The Double Doghouse

hello folks! this week for the Weekly Review, we’re checking out Devo’s 1982 record Oh No! It’s Devo –

okay so right up front, you gotta know that Dare to be Stupid is my favorite Weird Al Yankovic song. the first few keyboard tones of Time Out For Fun IMMEDIATELY keyed me in that Dare to be Stupid is specifically parodying this song – the synths are nearly identical. and like, that flavored my entire view of this record, in an extremely positive way. despite the upbeat, cheery vibes i do not trust the speaker in Time Out For Fun. extremely fun and catchy track. Peek-a-Boo is a much more openly sinister track. musicaly i dig this one, and i like how it reinforces the lyrics, but some of the delivery here isnt quite my style. neat song tho. i think Out of Sync is a really fun track. lotta moments of little offshoot sounds jumping off the main driving beat. Explosions is an odd one – definitely playing at being euphemistic, but with a bit more indicating that they want you to dig a lil deeper, haha. That’s Good is a really really excellent song. love the synth tones playing with the percussion, and there is an incredible hook on this song. plus, really like they way that theyre delivering this message about close minded folks not considering other alternative viewpoints. Patterns is cool. pleasant and poppy instrumentals on a song about analysis paralysis. Big Mess has a really mean hook too – an absolute bop of a track. this track was based on a series of letters sent to a game show from a guy who claimed he did the stuff that the narrator of this song does. real fun. also, after reading about it, allegedly this is the track that forms a larger core of Dare To Be Stupid, which i absolutely see, but i think theres plenty its pulling from the whole record. Speed Racer is a bit more off the wall lyrically, presenting characters and perspectives describing themselves, with a lot of twang and machismo. What I Must Do is a fairly straightforward track about a guy who cant bring himself to do the right thing. lol i didnt realize I Desire was creating using lyrics from John Hinkley Jr.’s poetry – def reinforces the sinister confession of love here, but also an incredible move on Devo’s part. Deep Sleep rounds out the record with a song about someone having a moment of clarity but then losing that moment.

faves – Time Out For Fun, That’s Good, Big Mess
dislikes –

honestly really love the authorial voice on the tracks this record – most of the tracks made me think of the Friend Computer from the tabletop RPG Paranoia. an overseer smiling down, who always has something underlying what theyre saying. really fun energy, especially with how consistently excellent the instrumentation is here. theyre using the synth and keyboard tones to cultivate this kinda deliberately sythetic sounds thats still poppy and funky. just a delight to listen to – i havent really dived into full Devo albums, but this definitely makes me want to try a few more, haha.

Oh No! It’s Devo – 9/10

for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be listening to Todd Rundgren’s A Wizard, a True Star. i’ll be back on Friday, February 23rd, with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)