As much promise as a band might hold when it first appears on the public radar, sometimes there's no way to account for the sudden jump forward that they might make from one album to the next; sometimes a band might have been good on one album but they're absolutely mind-blowing on the next. Such jumps are not commonplace (if they were, there would be no such thing as a mid-level band) but it's really exciting when they do happen; such was the case when Coldplay followed Parachutes with A Rush Of Blood To The Head, and such is the case now that DeVotchKa has answered A Mad & Truthful Telling with 100 Lovers.
The growth exhibited by DeVotchKa on 100 Lovers is immediate and incredible from the moment the record begins in “The Alley” and never falters or regresses at any point through the rest of the album. Where A Mad & Faithful Telling was a dark and occasionally somber outing, DeVotchKa uses the same instrumentation in a totally inverse fashion on 100 Lovers; with strings that will warm hearts leading the charge, the band expands its' song structures to include a more ethereal and abstract plain which is uplifting where once it seemed quite dour. Here, while drummer Shawn King adds the drive and exhilaration to the music's lush, orchestral backing, singer/guitarist Nick Urata simultaneously helps to further thicken the music by focusing on rhythm figures with his instrument while also letting his vocals soar above all of the proceedings. The result of that design is breathtaking and functions as the perfect hook that will pull listeners in for the long haul, guaranteed.
They'll be happy they came along too. As songs including “All the Sand in all the Sea,” “The Common Good,” “Bad Luck Heels,” “Ruthless” and “Contrabanda” all roll through and incorporate elements of mariachi, Brit-Pop, luxurious folk and more into the band's already rich, gypsy-flavored amalgam, listeners will be dazzled by the lush and almost cinematic result. Here, one can never be too sure what might be coming around the next corner, but that anticipation is part of the appeal; every turn reveals an all-new collection of brilliant surprises made all the more fantastical because no one could reasonably expect to see them coming, but the band never misses when they do.
After listeners experience 100 Lovers, there's little doubt that they'll be reaching to hear the whole thing again and excitedly listen even harder to see what they might have missed on the first pass. The sounds contained on this record are just so rich and so fine that they'll have listeners clamoring for more, and ensure that the base of fans that the band will have when the follow-up appears will be as large and expansive as the sound of this album. Therein lies the proof that 100 Lovers is a success; 100 Lovers is captivating and serves notice that DeVotchKa's star is born.
Artist:
www.devotchka.net/
www.myspace.com/devotchkamusic
Album:
100 Lovers comes out on March 1, 2011. Pre-order it here on Amazon .
