joe devita - the anithero

Joe Devita

The Antihero
Daddy Tank Records; 2013

3.9 out of 5

Joe Devita has been in the music scene for quite some time and seven albums deep with his latest entitled The Antihero, which is due out at the end of this month on Daddy Tank Records. The record mixes a number of different genres to create something original yet captivating. You can hear influences from jazz as well as genre hopping tendencies that would make someone like Tom Waits proud. Perhaps the best way to explain is from the artist himself, “Imagine putting an overly satirical, sexually frustrated Captain Beefheart into a wrestling ring with all of the members of Funkadelic (living and dead). Throw in some farm animals and explosives and you have The Antihero.”

The album has great production that was treated delicately as each song contains different tones selected from the same palette. “The Populace Takes Over” combines rhythmically complex-drums with phasey guitars that create a carnival of sounds that groove and implode before the zaniness takes over. “Key to the City” is a subdued number with some gorgeous backing vocals, organs, and lightly strummed guitar as Devita vocals are softly spoken as well as manipulated. Other songs have a distinct electronic feel but are treated differently and unpredictable than most. Guitars are distant as garbled vocals are heard, which reminded me of a song by Radiohead called “Pulk/pull Revolving Doors”.  So I listened to the sample of this album on Soundcloud and without a doubt will be picking this up upon its release. Do yourself a favor and take a listen. There is very little doubt in my mind that you will find this intriguing.

official website

Samples from his new album below 

bandcamp