Duty Then for the Present

February 23, 2010 2:52 PM

Currently gearing up for their first new album in 20 years (previously), Devo are making their new single "Fresh" available for free download for the next 24 hours.

As part of their comeback effort, Devo performed last night at the Olympic Victory ceremony - having been required, with 72 hours notice, to change their video presentation when their original program was deemed "not appropriate". Devo, Inc. COO "Greg Scholl" has been issuing public service announcements regarding Devo's renewed corporate partnership with Warner Bros. They've been employing focus groups to vet their new material and image. They're running a "color study" on their website to guide their visual approach, which may have had something to the change of their iconic "energy domes" from red to blue for the Olympics performance.

posted by anazgnos (61 comments total)

Hey, it's that dude from Yo Gabba Gabba.
posted by Artw at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2010 [4 favorites]

I was sad that I missed the telecast of this performance. Is there a link to it anywhere online?
posted by kaseijin at 3:02 PM on February 23, 2010

The color study was hilarious, did not see that coming. ill always be red powerdomed tho.
posted by Del Far at 3:04 PM on February 23, 2010

The only thing I could find was this audience-shot clip.

The top result here might have it, but it's filtered from where I sit at work so I can't confirm.
posted by anazgnos at 3:05 PM on February 23, 2010

To clarify, the focus groups, color study, video communiques and I'm pretty sure even Greg Scholl are all part of their new concept, which is still in the process of being revealed but has heavy elements of lampooning Corporate America.

I really dig the new single. I like Devo to the extent that I have the beaker-atom-man pictograph from the back cover of "Duty Now For The Future" tattooed on my arm, so I'm really excited about the new album, which will most likely be called "Something For Everyone", since that's been rumored for some time and the phrase keeps appearing in the promotional stuff. "Fresh" was the other rumored title, which turned out to be the title of this song.
posted by DecemberBoy at 3:11 PM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

Loved the color study. Devo makes more sense than ever now, which is kind of scary.
posted by immlass at 3:11 PM on February 23, 2010

In other news, as part of the deal with Warner they FINALLY have released proper remastered-from-the-original-tapes versions of "Q?A!" and "Freedom Of Choice" in a killer box set with a live DVD, bonus demos, etc. If you weren't aware, all of Devo's CD re-releases are universally horrible with the sole exception of noted Devo fan Henry Rollins' rereleases on his short lived label Infinite Zero, which are way harder to find than the original vinyl. They're worth tracking down, though, because they came with some great B-sides that still haven't been rereleased otherwise.
posted by DecemberBoy at 3:18 PM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

They are missing a trick; if they really want to mock the future by becoming the future, they should incorporate an achievement system.

Achievement Discover Your Devo Colour Unlocked!
posted by seanmpuckett at 3:27 PM on February 23, 2010 [3 favorites]

"...and I'm pretty sure even Greg Scholl are all part of their new concept..." - DecemberBoy

I have to agree with you, given that I met Greg at the SXSW show last spring. Fantastically nice guy, *biiiiiiiiiiiiig* DEVO fan. He's been to enough shows that they all know him...probably why they put his smiling mug on the face of their branding effort.
posted by kaseijin at 3:34 PM on February 23, 2010

...at least let's say I', 90% certain it's the same guy. When I first saw that picture I pretty instantly recognized him.

We'll give a 10% chance that I could be mistaken and it's just some stock photo. Either way, yeah...100% certain the character is just part of the concept.
posted by kaseijin at 3:39 PM on February 23, 2010

I did a search for his name when the first video communique came out, and found links to an actual-factual executive with the same name who used to be CEO of a company I've never heard of, although I'm pretty sure that's just a coincidence.
posted by DecemberBoy at 4:00 PM on February 23, 2010

Let me get this straight. I need Quicktime Pro to download this? Well. I still like the song. And they have my legit email address.

But it's Devo. Gotta trust them right?

Right?
posted by Splunge at 4:06 PM on February 23, 2010

It's an MP3 - you don't need anything to download it. Put in your email address, and they send you a link.

Now if you're trying to play the embedded track, it's possible your browser wants a plugin, but that's between you and your browser of choice. I don't judge.
posted by pupdog at 4:17 PM on February 23, 2010

HOLY SHIT DEVO

YES YES YES YES YES
posted by Greg Nog at 4:24 PM on February 23, 2010

Devo plays the Whistler Medals Plaza at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Winter Games

Photo Gallery
posted by netbros at 4:24 PM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

PS THIS SONG IS GREAT AND I'M GONNA SPEND PRETTY MUCH MY WHOLE NIGHT FRUGING TO THIS
posted by Greg Nog at 4:25 PM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

It's an MP3 - you don't need anything to download it. Put in your email address, and they send you a link.

Now if you're trying to play the embedded track, it's possible your browser wants a plugin, but that's between you and your browser of choice. I don't judge.

No. I got the email. When I left click on it it comes up as Quicktime in the player app. Right clicking on the link doesn't give me a save option. Right clicking on the Quicktime app says I need Pro to download the mp3. Am I the only one with this problem? I'm using the latest Firefox.

