My relationship with ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ from 2008’s Limbo Panto has been forever marked by the time I almost missed a flight to Delhi for a work trip. I was living in London and had a late afternoon flight. Plenty of time to go to the Field Day Festival in Victoria Park and see some bands! ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ was the 3rd song Wild Beasts played in their set, and I really should have been getting from Mile End to Heathrow (over an hour by train) instead of sticking around to listen. I only just made it, running through the airport to get my luggage from Departures, then check in and walk straight on the plane – it was incredibly stressful!
Years later, I still have a fondness for this song and I appreciate having witnessed it played in the park on a summer’s day with friends.
This is another song, much like ‘Brand New Woman’ that doesn’t fit my taste profile; the genre being described as art rock. But something about this song that grabs my ears and demands attention. The guitar parts and bass in the intro are satisfyingly layered to create an upbeat vibe. There are two vocalists – Hayden Thorpe and Tom Fleming – neither possess a commercial sounding voice. I’d argue that’s what makes Wild Beasts music so distinct from everything else when it was released.
I love the minimal drums in the verse and how the beat picks up during the second part. It helps bring a feeling of movement, as nothing else has changed with the instrumentation.
The guitars pull back for the chorus, giving some space after the intensity of the verse. Lyrically there’s not a fixed chorus, but a lyric repeated, with three iterations:
- And we are so many tiny pieces
- And we are so many clamouring hands
- And we are so much moulded dough
At the second chorus, we hear a piano. It’s a new sound that brings a fresh feeling to the song and helps reinforce the melody.
I often wonder what led musicians to make certain choices in the studio. Were they trying to achieve a certain sound or were they experimenting? What happy accidents created the songs we love? Given Wild Beasts broke up in 2019 after 5 albums, we’ll never know what they might come up with next. That makes ‘The Devil’s Crayon’ even more special, it will never be repeated.