Devo

Q: Why should I care about Devo?

A: The Fly have given me too much power, probably. After an overwhelmingly cold response to the question “What do you guys think about Devo?” I thought it best to make them care. And make you care.

Facts: Devo have been around forever. Well, since 1973, in which time they’ve released 9 studio records, sound-tracked films and released a video game. That’s pretty cool, right?

Other contentious facts: Devo are great, and have been for a very long time. Even if you choose to ignore the wacky hats (those are Energy Domes, actually) and the bizarre videos (doing this would make you irredeemably boring, incidentally), they weave ideas that come out of nowhere into short, punchy pop songs with addictive guitar lines and fantastic choruses.

Twenty years since their last record, Mark Mothersbraugh and co. are back and more interactive with their public than ever before. Not only did the band’s De-Volutionaries (that’s fans, to you and I) choose the track-listing for ‘Something For Everybody’, but the band expanded their currently amazing website with bizarre quizzes (“What Colour Energy Dome Are You?” for example. I’m red) and videos, most recently including a listening party of cats enjoying the new album. Whatever you think of their music, they know how to captivate an audience, largely based of weirdos like me, it’d seem.

Devo have influence that reaches so many platforms. Whether it’s the bizarre Cardiacs, ‘fight-pop’ like Dananananaykroyd, electro or scything indie guitars (think early Franz Ferdinand, I guess?), there’s something for everyone, a cliché which rounds this whole article in a self-acknowledging bow. For all they joke, Devo do have appeal over multiple platforms – pretty inspiring for a pop band. Even Kurt Cobain was an ‘outed’ Devo fan.

And so yeah, they’re strange, but so what? We’re into strange just now. The success of Animal Collective, Yeasayer and MGMT in particular show that trendy hipsters like you can be into strange. David Bowie, he was strange. ‘Amelie’ is strange and yet every girlfriend I’ve had seems to love that film. We can deal with strange and so the more colourful elements of Devo shouldn’t distract from what is at times a perfect pop band (although I’ll admit here that songs like ‘Peek-A-Boo’ crank the mental up to 11 and so require a bit of work). Besides, what’s wrong with a bit of character? Calling your own band ‘a business model’ and titling a song ‘Mongoloid’ is perfectly fine. We’re an enlightened generation.

The point being that you should embrace Devo. Make 2010 year of the Energy Dome. You can score hipster-points for name-checking band projects like Mark Mothersbraugh’s sound-tracking of ‘The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou’ for example, if that’s how you work. Or you can simply enjoy an eccentric, quirky and exciting pop band who haven’t aged a day since their inception. Crack that whip and so on.