Or what am I missing?
posted by Splunge at 4:27 PM on February 23, 2010

I'm on Firefox 3.5.8 (is that the latest, or no?) - and I'm able to save on right click with no problem.
posted by HopperFan at 4:47 PM on February 23, 2010

Splunge - I have the same problem :( I am sad. Does anyone know what can we do so we can download?
posted by ratita at 4:51 PM on February 23, 2010

You really should be seeing a link that says "Save linked file as..." or "Download linked file as...". If you aren't, try this link instead of the one in the email. (you still have to right-click it)
posted by vogon_poet at 4:51 PM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

Okay. I fixed it. For some reason Firefox was set to default to a Quicktime plug-in for all audio files. I set them to always ask.

You use Firefox ratita? Go to tools, options, applications and change the settings there.

I should have figured it out earlier. Live and learn.
posted by Splunge at 5:00 PM on February 23, 2010

Nope that didn't work either. I had to go into Tools, Add-Ons and Plug Ins and disable the Quicktime Plug-In.

NOW it works.

Ask me why I hate Quicktime.
posted by Splunge at 5:03 PM on February 23, 2010

Devo makes me happy.
posted by Senator at 5:04 PM on February 23, 2010

It's never straight up and down.
posted by davebush at 5:08 PM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I wondered if it was possible to love DEVO even more than I already did.
Now I find that, yes, in fact, it IS possible. The world is a richer place for these fine Spudmen.
posted by Dr. Wu at 5:17 PM on February 23, 2010

Song rocks. Just like pretty much every other Devo song.
posted by brevator at 5:24 PM on February 23, 2010

I'm always amazed how fresh and relevant their first album still sounds.
posted by davebush at 5:29 PM on February 23, 2010

If you're having trouble, this is the link to the actual MP3. There's not even any limited-time-to-download trickery or anything, it's just a simple MP3 on a web server.
posted by DecemberBoy at 5:32 PM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

I saw Devo in Toronto a few months ago, and they were absolutely amazing. If you have a chance, go and see them live. Definitely.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:38 PM on February 23, 2010

(Actually, I think I got this MP3 back when I preordered my tickets to that show.)
posted by Sys Rq at 5:40 PM on February 23, 2010

The cynic in me played that song expecting to be let down, but I'll be damned if I didn't love that song. Fits in nicely with the New Traditionalists era stuff and the better parts of Oh, No! It's Devo. I was curious to hear the new album, but now I'm psyched and will be counting down the days.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 5:44 PM on February 23, 2010

They're running a "color study"...

Devo Blue?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:49 PM on February 23, 2010 [3 favorites]

Is this a good place to pimp their cover of the Stones Satisfaction, which might be the best cover version of any song ever? It also happens to perfectly demonstrate why Devo is so awesome, in a way that little of their studio music really does.
posted by rusty at 6:01 PM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

No. I got the email. When I left click on it it comes up as Quicktime in the player app. Right clicking on the link doesn't give me a save option. Right clicking on the Quicktime app says I need Pro to download the mp3. Am I the only one with this problem? I'm using the latest Firefox.

That's why you should never install quicktime. I haven't had it installed since around 2000 or so, when there was a bug that caused my browser to close whenever I left a page with an embedded quicktime movie, and I sure as hell haven't missed it.
posted by delmoi at 6:03 PM on February 23, 2010

Much as I love Devo and the survey, the song didn't work for me. Devo used to be a band that tried new stuff all the time. Now they sound like they're trying to be "Classic Devo."
posted by dogwelder at 6:07 PM on February 23, 2010

Who knew even DEVO could sound antique?
posted by telstar at 6:08 PM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

The song is so good it reduces my spudly rage at NBC for not showing even a single fuckig SECOND of the performance by a good 90%. NBC can still eat a bag o' dicks.
posted by SansPoint at 6:11 PM on February 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I enjoyed the color test. I shouldn't have enjoyed the color test. But I did. And now I have Peekaboo going through my head, complete with the video (french fry into donut ftw.)
posted by davejay at 6:13 PM on February 23, 2010

Wow. Without the whip-crack sound in the drum track, this wouldn't be anything I'd attribute to Devo.

im a little bit sad now but i hope they make lots of money nonetheless
posted by davejay at 6:15 PM on February 23, 2010

Devo used to be a band that tried new stuff all the time.

...while getting progressively crappier. De-evolution in action.

They're just coming off a tour where they played Q: Are We Not Men / A: We Are DEVO! note for note, in its entirety, every night. So, yes, their new stuff is going to sound like their old stuff.

Also, dude, the new song is called "Fresh." There is some irony there.
posted by Sys Rq at 6:17 PM on February 23, 2010

"Devo was right,
Devo knew.
All their crazy prophesies came true."
-Kepi Ghoulie
posted by JoanArkham at 6:22 PM on February 23, 2010

There's a torrent of the whole Whistler show up on Dime, for those so enabled!
posted by anazgnos at 6:31 PM on February 23, 2010

anazgnos: There's a torrent of the whole Whistler show up on Dime, for those so enabled!

