Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

[JGuy Grungeman]

Get ready. You get to see a review of the music that set the path of the composer of many Nickelodeon theme songs on an everlasting path to musical fame: Devo's debut album, “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!”

Within two seconds of playing, I became aware of Devo's hyperactive, enjoyable style, and almost fell ion love with how their special brand of simplicity created something bordering on marvelous: a phenomenon I would study throughout the album. I suppose it is partially because of their childish behavior (in a good way). For the opening track, “Uncontrollable Urge,” I suppose the compositions themselves fit the fast pace of this new wave/art punk sound. I guess without Devo's personality, the song would likely suck eggs. Next we have a very cool, very unique cover of “Satisfaction,” one with emotion, a deep sound, and Devo's lovable aura. Rolling Stones almost got owned. The next song is “Praying Hands.” Although the song isn't as good as the first two, it definitely shows of the very techniques that were heavily influential on the punk era. Keep in mind this is a year after punk first started getting huge. These guys helped to build punk. “Space Junk” carries more complexity, even if it's not as loud. Still, the complexity makes it just as hyperactive. A cool bass solo with a slight techno-vibe starts out “Mongoloid.” We then get into a pretty cool guitar solo with some unique drumming. The whole song has a very weird, very cool punk feel that makes it the best song on the album. We end the first side of the album with the oddly named “Jocko Homo,” the song with lyrics that the album steals its title from. . It's got a very simple rhythm too some odd timing, but the overall weird tone makes it good. Basically, it feels like an obnoxious poem.

Now we enter the second side of the album with “Too Much Paranoias,” an amalgam of uncomfortable guitar sounds in the forjm of a screwed up Devo song. It works well. Next is “Gut Feeling,” whyich starts with a more serene rhythm than everything else. Still, it retains the fast-paced punk tim strucures to create a very nice contradiction. Overall, the song's usage of piano and production creates a very peaceful aura, even as the song gets more energetic... until we get to the lyrics where the song will eventually get so energetic and heavy that Stairway to Heaven would learn a thing or two about build-up. “Come Back Jonee” is next. It seems more focused on maintaining it's fun-loving essence than constructing a song, but that doesn't stop the song from having a good layout. A very fun song. “Sloppy” is next. It's driven by a complex, high-pitched guitar rhythm and some fast-paced drumming. “Sloppy” is a deeper track with some crazy and creepy instruments playing in the background, like some aliens movie.

As a fan of grunge, I can see how this greatly influenced the punk of the modern day. It's still a punk album, but they're special brand is all about fun without a thought process, but completely lacking stupidity. In fact, the fact that they made this simple little tracks Overall, this albumj is about fun,l and that doesn't get in the way of the compositions at all. What Frank appa is to rock, Devo is to punk. I say this because the two have something in common: they are talented musicians who have as much fun as they can.

93/100. If it gets on the new wave list, it'll be one of my top choices. So far, my top choce is Synchronicity.