Spring Break
DeVotchKa album brings noise, funk
The Little Miss Sunshine band demonstrates its maturity with its latest, lyrically bolder album
by Sarah Bayer
Assistant Arts Editor
Arts | 3/25/08
Posted online at 11:55 PM EST on 3/24/08
Again, sometimes DeVotchKa falls prey to its influences, as in the waltzy "Strizzalo," which never quite transcends its Danube atmosphere. This track's strings, laid richly as if heavy with tradition, betray the edgy goals of the band's early experimentation, even while they salve the album's angrier moments.
The band's maturation is evident on "Head Honcho," a reworking of a track from SuperMelodrama. Where the original track was exactly the kind of roughly orchestrated barb you'd expect under that title, the new version is subtler, with a single violin providing a teasing counterpoint to Urata's vocals. It's a thorough overhaul that shows DeVotchKa's commitment to renewing rebellion.
There's nothing normal about DeVotchKa's career arc from burlesque backing band to Hollywood soundtrack darlings. Still, A Mad and Faithful Telling reveals a band at a familiar stage in its career, negotiating the balance between sentimentality and subversion with ever-increasing success.
The band's maturation is evident on "Head Honcho," a reworking of a track from SuperMelodrama. Where the original track was exactly the kind of roughly orchestrated barb you'd expect under that title, the new version is subtler, with a single violin providing a teasing counterpoint to Urata's vocals. It's a thorough overhaul that shows DeVotchKa's commitment to renewing rebellion.
There's nothing normal about DeVotchKa's career arc from burlesque backing band to Hollywood soundtrack darlings. Still, A Mad and Faithful Telling reveals a band at a familiar stage in its career, negotiating the balance between sentimentality and subversion with ever-increasing success.
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