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Few artists can claim to be as prolific as DEVIN TOWNSEND. Through various guises and projects, the genre defying, multi-instrumentalist has racked up thirty albums worth of material. Each release as different and vibrant as it’s predecessor while still retaining a core essence that connects it to the mind of the man behind the music.
While each record brings something different to the table, there is always a consistent stamp of emotion that leaves an indelible mark on the tracks. Latest release, PowerNerd is no different. We got the opportunity to discuss the concept behind the record as well as learn something about the creative process behind Devin’s work. With a trademark good humour and a deeply introspective philosophy, we look to glean some pearls of wisdom from the self-styled PowerNerd himself.
For those that have already listened to the album, they’ll have been introduced to two power elements at play. Firstly, the music expresses an almost eighties nostalgia to straight forward good fun rock ‘n’ roll. Yet lyrically there’s a poignant emotional weight to what is being delivered in many cases. Jumping straight in, DEVIN TOWNSEND confirms that “PowerNerd was a very interesting experience for me. It is set to be the first of four records set in this period of time that is rife with change.” Acknowledging that there is an element of straight up rock to the music, “it’s intention was to be a straight up party record, as an olive branch to the audience that puts up with some of the weird stuff that I do.” While this may have been the planned idea, external factors have led to changes being realised. “…life got turned upside down during the period in which it was being written. The original intention of this being a simple, fun party record ended up being wildly inappropriate.”
At this point, it is now clear to see how PowerNerd has ended up being a record of two sides. As DEVIN TOWNSEND explains, “PowerNerd became almost like a dichotomy. On one level it’s simple straightforward music. But lyrically it became about loss or grief.” The effect of the personal factors and what Devin alludes to is certainly borne out within those lyrics as he suggests. The weight of it would indicate that the culmination of this record is something that means a lot to Devin. “…the fact that we finished it during such a tumultuous time. Underlines what I was trying to get across with the title of the record…we got through it, PowerNerd.”
The music appears to have been the part of the album that posed the least amount of resistance when it came to creating having been written and arranged in a relatively short space. The lyrics however posed a bigger question. The personal events that he alludes to are obviously at the forefront of his mind when writing but it is how to convey the emotion and events that presented a new challenge. “I had to deliberate about how much I wanted to say. You can come across as acting like a victim or trying to glean sympathy from people. The best way for me is just to be honest about how I feel.” This authentic and honest approach is something that long term fans of Devin’s work have been acutely familiar with. From his time performing acoustic sets to his big stage shows and even on record, as a musician he openly lets you into his world and doesn’t hide behind a veneer of false sentiment. Clearly this is not only an active choice, but also important to him.
“I’m not dispensing benevolence or trying to teach people anything. I feel like this. Rightly or wrongly, this is how I feel.” This is key to unlocking the PowerNerd sound and certainly considerably important to himself as a person. It is also principal that audiences don’t misconstrue what the songs are about. PowerNerd is not a preachy album, there are no lectures to be given nor lessons to be learned as such. “…these are all experiences that we have to deal with…loss or grief. Remaining authentic about how this period of time has made me react or feel was important…I’m not trying to have answers about anything because I don’t.”
To avoid any comparisons with other artists that may be out there who claim to have emotional answers which he, quite rightly so, cites as “The height of hubris.” DEVIN TOWNSEND is very clear about the distinction being made on PowerNerd. It also highlights another part of the creative struggle for the album. It would have been easy to write conclusion like lyrics to the party style metal that neatly wrapped the emotive delivery in a palatable box. “Every time I listened back, I was like, you don’t know any of these answers. All you know is how you feel.”
On an introspective side, DEVIN TOWNSEND reflects about how the making of this album allowed him to have a separation from the intellectual in how to understand his emotions. The album is a representation for change and outlet for the events on a personal level but is easy to resonate with on an audience level. To go deeper still as Devin opines “I was grateful for it. It allowed me to experience these real emotions. There was no distance. I wasn’t trying to protect myself by analysing them. I was just really fucking sad.” While there’s a smile on his face as he says this the honesty is palpable. “To be writing and recording a record at the time seemed like a strange thing. But there were deadlines to meet and I didn’t want to let other people down, it became a testament to tenacity.”
Once again, it’s this bare, warts and all honesty that audiences latch onto and find outlets with. “If I have any goal as a creative or public entity, it’s that.” As Devin confirms. “My role in writing is cathartic on my own, it’s not altruistic though.” With another wry smile, “I’m not making music so other people can benefit, I’m doing it because I don’t have the vocabulary to express these things.” The cathartic approach to writing music is shared by a majority of other creatives. What sets DEVIN TOWNSEND apart is that ability to self-check and edit as he goes. As he puts it, “…the vocabulary that you learn as you write can perhaps help those who don’t have that ability and I am incredibly honoured if that happens.”
It’s also important to not get mired in this way of thinking and then allow creativity to be become anchored or stifled to the cathartic release and hope that it resonates with others. “The goal is to work it out, so that the next stage of my life I’m not repeating the process of suffering because I haven’t learned anything.” Going further, “I’ve been blind to some of the ways I haven’t seen myself for who I am. You can craft an identity for yourself in the studio, with the point of view of wanting to protect who you are. I don’t want people to see me, only an idealised version of me. What I’ve realised is, the less I have to hide, the more free I can be.”
That is a philosophy that can reverberate just as much as the emotive connection of his music. In a world full of social media, Photoshop and AI with individuals posting and posing in their most perfect situations. Perhaps, taking a breath and being a bit more PowerNerd could do us all a bit of good.
PowerNerd is out now via InsideOut Music.
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The post Devin Townsend: Musings Of A PowerNerd appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
