DeVotchKa

DeVotchKa are a Denver indie rock band with shallow roots in Eastern European folk -- much in the vein of Beirut -- and most famous for scoring Little Miss Sunshine. A Mad and Faithful Telling drifts like a cloud of violin, brass and acoustic guitar, as singer Nick Urata's lonely croon revels in sadness, joy, longing and travels to mysterious faraway lands. "Basso Profundo" has a playful pluck of strings and double time that wouldn't be out of place in a gypsy romantic comedy, while "Transliterator" tells of a lover's tryst with ticklish strings and keys.

DeVotchKa are best known for a) their hot sousaphonist who wraps her ax in Christmas
lights, b) their quirky contributions to Little Miss Sunshine and c) their kinship with other
world-music-minded acts (see Beirut, Yeasayer, the Ruby Suns). But what leader Nick Urata
does on his big indie debut is pretty straightforward: make dance music and ballads with
drama and kitsch. DeVotchKa's idea of dance rock is rooted in Mexican and Balk... More >