DEVON WILLIAMS : LP Euphoria

The album presents an homage to things romantic and rare. This powerful and catchy set of songs, matched with a more intricate and layered production than his 2008 solo debut Carefree, retains a uniform feel despite having been recorded and mixed in several studios by producers like NYC’s Jorge Elbrecht (from the excellent Violens) and Vancouver’s Dave Carswell, who also produced Williams’ onetime touring mate, Destroyer. From the gushing crescendo of “Slight Pain” to the trance-like state of “Dreaming,” the album’s vast emotional landscape embodies the tough-minded / tender-hearted spirit that animates Williams’ live performances. The twelve songs on Euphoria live in a dizzy head space of quiet desperation, progressing from the loving and warm “Revelations” to complacency in “Sufferer,” then back to the optimistic “Right Direction” directly into the claustrophobic, pounding chorus of “How is There Always Room?”