Devin, you can make an album full of fart noises and your voice screaming "POOP" over and over again, and we will all buy it and love it.

[EphelDuath666]

well, Ki was pretty serious...my assumption is Ghost will be pretty serious. Addicted was fun, but not funny. So when there's some silly humor (which I'm a total sucker for) in Deconstruction then that is 1 out of 4 records. Besides, I don't know what's wrong with adding humor to great music. Music is usually sooooo awfully serious with bands adding such an "important and life changing message" to it to make a point and to make the world a better place (yeah, right) that it's refreshing to have some great music of a fun musician who doesn't take himself so awfully serious.

Devin, you can make an album full of fart noises and your voice screaming "POOP" over and over again, and we will all buy it and love it.

Speak for yourself.

well, Ki was pretty serious...my assumption is Ghost will be pretty serious. Addicted was fun, but not funny. So when there's some silly humor (which I'm a total sucker for) in Deconstruction then that is 1 out of 4 records. Besides, I don't know what's wrong with adding humor to great music. Music is usually sooooo awfully serious with bands adding such an "important and life changing message" to it to make a point and to make the world a better place (yeah, right) that it's refreshing to have some great music of a fun musician who doesn't take himself so awfully serious.

Hmm...I think it's a fine line. Too serious and you're pretentious. Too humorous and you either won't be taken seriously, or you'll come full circle and go into a hipsterly ironic form of pretentious. Making great music is somewhat difficult, I think.

Yet as I get older I find that life gets so serious that I have a hard time compounding that. I loved Monty Python as a kid. Does it mean that my current output suffers as a result? ...oh probably, but tbh...thats where I'm at right now. Who knows what the future holds in terms of music for me? I haven't a clue.

I think the best part about Decon is that it confronts metal straight-on, and farts in its face. For years metal music has become almost a joke. A parody of itself. I like a lot of metal, but when I actually listen to what is being said, I'm like "Dude, seriously? How old are you now, and you're not over it yet?"

Decon, to me, is one big "Get the fuck over yourself" to metal, whether that was intended or not. That is what it makes me feel, and it makes me happy.

but it's for me a difference between a "classic" like OM and a great, funny record with some classic moments like Ziltoid.

Exactly. Why are "The Greys" and "Hyperdrive" so popular? Why is Ocean Machine and Terria admired so much? The former for example, if released today, and with the increased popularity that Devin has received, would sell like hotcakes. These albums are complete voyages, from one spectrum to the other, they speak to us all, they are universal in their themes, even if they come from personal feelings and views, they maintain the passion that the musician behind them has. And that sincerity doesn't get sidetracked, it flows naturally into the listener. Be it in subtlety or massiveness. The "rest", so prominent in current releases, are just "hints" in those albums, for the careful listener. They're the spice that makes us fully connect with the music. Not some pie that gets thrown in our faces. For that we had SYL, and it worked for what it was - two magnificent albums - nothing left to be said.
That's why i feel Ghost regains that paramount flavor that Devin had. And you'll notice this. I'm not saying that i dislike the albums after Terria, not at all. But they are inconsistent.

For those PM'ing me for Ghost, don't be so eager.

As for honesty, i tend to relate it to coherence, according to one's personality of course. If it wasn't, one could be a honest liar, right?

Devin, in the end, Kid A is probably the most influential album of the last decade and Muse suck

I think the best part about Decon is that it confronts metal straight-on, and farts in its face. For the entire duration of its existence metal music has become almost a joke. A parody of itself. I like a lot of metal, but when I actually listen to what is being said, I'm like "Dude, seriously? How old are you now, and you're not over it yet?"

Decon, to me, is one big "Get the fuck over yourself" to metal, whether that was intended or not. That is what it makes me feel, and it makes me happy.

Usually when I listen to metal lyrics I laugh and say, "that doesn't even make sense!" Depends on the type of metal, but usually the lyrics are complete bullshit (especially in prog). Regardless, "get the fuck over yourself," whether it's Decon's message or not, is a brilliant for absolutely everyone. Life is too short to take oneself so seriously. Kudos!

@soundsofentropy: Which is why I think you just have to create whatever you want to create without thinking too much about how people will label you for it. It's too hard to impress everyone, and there's always going to be people who don't like what you do. If you worry too much about hitting that middle ground, nothing gets done.

