polaroids of androids

Devastations - Yes, U

From the opening bass notes of Black Ice, the first track from Melbourne trio Devastations third album Yes, U, one immediately feels on edge. When the hiss of the ride lingers for what seems an eternity, chills race down the spine. And when the haunted vocals kick in over melancholy piano chords, it's hard to suppress the bleak images that have suddenly manifested themselves in your head. For the next hour or so this spooky feeling remains, ever present even in moments where the tone or lyrics of a given track suggest it shouldn't.

Examples of this would be a track such as Oh Me, Oh My. While the lyrics tell a story of everyday pleasures such as seeing films and shopping for shoes that one might have with a significant other, the sombre nature of the melody immediately makes you feel as though they are being sung about a lover who has left or even died, such is the intensity of the emotional undertones.

Other highlights include Mistakes, the most upbeat track on the album in terms of pacing, An Avalanche Of Stars, a track that could be described as playful in its composition in context of the album and The Saddest Sound, a shattering description of depression that from my own experience is almost too precise for comfort.

This album is a without doubt a masterpiece, but in saying so I can envisage moments or periods in a lifetime where it would be the absolute worst thing you could listen to. It's not for the faint hearted, and not something one should be listening to in a depressed state of mind. To give such stark warnings of its effects speaks highly of the quality of the album itself, and how successful it is in getting its message across to its listener.