Album Review: Bubblegum by Kevin Devine

Are you hydrated? Bubblegum is one of two new albums from singer/songwriter Kevin Devine and his eighth studio album. After making his Kickstarter campaign goal of $50,000 in less than one day and raking up $114,000 by the end of it, Devine made good on his promise to put out two records. Bulldozer, a solo record produced by Rob Schnapf, smashingly continued with Devine’s refined blend of folk/rock, but Bubblegum has Devine driving into some new territory.

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Prolific Brooklyn-based songwriter Kevin Devine called on his fans to help fund not one, but two new albums in 2013, starting a Kickstarter campaign and reaching his goal of $50,000 in donations in less than a single day. The campaign would go on to more than double that goal, and of the two resultant records (the other being Bulldozer, a folkier solo album) Bubblegum is a high-energy rock & roll album made with the help of Devine's friends in the Goddamn Band, a loosely assembled group featuring Mike Fadem on drums, Mike Strandberg on guitars, and Devine sharing bass duties with album producer Jesse Lacey, as well as singing and playing guitar on most songs. The fantastically produced full-band sound serves as a lush backdrop for Devine's often political or culturally critical lyrics, especially on tracks like "Private First Class" or "I Don't Care About Your Band.

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It’s a rare musical joy when an album holds within it a song, lyric or even a riff that captures the essence of the entire record perfectly. When this happens for a double album it is even rarer. But in Kevin Devine’s pair, Bubblegum and Bulldozer, there is a lyric that does just that. “If you’re angry, well, I’m angry too.” Sung in the chorus of ‘Fiscal Cliff’ the third track of brazen, Jesse Lacey-produced rock album ‘Bubblegum’, these seven words encapsulate the frustration and rage Devine brings to these recordings, but also the sense of community and engagement.There’s no doubt this is Devine’s most passionate work.

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Thirty-three-year-old Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Kevin Devine is releasing not one but two new albums, and simultaneously to boot. One, Bulldozer, is a solo effort recorded in LA produced by Elliott Smith collaborator Rob Schnapf, and the other, Bubblegum, a full band effort with support from his Goddamn Band. Raising over $100k via a Kickstarter campaign whereby, basically, fans fund the recording/producing process, Devine was subsequently highly motivated, buzzing with the amount raised which was over double the $50k target.

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Kevin Devine is going it alone these days. Not musically, so much, as he’s never short of collaborators to tag in and out of his various efforts. But, in just about every other respect, he’s operating largely as a one-man operation. He’s releasing his own music through his newly-minted Devinyl Records imprint, crowdsourcing via Kickstarter to fund the release of his records, and even doing the lion’s share of the legwork on the promotional front.

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