Grade: A+
“Bubblegum” and “Bulldozer” are everything I could have asked of Kevin Devine. Even though the records are two separate entities, both are cohesive musical works that meld into one great Devine project. “Bubblegum” shows the punk side of the indie songwriter while “Bulldozer” displays his acoustic greatness, and both halves of the whole show what Devine can do as a musician. The Kickstarter-funded tunes are like a conglomeration of everything cool Devine’s ever done. On “Bubblegum,” “Redbird” is a musical masterpiece; like three songs in one, on the track Devine manages to tap into his singer-songwriter side while taking obvious direction from Brand New’s Jesse Lacey. The last two minutes of the track are probably the best I’ve heard from Devine. On “Bulldozer,” Devine croons through stand out track “She Can See Me” (which also appears on “Bubblegum” in a grittier version) showing the Elliot Smith-esque side all Devine fans know and love.