude of a track, taking the form an aggressive and shouty punk number. It provides something of a shock to the system, especially after the mellow and jazzier songs, but it still suits the band well, showing how confident they are in different genres of music.
Oh My, Oh My, We’re Far Past That Now returns to the jazz-influenced pop that the band are familiar with. Despite all the genre changes (Frustrated People of the World, Unite! combines the punk of No One Is Thinking About You… and the jazz of Oh My, Oh My… to perfection), the pacing of the album is mostly consistent.
In conclusion, Grieving Expectation is a joy to listen to. Despite a couple of pacing issues with a few slow songs, the rest of the album is an absolute riot. The standout mixing and mastering means that the album flows together mostly well. The different genres fit together nicely and it is destined to be played at festivals and house parties. This album is unique. Most albums that mix genres can seem very intimidating, but DEVON KAY & THE SOLUTIONS do not fall into that trap, as they have created an album that can be listened to and enjoyed by everyone.
Rating: 7/10
Grieving Expectation is set for release on April 1st via Pure Noise Records.
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