THE BIG CATCH-UP… In which the wearied webmaster of this here site gives some quick capsule reviews to recent albums he’s liked but hasn’t gotten around to writing about.

I usually don’t like to do capsule reviews. In my view, they tend to be written by lazy hack writers who only seem to skim through the promotional copies of CDs they obtain for review before piling them up in a box somewhere for them to sell off at a used CD store somewhere – if they bother to listen to them in the first place. But since I’ve been doing a whole lot of listening but no blog-related writing over the past few months – thanks in part to all of the preparations I’ve been going through for my wedding this Saturday – this particular format will have to do. After the honeymoon and once I’ve gotten settled in, I’ll go back to my regular reviewing style. This’ll be part one. Part two I’ll be completing and posting after the honeymoon.

AKB48 – Kami Kyokutachi (You! Be Cool/King) – While there’s a whole pile of albums out there with the AKB48 name on them, they’ve all been, with the exception of the Set List – Greatest Songs 2006-2007 compilation, basically “original cast albums” of all of the separate teams’ shows – lots of good songs and good singing, but nothing that could cohesively be called a studio album. Fortunately, although billed as a “best-of album”, Kami Kyokutachi comes off as close to a coherent studio album as the group has ever come. All of the band’s King A-sides plus their interim digital-only indie single “Baby! Baby! Baby!” get supplemented with a few random B-sides (no Undergirls/Theatre Girls material or Erena Ono’s beautiful solo cut “First Kiss” though) and some new tracks and make for the most cohesive – and long overdue – long-playing experience to be released under the AKB48. Now if they could put out a single A-side that is a hell of a lot more exciting than the last couple of singles they’ve released since the year started…
Rating: Available on CD/DVD combo and on iTunes Japan.

DEVO – Something for Everybody (Warner Bros.) – When it was first announced that Devo had gotten back together full-time, resigned to their original American record label Warner Bros., and started working on a new album, I saw a couple of skeptical tweets from people who wondered why anyone would want a new Devo album in the first place. Well, not only have Devo debunked Thomas Wolfe’s old yarn about not being able to go home again by returning to Warner Bros., they’ve also followed in the tradition of the Stooges, New York Dolls, Mission of Burma and Ace Frehley and handed in an album that was worth both the multi-decade wait (two decades, in the case of our beloved spudboys), but they’ve made their finest album since 1983’s Oh No! It’s Devo. Simply put, they’ve redeemed themselves after the debacle of their Enigma Records period and made an album that stands up as tall as their classic back catalog (most of which has been very nicely remastered and reissued by Warner Bros.). (Also, in my opinion, Warner Bros. should surprise the hell out of casual listeners and service the ballad “No Place Like Home” to radio.)
Rating: Available on CD, LP, and in three different iTunes/Amazon MP3 editions; this review is based on the highly-recommended 16-track deluxe edition.

HANK WILLIAMS III – Rebel Within (Sidewalk/Curb) – This is the last album Hank III is doing for Curb Records, and once it was announced earlier this year that he had completed the album and handed it in to the label, people wondered how much of an effort he’d put into it, given his open disgust with how the label handled his music. Given his intentions to continue as an independent artist for all future albums onward, III could not certainly squander his hard-earned fan base for the sake of kissing off his soon-to-be-former-label. Thus, Hank hands in a set of mostly country material closer to Lonesome Broke and Driftin’ than his seminal Straight to Hell, but changes gears in a few places with the title track’s touches of Assjack-style hollering in the chorus, the eerie “Karmageddon” with its lyrical allusions to the plight of Native Americans, and – the true highlight of the album – a raucous country/punk/metal hybrid in “Tore Up and Loud”, where III’s “Hellbilly” style gets kicked up several notches with personal lyrics, power-metal double-kick drumming (done by III himself – like “Punch Fight Fuck” on Damn Right Rebel Proud, anytime you hear Slayer-style drums behind country guitars, III’s sitting behind the kit), and Pantera-esque electric guitar riffing, culminating in a blatant, obvious, and long-overdue Declaration of Independence capped with a “Fuck all y’all” to the Curb Records staff. Fuck Curb, indeed – and a big “fuck, yeah” for Shelton Hank Williams.
Rating: Available on CD, LP with bonus CD, and on iTunes and AmazonMP3.

Again, part two comes after the honeymoon… see you then! Until then, one can follow our exploits via Twitter.

