DeVotchaKa’s gotcha
By Susan Pugh on Apr. 02, 2008
DeVotchaKa is an indie rock ensemble from Denver, Colo. The name itself was knicked from the book “A Clockwork Orange,” in which author Anthony Burgess created his own dialect of English. DeVotchKa, a word derived from Russian, means “young girl.” After several national tours, they developed a growing, underground fanbase. More recently DeVotchKa has garnered more attention when the group was asked to score the film “Little Miss Sunshine” (which incidentally earned four Academy Award nominations). DeVotchKa was nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack.
On March 18, “A Mad & Faithful Telling” was released. It is the group’s fifth studio album and features instruments such as the theremin, bouzouki, accordian, sousaphone, and double bass. As with previous releases, it is easy to imagine a band of traveling gypsies. Everyone in the group plays several instruments and influences are drawn from their early career as a backing band for burlesque shows as well as spaghetti Westerns and folk-dance tunes from Eastern Europe. Some have called DeVotchKa’s sound polka-rock or circus music, but that doesn’t really do it justice.
The classic DeVotchKa sound can be heard on songs such as “Comerade Z” and “Strizzalo,” which are completely instrumental. Though “Along the Way,” “The Clockwise Witness,” and “Transliterator” really stand out as the tracks that will be on repeat for awhile. The band is planning a major tour to support this record. For more information check out devotchka.net.
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