Device – Obstacles and Playgrounds

Releasedate: 20-06-2008; Label: Lockjaw // Rough Trade
By: Nina Mende

Device is a band from the UK founded two years ago after each member played in several other bands before. They recorded their debut album in 2007 and now we can listen to their album “Obstacles and Playgrounds” as well.

As I got the album I totally didn’t know what to expect of it, so I was even more curious as I put it in my CD-player. The album starts out with the song “An Automatic Fear” which has a very rocking chorus. While listening to it you have the urge coming up to jump around and dance, the punky sounds and guitar riffs are the reason for that. The shouting of the song title repeats throughout the track. “Motion Sickness” contains very melodic verses, yet is the song rocking and quite fast as well. “Scattered Fall” begins with a great string picking of the guitar.
“Public Show” has emotional vocals and has a very melodic guitar again. “Reflections” begins very distorted but gets more calm later on. “Obstacles and Playgrounds” sounds quite sleazy. “Evacuate” is much punkier again with shouting vocals – not the metal way but the punk way like for example Billy Talent do some times, if that gives you a better idea of what I mean. The song gets calm in the middle with quiet vocals before it gets all fast and loud again. Closer to the end it gets quiet again before it starts out rocking for the last time for this song.
“Slow” begins slow and calm with a dreamy melody and soft vocals. A quite emotional song which gets rockier in the middle but still stays quite calm all in all. In the end it’s gets a little harsher for the last minute with these counting vocals again. The last song “Whilst We’re On The Subject” is punky again, great to rock out and jump around for the last time to this album with quiet parts in between to reload your energy ready to jump and mosh again. The last minutes are instrumental and then the album is over.
The songs are all very long compared to a common album so it is definitely worth every cent.

1. An Automatic Fear 2. Motion Sickness 3. Scattered Fall 4. Public Show 5. A Decade In 6. Reflections 7. Obstacles and Playgrounds 8. Evacuate 9. Slow 10. Whilst We’re On The Subject

Links:
Device MySpace
Device Official