Just got this press release that says it all:

For Immediate Release

DEVO SIGN GROUND-BREAKING WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP WITH WARNER BROS. RECORDS

LABEL TO REISSUE DELUXE VERSIONS OF ARE WE NOT MEN? AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE ON NOVEMBER 3RD

BAND LAUNCH SPECIAL TOUR TO PERFORM BOTH ALBUMS IN THEIR ENTIRETY

September 16, 2009 -  Burbank, CA -DEVO have signed a unique, ground-breaking worldwide partnership with their original label home Warner Bros. Records that exhibits the band’s long-time commitment to innovation in all aspects of their career. In the ’80s, the band put the “new” in the music revolution labeled “New Wave” with their synergistic mix of electronic rock, unparalleled theatrical live shows, and self-directed, groundbreaking music-videos – creating a multi-media art assault that resonates in contemporary pop culture. Now DEVO continue to pioneer new territory by exclusively teaming with Warner Bros. Records to internationally service all aspects of the band’s career, including recorded music, touring, merchandising, web services, promotion, ecommerce, sponsorships, licensing, and endorsements.

“Devo have been called everything from geniuses to deviants and have always been ahead of their time,” says Elyse Rogers, SVP of Touring and Artist Development at WBR. “They are brilliant multi-media innovators who express themselves through far more than just recorded music. Their videos, live shows, merchandise, and visual attack are as big a part of their art as the music is. We could not be more excited to continue to break new artistic ground with them while working to redefine the evolving music-industry paradigm.”

“We are excited to embark on DEVO’s latest sonic subversion with the label that first unleashed us on the unsuspecting public,” says the band’s Gerald Casale. “De-evolution is real!” Adds Mark Mothersbaugh: “We wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t in our genes!”

Warner Bros. Records released six of DEVO’s classic albums between the years of 1978 and 1984. To mark the band’s new deal, the label will reissue deluxe CD and limited-edition coloredvinyl versions of DEVO’s 1978′s gold debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and 1980′s platinum favorite Freedom of Choice, as well as a seven-inch vinyl single of “Jocko Homo/Mongoloid” on November 3rd.

The day the reissues are released, DEVO will launch a series of very special live performances in select markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, and Toronto), during which they will play back-to-back nights in each city. One the first night, the band will perform Are We Not Men? in its entirety; on the second night, they will perform Freedom of Choice in its entirety. As a bonus, fans who purchase tickets onlineto any one of these concerts will receive three demos recently uncovered in the DEVO vaults. The three previously unreleased versions, “Whip It,” “Red Shark” (later re-titled “it’s Not Right” and recorded with different lyrics), and “Turn Around,” were all recorded on a four-track in the band’s rehearsal space at Modern Music in Hollywood, CA.Tickets for most of the shows go on-sale on September 18th. All tour dates are listed below.

Formed in Akron, OH in 1974 as a multi-media experiment, DEVO caught the attention of such pop music luminaries as Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Neil Young, whose support led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. The label released the Brian Eno-produced Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in 1978, followed by Duty Now for the Future in 1979. In 1980, DEVO released its commercial breakthrough album Freedom of  Choice, which featured the timeless Top 20 hit “Whip It,” followed by 1981′s New Traditionalists, 1982′s Oh, No! It’s Devo, and 1984′s Shout, its last album for Warner Bros. Records. After releasing 1988′s Total Devo and 1990′s Smooth Noodle Maps on Enigma Records, the band went on hiatus. Mark Mothersbaugh applied his aesthetic to the task of composing scores for TV and film features, while DEVO co-founder and principle co-songwriter Gerald Casale applied his DEVO-driven skills to directing music videos for scores of hit bands before becoming a full-time commercial director.

Now original members Gerald Casale, Bob Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Mothersbaugh are back with drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Guns N’ Roses) and cooking up huge plans. De-evolution 2010 will include the release of a brand-new studio album (featuring top-notch producers and collaborators), international festival appearances, and a proper tour of North American, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. Stay tuned for more DEVO news, or visit the band’s website, www.clubdevo.com.

DEVO’s upcoming tour dates are as follows:

11/03  Los Angeles, CA      Henry Fonda Theater
11/04  Los Angeles, CA      Henry Fonda Theater
11/06  San Francisco          The Regency Ballroom
11/07  San Francisco          The Regency Ballroom
11/08  Seattle, WA               The Moore
11/09  Seattle, WA               The Moore
11/12  Chicago, IL                The Vic Theatre
11/13  Chicago, IL                The Vic Theatre
11/15  Washington, DC      9:30 Club
11/16  Washington, DC      9:30 Club
11/20  New York, NY           The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
11/21  New York, NY           The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
11/23  Toronto, ON              Phoenix Concert Theatre
11/24  Toronto, ON              Phoenix Concert Theatre