Devo - Duty Now For The Future

While the most obvious flaw of Devo's Duty Now for the Future is that the material simply isn't as good as on their debut, their second album also captures the group in the midst of a significant stylistic shift. On their first album, for all their herky-jerky rhythms and electronic accents, Devo were pretty much a standard guitars/bass/drums rock band, albeit one with more than their share of eccentricities. Duty Now for the Future found them bringing the keyboards that were used as punctuation on their earlier material into the forefront, adding a new level of irony to their "little minds through big technology" philosophy. While Devo would later learn to use electronics with confidence and wit, they were still learning how to integrate them into their sound on Duty Now, and the results lacked the strength and coherence of their debut. Of course, it also helped that the first album had better songs; the two instrumentals on side one are merely filler, "Pink Pussycat" and "Clockout" are jokes that just aren't funny, and "Triumph of the Will" embraces fascism as a satirical target without bothering to make it sound as if they disapprove. But "Secret Agent Man" is a wittier devolved cover than "Satisfaction," the band rarely sounded as cheerfully creepy as on "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize," and the side two rave up, "Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA" is superbly potent (for all their progressive trappings, Devo were formalists enough to know you make a big rock move near the end of side two.) Duty Now for the Future is hardly a bad album, but it isn't as strong as what Devo had already brought to the table -- or would offer later on.

Duty Now for the Future is a fascinating, frantic snapshot of a band caught between two distinct musical worlds. Released in 1979 as the follow-up to their explosive, Brian Eno-produced debut, this sophomore effort sees Devo transitioning away from the jagged, punk-infused guitar rock that defined their early underground years. In its place, the band begins to heavily embrace the electronic experimentation and custom Moog synthesisers that would eventually define their commercial peak. The result is an intentional, high-friction collision of styles that sounds both incredibly ahead of its time and deeply anxious about the upcoming decade.

Much of the record’s distinctive sound can be attributed to producer Ken Scott, known for his pristine work with David Bowie and Supertramp. Scott brought a sterile, ultra-precise clarity to the recordings, which initially polarized fans who preferred the raw energy of Devo’s live shows. However, this clinical production style perfectly complements the album's thematic framework. Tracks like "Clockout" and "Blockhead" deliver stiff, mechanical grooves that mimic the mind-numbing routines of industrial labor and corporate compliance. The music acts as a literal manifestation of their "de-evolution" philosophy, transforming human rhythm into robotic automation.

Despite the sonic shift, the album features some of the most complex and creatively unhinged arrangements in the entire Devo catalogue. The absolute peak of the record is the sprawling, two-part epic "Smart Patrol / Mr. DNA," a masterclass in shifting time signatures and escalating manic energy that remains an ultimate fan favourite. Elsewhere, the band displays their unique ability to warp pop culture to their own bizarre will. Their cover of Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man" strips the original of its suave coolness, reframing it as a paranoid, twitchy anthem for a surveillance state, while "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" injects a dose of perverted synth-pop sweetness.

Ultimately, Duty Now for the Future is a crucial stepping stone that deserves a higher spot in the post-punk pantheon than contemporary reviews originally granted it. It lacks the cohesive punch of their debut and the commercial polish of Freedom of Choice, but its uncompromising weirdness is exactly what makes it brilliant. It stands as a brave, uncompromising piece of art from a band that refused to repeat themselves. For anyone looking to understand the exact moment when the raw fury of 1970s punk officially mutated into the synthesised alienation of 1980s new wave, this album is the definitive blueprint.

Ripped to MP3

1. Devo Corporate Anthem

2. Clockout

3. Timing X / Space Junk

4. Wiggly World

5. Blockhead

6. Strange Pursuits

7. S.I.B. (Swelling Itching Brain)

8. Triumph of the Will

9. The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize

10. Pink Pussycat

11. Secret Agent Man (Johnny Rivers cover)

12. Smart Patrol / Mr. DNARed Eye