slumberland records

keeping it foolish since 1989

NOTE: We will be on holiday from November 23rd-Dec 1st; mail order resumes on Dec 2nd.

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LA-based Devon Williams is a young man with a true gift as a song-writer and musician. He's traveled from punk rock roots to an enviable place where power-pop meets classic 60s melodies, the best of swirling 80s-flavored production and shimmering, jangling guitars. His brilliant debut solo album Carefree, released in 2008, demonstrated a knack for crafting timeless pop that's equal parts Brill Building and Topanga Canyon. On it, Williams hearkened back to great songwriters like Nilsson, Chilton, Downes and Westerberg. Buoyed by Wall of Sound production, economical arrangements and a wealth of 12-string jangle, Carefree is a perfect pop record in the truest sense, a record bursting with melody that rewards repeated listens.

Following up his superb Fall 2010 Slumberland single Sufferer, Devon now offers another taste from his forthcoming album Euphoria. "Your Sympathy" is a simply beautiful piece of timeless pop, recalling legends like The Church, Felt and Teardrop Explodes while still being pure Devon in it's attention to arrangement and melody. The tune is another Williams future-classic, instantly memorable and charming with its driving elegance. Slotting in with musical fellows like Destroyer (indeed, engineer Dave Carswell plays on and recorded the most recent Destroyer LP) and Puro Instinct, Devon effortlessly incorporates a wealth of disparate influences to create something totally personal and uniquely well-crafted. The flip side "Sisters" could be an a-side of its own on just about any single, a sweeping miniature epic full of fuzzed guitars and soaring, chorused jangle.