Rating: NNNN
Last year, the movie Little Miss Sunshine made North Americans clamour for independent flicks. It also gave many music fans the hots for little-known Colorado band DeVotchKa, which contributed a number of songs to the soundtrack. Like Gogol Bordello, the band fuses Eastern European sounds with rock ’n’ roll, creating an odd mix of genres and time periods. Needless to say, it all went over quite well with the indie moviegoers.
Now DeVotchKa are reaching the masses without the help of Hollywood. A Mad And Faithful Telling effortlessly fuses klezmer, jazz and Morrissey-like rock, resulting in one of the more eclectic records around.
Everything is worth hearing, but frenetic waltz-meets-hora dance track Comrade Z is a definite standout. This isn’t quite as fun as Gogol’s music, but it’s more thoughtful than DeVotchKa’s Gypsy punk brethren.
