Devin Townsend - Ki, Addicted

Devin Townsend is one of the few exceptions I’ll make for over-production. His music almost requires it. I say “almost” because his recent album Ki has a relatively stripped down sound that fits its material. Otherwise, Townsend’s music and production are inseparable. An unabashed fan of Def Leppard’s Hysteria, he modernizes its “more is more” aesthetic. In his records, everything is big. Hooks, choruses, and riffs explode in garish rainbows. The music pulses with CPU cycles and the ups and downs of Townsend’s bipolar disorder. It’s a brilliantly arranged headache.

Coast (from Ki)

Ki (InsideOut, 2009), however, isn’t so brain-bending. The first in a four-album cycle after Townsend folded Strapping Young Lad, it feels like an exhalation. Townsend is clearing his head after the relentlessness of SYL’s metal. His drummer actually sounds like a human, single-coil Strats pay homage to David Gilmour, and bluesiness speckles the record. He even hires a female soul singer, with mixed results. Townsend isn’t slumming, though. He’s merely introducing new elements into his world. His melodic sense is intact, and even lean rollers like “Coast” can’t escape low-pass filtration. Still, it’s a pleasant surprise to hear a toned-down Townsend. His voice plus clean guitar is one of life’s small delights.

Bend It Like Bender! (from Addicted)

In true bipolar fashion, Addicted (InsideOut, 2009) is much the opposite. The second in Townsend’s four-album cycle, it’s deliberately big and dumb. (Townsend has publicly said as much.) The song titles all end in exclamation points. Things like “nu-metal,” “emo,” and “J-pop” come to mind. Again Townsend hires a female vocal foil. This one, Anneke van Giersbergen, often sounds like a diva on a trance track. Her airy presence makes parts of the record feel like a shampoo ad. But like on Ki, Townsend can’t help being himself. Some SYL-esque riffs crunch through, and he airdrops in his patented gonzo arpeggios. Townsend is making pop music, but his quirks banish it from Top 40 consideration. Still, metal edges or not, the pop is a lot to swallow. It’s like high fructose corn syrup: repulsive yet addictive.

Buy:
Ki (Amazon CD)
Ki (Amazon MP3)
Ki (eMusic MP3)
Addicted (Amazon CD)
Addicted (Amazon MP3)
Addicted (CM Distro CD + poster)