Record Review - 2 January 01 2004

Devine has been fronting Miracle of ‘86 since he was 15, but, in this, his second solo album, he has shown that he is capable of maturing while still maintaining adolescent depression.

Lines such as “I’m coughing up a lung, but I’m covering my mouth” epitomize the attitude of this emo rocker, who dresses his emotions in jangly guitar-crafted melodies with enough variation to keep it all interesting. His whiny vocals run the range from Vic Chesnutt’s quiet intensity to Counting Crow Adam Duritz’s grandiose wail, with some J Mascis and Stephen Malkmus thrown in for good measure. And while it’s possible to actually hear the veins popping in Devine’s forehead during the climax of “Noose Dressed Like a Necklace,” the song remains subtler than the title implies.

The singer/songwriter tries to get cheery on his holiday ditty, “Splitting Up Christmas,” able to spout cliches such as “You’re the star on the top of my tree.” But the gloom is all too encompassing. His way of thanking friends and family for being there for him is to say, “I know that world’s almost over, but you make it seem better.” Not the sort of guy you’d want sitting around your holiday table.

Yet as a whole, although this isn’t party music, it’s too interesting and beautiful to slit your wrists by. It gets bogged down in areas, but it also makes you glad that Devine has yet to discover Prozac.