It's hard to live in a basement and not get carried away, when you're a caveman on the pavement in the U.S.A.A lot of normal men would have gone crazy if they had gone through the same process Devin Davis did to create Lonely People of The World, Unite! Every night for two years, Davis nibbled towards his goal of a full-length album when his shift at the studio he engineered at was over. Well, the Chicago native should be able to rest easy knowing he didn't waste two years of his life, as all of the time and work he put in has coughed out one of the best indie power-pop albums of the year.
The CD starts out full force with the toe-tapping, guitar pop, Kinks-influenced, would-be single "Iron Woman," and 2 minutes and 16 seconds later you'll be wondering what's just happenedâ¦and then immediately asking for more. It won't even occur to you that Davis pulls off so easily what would usually be considered cheesy. Even throughout the pensive lost love ballads (standout tracks like the opener and "Turtle And The Flightless Bird") the word "emo" will never jump into your mind.
While Davis doesn't redefine music in anyway (direct comparisons could be drawn to Neutral Milk Hotel, Neil Young, and lighter or acoustic Death Cab For Cutie tracks) or do what others haven't previously accomplished, he does manage to pull it off in a much more loveable way. It's hard to defy Davis' infectious pop music, and I can't place my finger on why, perhaps due to his cheeky, introspective lyrics (which feel more like narratives than pages from a diary) or maybe his friendly, dinkish indie music geek singing voice (and he somehow channels Ben Gibbard in appearance toâ¦) is what keeps the songs afloat.
On Lonely People of The World, Unite! Davis provides a little helpful support in the minds of all the music geeks just like himself. Why be sad fellas? At least we have the music! At least we have each other! And ya know what? Worthwhile catchy music comes in small increments these days, so maybe if you're in a car underwater and you have some time to killâ¦you should pick up this record⦠And then I just might respect you a tad bit more.