During this time he also appeared in regular stints at the Wetlands Preserve. Although still relatively unknown, Devine gained some popularity with his 2003 album, Make the Clocks Move. Newer songs reflect Devine's political views and the recent death of his father to a stroke. He has recorded records for Immigrant Sun Records and Triple Crown Records and has worked with Brooklyn based producer Mike Skinner, who is also credited as the drummer on his solo records as well as the drummer for Miracle of 86. He signed with Capitol Records, who released his fourth album, Put Your Ghost to Rest, on October 17, 2006. Only four months after his major label debut, Devine was dropped from Capitol Records due to EMI merging Virgin and Capitol Records.
Devine was able to gather a strong fan base as a result of his exposure through touring with Brand New. First appearing as their opening act in their 2004 spring tour, Devine made a small splash among their fan base. However, opening for them again in April 2006, and joining their 2007 Spring tour with Manchester Orchestra, Kevin's following was multiplying by the day. (Kevin also opened for Brand New as a surprise act at the Triple Crown Records 10th Anniversary Concert.)
Devine's late 2007 touring schedule included a tour with close friend Jesse Lacey (of Brand New) and Grace Read at the end of July through early August, followed by a short trip to London, a spot on the Austin City Limits Festival, and a tour with Chin Up Chin Up throughout Germany. In October 2007 he toured with Andy Hull from Manchester Orchestra and Owen.
Kevin posted numerous demos via his MySpace profile in late 2007/early 2008 and after negotiations with Capitol records, "Put Your Ghost To Rest" was re-released on April 20, 2008 by Procrastinate! Music Traitors.
Kevin toured Europe with Jenny Owen Youngs and Tournaments in May and other tours followed throughout 2008 with Jesse Lacey, Rachael Yamagata and Matt Pryor in August and September 2008.[1]
In late 2008, Kevin announced his new album Brother's Blood would be released in early 2009 on Favorite Gentlemen records, as well as a tour with Manchester Orchestra and the I Could Be With Anyone EP in support of both.
A Flatline Blur
Kevin Devine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So when we meet I keep my mouth real busy
Talk out my nervous energy
It never works
I throw darts at the wall and get sloppy
But it's alright now
If I seem surprised
But if it floats I guess we'll keep it around
A woman gestures lazily
Through the hoods of my eyes
I see her shakin' her jewelry
It casts a perfect light on me
I feel moved and that's strange
But lately I've been acting really strangely
So it's alright now
I'm keeping distracted
To blunt my reactions
And anyhow
You think less
When there's less for you to think about
A paralyzed puppet sits stiff in the window
Runnin' its teeth and playin' piano
And all its songs bleed together
In a flatline blur
A broken litany of
Worthless words
Creatin' space while your drinks get served
And though it gets on your nerves
Just try to pretend like it's not work
A little denial never hurt
The first verse in Kevin Devine's song Flatline Blur talks about the singer feeling isolated from his friends. He acknowledges that his friends are actively trying to avoid him, presumably due to his behavior. When they do meet, he compensates for his nervous energy by talking too much, despite knowing that it never works. The singer throws darts at the wall, which is a metaphor for his aimless attempts to cope with his internal turmoil. As he struggles to maintain composure, he is trying out a new joke to make light of his situation. He knows it could backfire, but if the joke lands, it could bring some relief.
In the second verse, Kevin Devine sings about a woman who gestures lazily. The singer sees her shaking her jewelry, and it casts a perfect light on him. He feels moved by it, and the encounter seems significant to him. However, he acknowledges that he has been acting strangely lately, so he distracts himself to blunt his reactions. The lyrics suggest that the singer may be going through a difficult phase in his life, which is causing him to behave irrationally. The chorus repeats the phrase "it's alright now," which could signify the singer trying to convince himself that everything will be okay.
The bridge of the song describes a paralyzed puppet sitting stiff in the window. The puppet is running its teeth and playing the piano while all its songs bleed together in a flatline blur. This image symbolizes the singer's feelings of being stuck and unable to move forward. He is reciting a broken litany of worthless words, creating space while his drinks get served. Despite knowing that his behavior might be getting on people's nerves, he asks them to pretend like it's not work. It's a hint that the singer might be grappling with an addiction or substance abuse issue, and he is asking for acceptance from his peers.
Line by Line Meaning
My friends are working on avoiding me
My friends are putting in an effort to avoid me
So when we meet I keep my mouth real busy
So to avoid odd silence between us, I talk a lot and try to fill in gaps
Talk out my nervous energy
I talk to reduce my nervousness around people
It never works
Unfortunately, it never solves the problem at hand
I throw darts at the wall and get sloppy
When alone, I aimlessly throw darts at the wall, losing control
But it's alright now
But that's fine now
If I seem surprised
If I appear perplexed
It's just a joke I'm trying out
It's just a trial of a funny story I'm working on
But if it floats I guess we'll keep it around
But if it's well-received, we'll stick to it for longer
A woman gestures lazily
A woman makes idle, slow movements
Through the hoods of my eyes
Through my tired, droopy eyes
I see her shakin' her jewelry
I see her wriggling her jewels
It casts a perfect light on me
It creates a brilliant glow around me
I feel moved and that's strange
Although it's a strange feeling, it moves me emotionally
But lately I've been acting really strangely
However, my unusual actions have caught my attention lately
So it's alright now
But regardless, it's acceptable now
I'm keeping distracted
I'm distracting myself from other odd feelings
To blunt my reactions
So that I can stop over-reacting
And anyhow
Besides
You think less
You worry less
When there's less for you to think about
When there's fewer things to worry about
A paralyzed puppet sits stiff in the window
A paralyzed puppet is sitting stiffly in my window
Runnin' its teeth and playin' piano
Fidgeting with its teeth and playing the piano
And all its songs bleed together
All of its songs blend into one another
In a flatline blur
In a monotonous haze
A broken litany of
A seemingly meaningless list of
Worthless words
Insignificant words
Creatin' space while your drinks get served
Creating a false distance to pass the time while waiting for drinks
And though it gets on your nerves
Although it gets annoying
Just try to pretend like it's not work
It's easy to pretend that it's not an effort you are making
A little denial never hurt
A little denial hasn't caused any harm
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: KEVIN PATRICK DEVINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john Janzzenz
pure love
hoey988
Forever in your debt, Kev.
Maria Balderas
Why
john Janzzenz
Only people that love Kevin come here
Maria Balderas
Where i live deanas waterheaterroom latinking tractorsalerautit
Gage Meyer
If i seem surprised, its just a little joke im tryin out
Zul Jam
this album
Maria Balderas
Impeded
Maria Balderas
Pistolppeteanddodo