Artist Kevin Devine

Doug Williams

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Kevin Devine

When Kevin Devine’s 2006 album, Put Your Ghost To Rest, was re-released following his discharge from Capitol Records, the singer-songwriter included two covers—Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Holland, 1945”—as bonus tracks. Tackling such canonical songs takes guts; it’s a good thing Devine pulls them off with passion. The Brooklyn, New York singer-songwriter also puts plenty of spit and venom into his originals, which take the mopey-dude formula to another level entirely. That’s truer than ever on 2009’s Brother’s Blood, a psychologically rinsing record epitomized by the surprisingly jarring guitar and unsettling screams of standout song “Carnival.” His new record, Between The Concrete And The Clouds, is due this week.

Updated 08/30/2011