Brilliant as much of their ’70s and ’80s output was, I’m not sure how much the world needs another Devo album. In their sixties now, the art-pop satirists are decidedly unlikely to deliver another classic like Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Unsurprisingly then, much of Something For Everybody is Devo-by-numbers, a collection of arch synth-pop tunes that seldom attain lift-off.
Still, there are a few tunes which demonstrate that old dogs can learn new tricks – ‘What We Do’ is a storming dance track, while ‘Cameo’ is a punk-funk gem that could have come straight from the DFA stable. What’s heartening to note is that Devo’s mischievous streak remains intact – much of the promotional activity around Something For Everybody has parodied the corporate obsession with focus groups, whilst the band continue to gleefully subvert consumerism and mainstream culture in their lyrics.
As you might expect, given Devo’s art school pedigree, the sleeve image is also a cracker – it looks like a classic album from the ’70s. It’s just a shame that the music isn’t quite on the same level.
Key track: ‘What We Do’