@ppinkham: Everything you've said in the last couple pages has been exactly what I've been thinking, but I kinda suck at putting my thoughts into words. I agree so much with what you said about the state of metal today. Thanks for everything you've been saying!

"man, if only I could edit someone else's art to make it perfect for little selfish ME."

The musical equivalent of telling a painter etc how YOU want them to make their art.

Dev, you are by far my favourite artist. Your music is something very special to me. Got into you around '97 when a friend passed me Steve Vai's Sex & Religion. I was blown away by your vox. And I'll be honest, there are lots of songs you've made that simply aren't my cup o' black coffee. Or moments in some songs I love that I don't much care for.

BUT! And this is a very big "but"...I would never deign to tell you what you should and should not do with YOUR art. If you want to do an entire album of farts, go for it. For the life of me I can not understand the mindset of people telling an artist how they should handle their art.

It's your incredibly stark candor and honesty outside of your music, often on these forums that really makes me respect you.
You make the art that you want to make. That will inevitably result in some of your fans being unhappy with some results here and there. But it should also result in your own happiness and peace. And some truly amazing songs.

Or fuck it, you could be like AC/DC and just write the same album 18 times because that's what the fans from ANY point in time will be comfortable with.

There's somehow the need for you to frame music with your state of mind, and that, like humor, dates the music and reduces it's impact and soul.
This and other reasons make me feel that there's some lack of honesty in your music. It's disguised in so many metaphors and figures of speech that i don't really take it serious, not even in a funny way. I feel the passion you had during the making of these albums, but it's so convoluted and masked, that that passion doesn't filter to us, the listener, and in the end it feels that the music takes the backseat. And that is not why i, and many others, fell in love with your music.

I really agree with a lot of this, and this is bound to be a tedious post with which not many will agree, but there's no place like here to express it.

Personally, I feel that art is at its best, brightest, and most vivid when it's ambiguous. It engages the viewer/listener by being both mysterious and relatable, but it's not so absolutely tangible that its message is screamed down your throat. To be honest, I've never been terribly into this 4-album concept because it has such a narrow focus: catharsis. I'm all for feeling new and cleansed, but the scope seems out of proportion. That is, each album feels like it's straining to hold its purpose in the overall group without exploring, musically or lyrically. With Ki, it felt like the album would have been so much more complete without some of the more extraneous pieces ("Trainfire" in particular)--it was pushing at something just beneath the surface, only to find a conceptual tip-of-the-iceberg. But it felt too raw and unpolished for its intent in places, so parts of it came off as lacking clarity in their focus. Then Addicted came, and to me, this was the most true to form for Devin so far. It doesn't dwell so explicitly on the problem/resolution mechanics that overarch the whole concept. The issue here is that the album feels so musically confined. Yes, it's varied (progressive?), but the vibe is so unwavering and easy to digest that it gives the illusion that the album is without merited content. I always leave it feeling a bit empty. Finally, we have Deconstruction, which I'm reluctant to judge because I haven't had much time to sit with it. It's very indulgent (and by that I mean filled to the brim with wanking). It's fun, crushing, and full of good ideas. But it feels sort of tenuous and contrived. I love the idea of staring into yourself and discovering a great deal of conflict that ultimately, you'll have to sort out; however, the deconstruction message feels muddled and buried (perhaps intentionally), so that the album comes off not meaning much of anything, save for a host of really excellent bits. We're left with something a bit silly, trying to hide the fact that it's dealing with serious issues by throwing heaps of petty humor on top of it, musically and conceptually. So, in a long-winded way, I'm trying to say that it feels like (so far) this concept is either not big enough to warrant four albums, in my book, or it's so compartmentalized and fragmented that it feels totally unconnected and starving for more exploration.

Like I said, I don't think this is a popular opinion, but these albums just don't seem very unified to me. On their own, I really enjoy each of these albums a great deal; but the overarching concept seems full of indecision and disunity. I'm glad they were helpful to Devin's healing process, but (and this may be because I'm so young), I don't connect with them as deeply as some of Devin's older work (namely Infinity, Terria, OM). I suppose this is probably all due to differences in creative opinion. They're great works of art, but I'm not totally in line with the artist.

