Thursday, March 31, 2011

Kevin Devine - Nervous Energies Session

Bad Books
Bad Books Debut Album

I have already spoken once before about the amazing artist that is Kevin Devine. Today I was browsing around and stumbled across this set that he did for Nervous Energies. The set includes four songs, 3 of which are off of his upcoming album, and another which is a song taken from Kevin's side project Bad Books. The band is comprised of all of the members of Manchester Orchestra with the addition of Kevin and featuring Ben Homola on drums (Thanks Ashley). The band melds the styles of both acts (Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra) to create a sound that is neither one nor the other. Their debut, self-titled album,  is a staggering work that gives me hope for the music that the group will make together.

Now, as for the 4 song set that Kevin played at Nervous Energies the set consisted of the songs, Between the Concrete and Clouds, Luxemburg, and 11.17.10 all from his upcoming release, Between the Concrete and Clouds. Kevin also played the song You Are a Mirror I Cannot Avoid from Bad Books' debut album.



The first track of the set, I posted a video of last week and is titled, Between the Concrete and Clouds. This version is a stripped down acoustic. Kevin sings the song in a very personal way and really conveys the lyrics to the listener through his emotional performance. This song makes me excited to hear the full release of the album.






The next track was another unreleased track off of the upcoming album called, Luxemburg. This song is right at home in Kevin's catalog of songs. The song has a sweet melody and a slow tempo. The lyrics are especially captivating as has become the standard for Kevin's songs over his career. The song tells a story that only Kevin could convey. Filled with regret for past mistakes and past loves. This is truly a great song.







The third song that Kevin performed for his set is titled 11.17.10. This was my favorite of the three songs off of the upcoming album. The song has a powerful tone that takes hold of the listener and does not let go. The video speaks for itself.







The final song of the set is titled, You Are a Mirror I Cannot Avoid and is from the Bad Books debut album. This song is another acoustic to fill out the set. Kevin kills the song. Let the video speaks for itself.








The speaker is.

24 comments:

  1. Those songs are awesome! Thanks for sharing them.

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  2. I would like to point out that Manchester Orchestra's drummer, Tim Very, is the only member of the band that is not also part of Bad Books. Bad Books' sixth member is drummer Ben Homola.

    but anyways, these videos are awesome. :]

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  3. Kevin Devine is such an inspiration. Put Your Ghost To Rest is my favorite album of his

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  4. @ashley i was pretty sure that tim very was the drummer for bad books.

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  5. not bad, i liked some of the chord progressions he used

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  6. Nice post, I like his sound and he really conected with me

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  7. nice videos! love the music. :)

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  8. The dude is really talented. Nice tip.

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  9. I followed your blog because you mention loving Brand New, and found your favorite movie was Requiem for a Dream... that is the best movie ever. IN my opinion of course... but still... we're meant for each other. Check out my last post, hopefully you'll like some of the music. Great blog btw
    http://frothland.blogspot.com/

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  10. Kevin is a talented musician, looking forward to hearing more. Sounds very personal; any live gigs coming up?

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  11. Like the videos, would like to see some more

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  12. He's a very talented musician.

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. E,
    Here is a link that verifies the band members of Bad Books.

    http://favoritegentlemen.com/artist_sites/bad_books/about/

    Also, I just thought about this: their album cover has each member's picture and initials.

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  15. I also should have mentioned this:

    Ben Homola (current drummer for Bad Books) was the former drummer for Manchester Orchestra. He replaced Jeremiah Edmond after he left the band. Tim Very then replaced Ben Homola.

    So Bad Book's current drummer (Ben Homola) was once a part of MO, but MO's current drummer (Tim Very) was never a part of BB.

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