Admittedly a bit late on the uptake, but I bet most of you, too, are DeVotchKa virgins. How I've gone all these years sans the musical stylings of the Denver, Colorado quartet is beyond me. Incorporating instruments that you probably can't even pronounce (dare you to say "bouzouki" five times fast), even the band's name is fun to say. DeVotchKa, a derivation of the word "girl" in Russian, has been at it for quite some time -- since 1997, to be precise. The band can attribute its humble beginnings to the vivacious crowds of underground burlesque and the loyal subjects of the genre's reigning queen, Dita Von Teese, with whom the members toured nationwide.
Fortunately for the DeVotchKa crew, they elevated above ground and to greener pastures, nabbing an Oscar nod for the Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack (the majority of which the band scored). We may have glazed over the praise-worthy compilation -- and who can blame us after Abigail Breslin "Super Freak"-ed her way into the musical memory of the film -- but the Academy Awards sure didn't. Similarly, the band's sound has been recognized by the producers of "Everwood," "Weeds," the Bonnaroo Music Festival, the Grammy Awards and Billboard.
The hardest part about loving this band is attempting to describe it to others, especially because of its eclectic sound. Described by some as "gypsy folk," the band reminds me a bit of Mariachi El Bronx at times (like on "Contrabanda" and "Along the Way" for example), The Drifters ("Somethin' Stupid") and even The Killers / Bruce Springsteen ("All the Sand in All the Sea;" "The Last Beat of My Heart;" The Alley"). And while the aforementioned tracks are among the top of my list of DeVotchKa tunes, the hands-down fav seems to be the oldie but great-ie "How It Ends." Try to keep your composure; it's quite melancholy.
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