Very often, when you try to juggle too many things, something has to suffer. Even if you are just an artist working in, say, jazz and pop can cause problems, let alone if you involve other professions in the equation.
Well, Denver, Colorado's Devin James Fry is doing exactly the latter. He works as a solo musician, and as a bandleader for Denver's Name Sayers, and as a producer, and as an instrument builder. That instrument builder actually has more to do with surgical, rather than musical instruments (and he builds the latter too).
Even when releasing music, Fry goes for duality. Here, he not only goes for a double single but combines the modern psychedelics of "Purple Glue" with some spaced-out hip-hop of "No Hope" on the latter with the help of rap from Otem Rellik and harmony vocals of Nat Tate.
Commenting on "Purple Glue," (produced by Grant Eppley of Spoon) Fry also seems to be making a general comment on his juggling of professions and musical genres in his music: "Everyone's split. For me it's that by day I'm sharpening surgical instruments for doctors and nurses in these highly demanding professional settings and by night I do art. WTF holds a divided personality together? I imagine some sort of purple ooze."
And that purple ooze does stick around with its psych tinges. At the same time, "No Hope" works practically, in the same manner, sounding as if Bootsy Collins is still in his Parliament/Funkadelic spirit with Rellik adding that excellent hip hop touch.