God bless the internet.
posted by SansPoint at 6:47 PM on February 23, 2010

Does "Fresh" sound like Midnight Oil to anyone else? Like in the "Place without a Postcard" era?
posted by buzzv at 6:54 PM on February 23, 2010

I used to listen to Devo on vinyl. And not ironically either.
posted by Toecutter at 7:20 PM on February 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

Really good... surprisingly so, although maybe it shouldn't be... surprising, that is.
posted by Huck500 at 7:32 PM on February 23, 2010

> To clarify, the focus groups, color study, video communiques and I'm pretty sure even Greg Scholl are all part of their new concept, which is still in the process of being revealed but has heavy elements of lampooning Corporate America.

So wait, this is essentially the "Achtung Baby" conceit, twenty years later?

Holy crap, has it been twenty years?
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 7:34 PM on February 23, 2010

We reckon any reference to Oscar K. Maerth is fully edited out of their history now.
posted by ovvl at 7:43 PM on February 23, 2010

Much as I love Devo and the survey, the song didn't work for me. Devo used to be a band that tried new stuff all the time. Now they sound like they're trying to be "Classic Devo."

I really don't think so. I see a clear progression from SmoothNoodleMaps to their more recent stuff, and that's how most people have described it.

We reckon any reference to Oscar K. Maerth is fully edited out of their history now.

Except that they used the cover of "In The Beginning Was The End" (was that the correct title?) for a 1988 live release ("Now It Can Be Told"). Anyway, if you're referring to their lawsuit, that wasn't even what it was about - it was that a friend of Mark and Gerry's had come up with most of the de-evolution concept and got no credit, which was more or less true and he won his lawsuit.
posted by DecemberBoy at 8:36 PM on February 23, 2010

Also, it is even verified that Oscar K. Maerth and his book are, in fact, real? You see a copy come up now and then, so apparently a book with that title and claiming to be by someone of that name was published, but it is Devo, after all. Tool had a similar thing in their early career where they claimed their personal philosophy was based on a book called "The Joy Of Lachrymology" which turned out not to exist.
posted by DecemberBoy at 8:38 PM on February 23, 2010

Corporate. As usual, what's good for Devo is good for the company. Real irony is less ironic.
posted by humannaire at 9:07 PM on February 23, 2010

Holy crap, has it been twenty years?

Well it's been 32 years since I bought this album at the age of 19.

Shut up.
posted by Splunge at 9:31 PM on February 23, 2010

Has it really been four years since DEV2.0?
posted by MegoSteve at 9:37 PM on February 23, 2010

Does anybody else get the idea that the Mother LA website might be the portal to some sort of ARG, or maybe a way of getting in on the "focus group" action? First of all, the site is composed entirely of suspiciously General Boy-esque aphorisms and obvious stock photos. Second of all, Devo appears to be their only client. Third, there's a mysterious "Client Login" button on the top right corner that reveals only a solitary blank for a password.

I sent a note asking for more information to Mother LA's email address, so hopefully I'll hear something shortly.
posted by Strange Interlude at 1:34 AM on February 24, 2010 [3 favorites]

If you're having trouble, this is the link to the actual MP3. There's not even any limited-time-to-download trickery or anything, it's just a simple MP3 on a web server

Uh, unless you count the fact that this is only the link text in the email, whereas the actual href is to a protracted bullshit click-tracking url. I guess that comes pretty standard nowadays, but is still something I kind of hoped devo would be above.
posted by 7segment at 3:46 AM on February 24, 2010

Is the concept of Fresh meant to be a generic ad jingle for interchangeable youth-oriented products? I can see it being used to sell soda or chewing gum or jeans.
posted by acb at 4:02 AM on February 24, 2010

This is awesome! All I can say is the words get stuck in my throat.
posted by Sailormom at 6:54 AM on February 24, 2010

I can verify that the Maerth book The Beginning Was The End is real, as I own a copy. The book's cover is indeed the same as the cover for "Now It Can Be Told." I read the first chapter or two before my eyes glazed over.

It's pretty standard batshitinsane fare. Maerth argues that apes evolved (or devolved) into men by eating the brains of other apes. They discovered that eating the raw brains of other apes increased their sex drive and heightened their intelligence. I really should force myself to finish the book to see how it all ends up.
posted by oozy rat in a sanitary zoo at 8:25 AM on February 24, 2010 [2 favorites]

Is the concept of Fresh meant to be a generic ad jingle for interchangeable youth-oriented products? I can see it being used to sell soda or chewing gum or jeans.

Or the latest "Girls Gone Wild" video, for that matter. Going from all of the semi-obvious sex-pheromone imagery in the song, I'd rank "Fresh" somewhere between "I Need A Chick"/"Pink Pussycat" and "Girl U Want"/"Strange Pursuit" in the spectrum of Devo songs about being a restless horndog.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:20 PM on February 24, 2010

I really should force myself to finish the book to see how it all ends up.

But I thought the beginning was the end.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:21 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]

Anyone else super annoyed when a band officially releases an mp3, and it contains absolutely zero meta data? You can't even put your band name in the Artist field?
posted by toekneebullard at 12:40 PM on February 24, 2010 [1 favorite]