The Devil Whale
Young Wives EP
Kilby Records
Street: 06.11
The Devil Whale = The Animals + John Wesley Harding era Dylan + Blitzen Trapper
In a year where many prominent SLC bands have either broken up or gone on lengthy hiatuses, The Devil Whale soldiers on, releasing a six song EP full of their strongest material to date. Young Wives is cut loose from the pervasive, but effective, romantic melancholy of 2008’s Like Paraders and unleashes something that is much more free, raw, and culturally trenchant. While easily the most instrumentally lush collection of songs to date (the woodwinds on “Television Zoo” kill me), The Devil Whale aren’t afraid to go straight for the jugular with hook after hook on “Patent Boots” and “Barracudas.” While at times verbally verbose, Brinton Jones’ songwriting has effectively pared down his big ideas (there are a lot of them) into concise lines of lyrical clarity. If this is any indication of the course The Devil Whale are on, we can expect great things from the full-length.

The Devil Whale
Young Wives EP
Kilby Records
Street: 06.11
The Devil Whale = The Animals + John Wesley Harding era Dylan + Blitzen Trapper
In a year where many prominent SLC bands have either broken up or gone on lengthy hiatuses, The Devil Whale soldiers on, releasing a six song EP full of their strongest material to date. Young Wives is cut loose from the pervasive, but effective, romantic melancholy of 2008’s Like Paraders and unleashes something that is much more free, raw, and culturally trenchant. While easily the most instrumentally lush collection of songs to date (the woodwinds on “Television Zoo” kill me), The Devil Whale aren’t afraid to go straight for the jugular with hook after hook on “Patent Boots” and “Barracudas.” While at times verbally verbose, Brinton Jones’ songwriting has effectively pared down his big ideas (there are a lot of them) into concise lines of lyrical clarity. If this is any indication of the course The Devil Whale are on, we can expect great things from the full-length.