MUSIC REVIEW: DEV - 'THE NIGHT THE SUN CAME UP' (IMPORT)
The Creation of a Pop Music Classic Cannot Be Stopped, Only Delayed
(Indie-Pop/Universal Republic Records) When it comes to launching a career as a 21st century pop star, may we offer a case study in success from Ms. Devin Star Tailes, popularly known simply as ‘Dev’? Her cunning strategy has been flawless so far, providing a blueprint for all aspiring prospective megastars to follow: All you need is a 5-step plan, natural talent, drive, and a catalytic moment to set you on your way.
For Dev, that moment came when LA-based production team The Cataracs found a song that a friend of Dev in her Manteca, CA (read: Smalltown, USA) posted on MySpace (remember MySpace?). It was musical love at first site, and the artistic partnership which provided the basis for all that has followed. (For more details on that genesis story and Dev’s own version of these events, check Buzzine’s exclusive Dev interview).
The Plan:
Step 1: Begin by producing and providing the hook on a massive hip hop club banger (in this case, The Far East Movement’s 2010 Billboard chart-topper “Like a G6”);
Step 2: Follow with a monsterous banger of your own that leans more toward electro and pop (“Bass Down Low” - Top 3 US Heatseeker chart & Top 10 in the UK);
Step 3: Stick massive basslines under every subsequent track and use every piece of vocal tech that you can put your hands on to keep the buzz building (“In the Dark” – a current hit in the US, UK, Canada, Australia; and beyond);
Step 4: Record an album that showcases additional musical range (“Me,” ”Breathe,” and “Getaway”), but maintain a core style that means that they too will become favorites for the same people that loved the singles; and...
Step 5: Drop the bass, sing your heart out, tour your ass off, sell a million records...even in today’s musical world.
So here we are: Dev and The Cataracs have done their part; now it is our turn. And yes, I hear you, the boosters of ‘serious’ music, that this is ‘just’ pop and ‘only’ fun, but remember that fun is actually not a bad thing, and it is never a crime to love pop music crafted as well as this, only to be a po-faced naysayer. Go on, let your hair down for a moment. With the state of the world right now, shutting up and having a dance break can, at worst, recharge your energies before you jump back into more ‘serious’ endeavors…
The only downside to this album has been the extended wait for its arrival. First scheduled for a September release, then pushed back to November, it has now been finally confirmed for a US release on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. But so has the reason for the delay: the album is not the only thing that Dev is currently birthing -- she is also expecting a baby girl on Christmas Eve…
For those of us that simply cannot continue to hold, the UK version of the album is available now on import (featuring two bonus remixes with Tinie Tempah and Flo Rida), for those that can, we sleep safe in the knowledge that the US version will inevitably feature even more new music. Or you can do the right thing, end the wait today and commit to buy both versions… because with the album in hand, only one mystery remains: How two producers so adept at creating musical earworms came to be named after an eye disease…
Standout Tracks: “Bass Down Low,” “In The Dark," “Me”
For Fans Of: Lady Gaga, Robyn, David Guetta, M.I.A
Dev’s debut album, ‘The Night The Sun Came Up,’ is available now as a UK import on Indie-Pop/Island Records.
The US version will be released March 27, 2012 on Indie-Pop/Universal Republic Records.
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