This post is long overdue but still worth writing about three months later because, well, it was that good. When I heard that DeVotchKa was coming to Boston, I jumped on the chance to see them again. I had seen them live at the Paradise back in 2008, before all the renovations were done to the venue. I fell in love with them after hearing a friend play their song “The Enemy Guns”—over and over again. I decided I needed to know more, but assuming that “The Enemy Guns” is indicative of their catalog would be shortchanging a band whose sounds carry across all different cultures and continents, slashing borders and mixing them up together in a strange, vibrant mix. That this has been some of their main criticism should also be a sign that there isn’t too much to critique. But if trying to capture and do too much on an album is a fault, then I’ll go down with them.
It might be true that they sweep through such broad musical strokes that it’s a little disorienting as to what you’ll hear next (or what region you’ll next land in), but I for one don’t mind that their sound might not be grounded in one thing. Maybe that is exactly what keeps the music from getting too serious and too heavy. DeVotchKa bring you a sampling of sounds and eras and ask you to indulge for a few minutes in each one. At once you’re hearing about a love torn apart on the front lines of the Mexican War, a modern-day love from afar amidst a dirty subway, and next “come with me” sung in a deep French to the backdrop of the accordion.
You may recognize some of the sounds—pick them apart and you hear European polka music, Mexican mariachi bands, and other somewhat familiar sounds that you can’t quite place. The group is a band of modern-day gypsies traveling with tuba, Theremin, upright bass, violin, accordion, and more. And it’s true that, unless you know what you’re in for, it may be hard to grasp what DeVotchKa are all about, especially on their earlier albums. But live, it all comes together. The sounds mesh, the songs flow into one another, and Nick Urata’s powerful, crooning voice leaves you downright awestruck. In today’s music, a voice that sounds better live than on record is a novelty and to see this whole band live is to see them completely break out of the confines of the recording studio and of a neatly organized album.
DeVotchKa performing "The Clockwise Witness"
