Devin Townsend is a true musical chameleon. During his incredible career he has released material ranging from extreme heavy metal to ridiculously perky pop music. Most impressive however is that through all these major changes he has managed to stay true to himself. It’s clear that Devin always makes the music he wants to make at any point in time, which is one of the biggest reasons why he is among my favourite artists.
Devin’s upcoming album Casualties of Cool, scheduled for a May 14th release, looks set to continue that trend. Devin has described the music on Casualties as “haunted Johnny Cash songs.” Judging by the first single, “Forgive Me,” which is on the softer side of Devin’s discography, while managing to be one of the most emotional songs he as ever released, this is a fair description.
Casualties of Cool is set to feature Devin collaborating with a lot of great musicians, most prominently Che Aimee, who also featured on 2009’s Ki. Interestingly, it is Che that takes the lead on this track, another trait of Devin’s I’ve always admired. Few solo performers would be happy with another singer taking the lead on their track, especially the first single, but Devin knows just what singer fits one song, and given that he works with such talented singers as Che and Anneke Van Giersbergen, it’s a relief that he allows them to have the spotlight they deserve.
I’m currently listening to “Forgive Me” on repeat, and I’m beyond impressed. I’ve been looking forward to Casualties for a while now, but this song has really got me pumped. Vocally both Devin and Che sound incredible, lyrically Devin, as always, manages to poetically let the listener know exactly how he’s feeling in the moment, and best of all, the production is fantastic. My one worry with the album would be that Devin would put too many bells and whistles on it. His music is known for being very dense and packed, sometimes to the point where it is overwhelming, and he’s been working on these tracks for a long time now, suggesting that he would perhaps be putting too much on them. Fortunately, while there is a lot going on with “Forgive Me,” it all fits perfectly. Never is there a moment that feels like it shouldn’t be there.
Judging by the first single, great things will be coming in May .Devin is funding Casualties through crowdfunding on PledgeMusic, allowing him to have full control of what kind of music he’s making. There’s a lot of cool stuff up for grabs for the people who pledge, so if you’re into Devin’s music I’d highly recommend checking it out. Plus, any extra money will be going towards his next album, Z2, a sequel to his puppet-based, space-rock epic, Ziltoid the Omniscient. You can visit Devin’s PledgeMusic page, and listen to “Forgive Me,” here.