Milton and the Devils Party (Credit: Jacques-Jean Tiziou)

The debut full-length from Milton and the Devils Party, What Is All This Sweet Work Worth?, offers listeners a sound of rock and pop mixed with a little punk and smart lyrics. Consisting of Daniel Robinson (lead vocals/bass), Martin Evans (drums), Mark Graybill (lead guitar) and Pat Manley (guitar), the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based band sings common love and relationship songs, but in a comical and intellectual way.

With literature on their minds, Robinson - a professor in that subject - describes the title as "a line from Shelley that I borrowed for the song "Have You Been Around?"  Said Robinson, "The poem, Love's Philosophy, is also featured in Twin Peaks. I'm a huge Twin Peaks fan. But it also speaks to the themes of love and relationship that pervade the songs. Love is sweet work and sometimes we wonder if it's worth it."

"The band name itself comes from a line in [William] Blake's (1757-1827) The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, where he calls [John] Milton 'a true poet and of the devils party without knowing it,'" Robinson adds.  Milton (1608-1674) was the British poet best-known for the epic "Paradise Lost" and served as a major influence on the Romantic poets, such as Blake.

The band's literary influences adds to its charm.  Its sound is cheerful and humorous.

Released in January 2005, the CD was produced by Harris London and recorded at Emerald City Studios in Cherry Hill, NJ. Prior reaching store shelves, some of its tracks received airplay from major Philadelphia stations Y-100 and WXPN.

Robinson and Graybill first met as they both pursued doctorates in literature at the University of South Carolina. They formed Milton and the Devils Party after later ending up at Widener University, just outside of Philadelphia. Manley and Evans joined the band after playing around London's music scene. The two have added have added a great deal to the band's creative process and live shows, said Robinson on the band's website.

Interested in seeing them perform live? "Well, our favorite places to play in Philly are at the Grape St. and this new place, the World Cafe Live.  But we're often at Doc Watson's [and] the North Star Bar," Robinson said.

What is All This Sweet Work Worth? is the perfect CD to pop in while driving to the beach. The song titles alone, such as "Perfect Breast" and "Ugly American," are witty and amusing. The key track on it has to be its opener, "End of the Affair," an extremely catchy song with a kickin' guitar riff that helps tell a personal story. All together this CD is a tremendous effort for a debut full-length.

[ Website: www.miltondevilsparty.com ]

Milton and the Devils Party performs March 29 at the Continental (New York, NY), May 26 at the Grape Street and July 16 at World Cafi Live (Philadelphia, PA).