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| Canadian music wiz Devin Townsend has conjured a new epic LP, and no, he hasn't joined Blue Man Group. Yet. |
With 23 studio albums (cheers, Wikipedia) under his belt, spanning several projects and even genres, Devin Townsend is probably one of the most versatile and prolific musicians of today. Starting out as a vocalist for Steve Vai, then riffing along with UK punks The Wildhearts in the early '90s, before forming the extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad in the mid-'90s. Since then, he's also made a ton of music under his own name, and variations thereof, such as Devin Townsend Project and The Devin Townsend band. Most of which would be labelled as progressive rock/metal.
During the pandemic, he recorded several ambient guitar improvisations that were later expanded upon and released as the two albums The Puzzle and Snuggles. For an ambient record, The Puzzle was especially chaotic and was a sign of the times, during the pandemic.
As we all know, the world is still very much in chaos, with burning war and social unrest. And since Devin's music isn't created in a vacuum, but very much a reflection on what's happening in his life and the outside world, some might have expected a really dark, aggressive and chaotic record. Instead, he felt like stepping on the brakes for a bit and started working on something to counter all the negativity and chaos. Hence, what Lightwork has to offer is a well-needed splash of positivity, whimsy and hope.
Devin's attempt at a "clean", accessible album
Up until this point, Devin has produced all of his work himself. Lightwork has been the first album he's made, working with a producer. Something that has helped him stay on track, making the songs more accessible, focused and straightforward, with a more traditional song structure.
It might sound as though he's trying to move away from the progressive style and trying to make a real commercial album. Some might have even feared Lightwork would be a so-called "sell-out" album, if that's even possible these days, when rock/metal in itself is so niche, but I digress.
Style and Production
Even though Devin has compromised his ideas, working with a producer this time, Lightwork still sounds very much like what you can expect from the more chill, melodic side of Devin. We're not getting a bunch of massive rock bangers that albums like Addicted or Epicloud brought us. Neither is it as low-key as Ghost or Ki. It's somewhere in-between, and a bit artsier. It's more similar to an album like Sky Blue, in a way.
It's evident that the songs themselves have been in focus this time, more so than the production. Something that is kind of ironic, since he finally hired a producer. Devin himself often makes really intricate productions where he builds and builds and adds more and more stuff to the mixes, which has often led to what has become his signature "wall of sound". On Lightwork, the production still sounds full, but compared to his earlier work, the songs feel slightly more stripped down to their core, giving them more room to breathe.
Devin talking about working with a producer for the first time.Presentation
I'm slightly puzzled with the PR material though, with pictures of Devin in blue neon light, making it appear like he's doing some sort of synth album. The album artwork, on the other hand, is mostly white and cartoony, and kinda looks a lot like some indie-rock record. Not quite sure what they were going for there, and why they didn't find a more common theme.
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| Are we alone in the universe? What is love? (baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me...no mo') Why isn't this album cover blue like Dev? Questions we might never find the answers to. |
Standout Tracks
Moonpeople
Moonpeople is the first single and opening track. Kerrang described the opening track Moonpeople as Muse-y. I don't quite hear that similarity. Rather, the first thing that came to my mind hearing the intro beat was the song Ava Adore by the Smashing Pumpkins. The similarities end as soon as the song kicks off, though, and Moonpeople has a lighter and more whimsical feel to it. It still lets in a bit of that sense of chaos and distress heard on The Puzzle towards the end, making you wonder where the song goes next, the first time hearing it.
Call of the Void
Another song Devin released an early version of during the quarantine was the album's second single Call of the Void. According to himself, the song is inspired by a band called All India Radio, and more specifically their song Can You Hear The Sound. While that song has a similar vibe, they're clearly different songs and Call of the Void is probably my favourite track off the album. Apparently, the song came to fruition when Devin was here in Sweden as well, which the official video also reflects. The song has a really nice melody to it, and here I think the album version takes the track to a new level as well.
Lightworker
The third single off the album, Lightworker, starts off with a bang, then immediately goes more low-key. The chorus is epic and powerful, though, and if you liked Spirits Will Collide off Devin's last album pre-pandemic, Empath, you'll probably like this just as much. It has a slightly darker tone, though, and isn't quite as bombastic.
While it has a strong chorus, I think the other standout tracks mentioned trump it, with their stronger melodies.
Equinox
The modern, electronic-laden track Equinox especially has a familiar vibe, if you've heard the title track of Sky Blue. Devin posted an early demo of the song during the quarantine, long before Lightwork came out. It has an incredible melody to it that really moves you.
For the album release live stream, Devin had a softer version of it, as background music in the intro. Would have loved to have that version as some album bonus track as well!
Compared to the demo, the actual album version of the song sounds a bit slicker, but also a bit less ethereal than the demo version and it now even has some screamed vocals on it. To my ears, this sounds like a stylistic clash and makes this really pretty song a bit of a disservice, in my opinion.
Children of God / Children of Dog
The closing track Children of God is another fine tune. Devin's original take on it, which is featured on the bonus album Nightwork (more on that below) as "Children of Dog" took a lot of musical detours from what the song originally starts from, and here it's pretty clear that the producer stepped on the brakes. It's cool to get to hear both versions and gives you an idea of what the album might have become, had Devin produced it on his own. It could have ended up a Synchestra, Pt II.
Other Tracks
Heartbreaker and Heavy Burden are two of the more progressive, weird tracks on the album, the latter of which also features a child choir. The song Dimensions treads into a darker, more industrial territory and is the album's heaviest track. The track Celestial Signals follows it, goes full symphonic and epic, while Vacation is very laid-back and sounds almost like a Christmas song.
Bonus Disc "Nightwork" and 5.1 Surround Mix
While Lightwork is quite an accessible, easygoing affair, for the most part, the accompanying album Nightwork offers the more heavy, as well as nutty side of Mr Townsend.
Devin's recurring co-vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen also appears on the opening track Starchasm, Pt. 2. The first three cuts are pretty heavy in general. Especially Factions, which almost treads into the Strapping Young Lad territory of heavy.
Precious Sardine, on the other hand, sees Devin dabbling with dance music, and it's ten minutes of total madness! Devin posted an early, shorter 5-minute version of this song during quarantine, featuring a video of him dancing in front of a bush! This prolonged album version continues for another five minutes, where the song jumps wildly between dance music and metal.
The latter half of the bonus album is very chill, and apart from the aforementioned Children of Dog, there's not a lot to say about it, really.
In any case, if you're picking up Lightwork in physical format, make sure to get the 2-disc version, so you don't miss out on Nightwork! There is also a 5.1 surround mix of it, available on Blu-ray. Would love to give that a listen!
Showcase of what's included with the deluxe version of the album, plus other variants.Verdict
Lightwork is an interesting album. It doesn't hit you in the face with rawking smash hits. It has some of the strongest melodies I've heard for quite some time, though. It's an album that makes you intrigued and want to hear it again, and again. And it does indeed grow on you upon every listen. And the fact you can't get enough of it is probably the best review one can really give an album!
In the long run, am I more likely to listen to Lightwork than Devin's last pre-pandemic album Empath? Probably! It's a fairly easy listen overall and should provide a good entry point for new fans as well.
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