So there it is. I think these four records are really cool. I don't dispute any of the critisisms, nor do I take them to heart past 'yeah, I knew that one...' or 'nah, I think they got that one wrong'

We'll see. My goals are pretty defined now: get happy. Pay off debts. work less. be at peace with it all as far as you can. be a good father. don't be too much of an asshole.

We'll see. If I'm meant to figure it out, I will. If not, it's not for lack of trying.

This is incredibly refreshing to hear. I'm glad you are in a good place; I really respect the effort you put in and the music you make (even if it's not always exactly what I expect/want). You are probably the most dedicated modern artist of whom I'm aware. Take it easy, and thanks for the tunes.

Great post. You explained thoroughly a view that i share.

I listened a few times now and there is stuff on this one I thought I'd never hear in my life. The amazing singing in the finale of the song Deconstruction took my breath away, fantastic stuff. This one I will remember! Sure, it's not easy listening but that was never the point either I assume =) Great album. So much beauty in all that chaos!!! No one could have done this kind of album better than Devin (that I know of at least).

10/10

ps. Dev (or anyone else who may very well know), will there be a release of all 4 albums as a "box" or something simillar? I confess I haven't bought any of the 4 because im really hoping for that box! =D

[EphelDuath666]

besides Devin has made 4 records over a relatively short period of time. It usually takes musicians or bands that long to come up with one Album, so if you only like one of the 4, that's still better than nothing and there's nothing wrong with that. If you like all 4, then hey...that's even better. Everything I've heard from DTP so far has worked well together as one gigantic piece of music and I think that's the point. Comparing it to anything that Devin has done outside of the DTP makes no sense. Just like it makes no sense to compare Terria and Synchestra...or Synchestra and Ki. It was all different projects or bands.

... they maintain the passion that the musician behind them has. And that sincerity doesn't get sidetracked, it flows naturally into the listener. Be it in subtlety or massiveness.

I agree to some extent (you are sharpening your points very much so they provoke some opposition), but i have to make clear that imho absolutely every release of Devin maintains his passion. But i agree that it gets sidetracked sometimes.

Devadoodles, don't try and do something you shouldn't be doing. If you wanna do serious but it comes out more...well...human; then it just wasn't meant to be. I dig your tunes no matter what style because you're honest about what you're presenting to us. Also you're a badass musician.

If you like Python, check out Big Train and The League of Gentlemen, I watched all three religiously growing up; really bizarre British sketchshow humour

To oversimplify one thing my prog-fan self often has to reconcile.

Even though music is often a emotional experience, you can enjoy music from a completely left-brain analytic point of view. If you really get nothing out of the math of music, you're probably not going to dig the Animals as Leaders album.

Decon may be the most left-brain album Dev has ever made, but I don't think he really has it in him (despite all the nerd talk during this DTP) to turn off that emotional component. This is not OM or Terria which really traversed large swaths of emotional territory. This is about the analytic brain and how it becomes circular and masturbatory. Of course there's going to be some wanking on the album!!!

If Ghost explore those emotional grand vistas in a new way, great. But there is the other side of the brain.

@soundsofentropy: Which is why I think you just have to create whatever you want to create without thinking too much about how people will label you for it. It's too hard to impress everyone, and there's always going to be people who don't like what you do. If you worry too much about hitting that middle ground, nothing gets done.

Yeah, right on. Truth be told, it's probably why I'm not a successful artist. Art is never finished; the artist just stops working.

"man, if only I could edit someone else's art to make it perfect for little selfish ME."

The musical equivalent of telling a painter etc how YOU want them to make their art.

BUT! And this is a very big "but"...I would never deign to tell you what you should and should not do with YOUR art. If you want to do an entire album of farts, go for it. For the life of me I can not understand the mindset of people telling an artist how they should handle their art.

I haven't read the past few pages all that closely, but I didn't see anyone who acted as such. Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with dissenting opinions, anyway. Reacting to, analyzing, and expressing the way in which art evokes emotion is actually quite healthy for both the artist and the viewer/listener. I could be wrong, but I don't think anyone's asking for compromise.

Great post. You explained thoroughly a view that i share.

Great minds think alike?