Albatross
Brooklyn’s wyrd folkie Kevin Devine spits parsley, sage, and rosemary rhymes on his latest full-length Nothing’s Real, So Nothing’s Wrong. There is a slight preciousness to his compositions, but he wears it well in a Bon Iver-type of mode. And call us crazy, but do Devine’s vocals sound like “Weird Al” Yankovic is taking a turn as an indie star? Shout out to the Weird Al/Alanis Morrisette exchange on Twitter.
Our highlighted track “Albatross” ramps up the quiet intro into a full-fledged rock n roll barnburner. Devine builds up his repeated refrain into a billboard mantra:
I think my brain is broken,
Can’t push my point across,
If I stay unspoken,
Don’t lift my albatross.
It’s a common complaint in the social media age — so many vectors of communication and yet we feel like our meaning is mute. You’ll have to think deeper on the albatross symbolism.
Stream, share, buy to your heart’s content.
Oneohtrix Point Never goes home Again at Royale.