[4/5]
There was a day when the indie-rock galaxy wasn't rife with accordions, bouzoukis and madcap polka sentiments. That day may come again, but in the interim, DeVotchKa have to deal with Beirut, Gogol Bordello and even Arcade Fire trampling through the same gypsy camp where strings and tenor wails meet in a bastard tango of pan-European instincts. Thankfully for DeVotchKa, their songs have a weight beyond the bells and whistles, retaining your interest once the shock of new sounds and the novelty of genre-hopping is gone. Bookended by the frenzied rooftop race of "Basso Profundo" and the beautiful Danube sunset of "New World," A Mad And Faithful Telling is both whimsical and rich, with poignant lyrical moments throughout. On "Transliterator," singer Nick Urata croons about someone "who has a wonderful way of eating up entire days." This album may do the same. (ANTI-) Jeff Leven
 Official Website: http://www.anti.com
|
