DeVotchKa w/ Basia Bulat @ The Vic 5/9/08

There are very few bands, if any, that make music as innately beautiful as DeVotchKa.  A band of modern day gypsies capable of haunting, possessing and inhabiting souls that are in search of the fantastic and they do it all with a flair distinctly their own.

Download: DeVotchKa - "Till the End of Time"

I am sure there are some social circles or regions around the globe where a band like DeVotchKa may not sound so unique, but I doubt any other band is as gifted in blending so many musical genres while maintaining a fan base equally as diverse. A band so steeped in intrigue that the most glaring aspect of their bio is the most ordinary (that they are from Denver, Colorado.) There is something mysterious and even magical about DeVotchKa. 

Touring in support of 2008's A Mad and Faithful Telling, the new songs flowed seemlessly with the older material. DeVotchKa, that musical see-saw perpetually balancing between the old world and the new, the festive and the tragic, the celebrated and the forsaken.  Much like Mexico's Day of the Dead, which seems an ever present influence, dark themes are dressed up and presented in bright vibrant musical colors. Or like the source from which their name is derived, the music playfully dances between fantasy and reality forming its own truth. These qualities become tangible surrounded by the sweeping grandeur of their live show. DeVotchKa came armed with a string quartet to aid in giving the music destination and some theatricality.  The band transports the listener, from a grand ballroom in 19th century Russia to the seedy alleys on the outskirts of Mexico City, from one song to the next. The highlight of the show was undoubtedly the Slavic Sisters accompanying the band for their encore and performing acrobatics while dangling from sheets drapped from the rafters above.  One more splash of color to complete the masterpiece.  The imagery insisting that it is all just some mad dream.   

In an age of ever increasing support from electronic instruments this music feels organic. It resides in  the desert crust beneath the feet. And if the music is of the earth then the vocals are the wind soaring above occupying infinite space. What can be said about lead singer Nick Urata's vocals? Just standing out amongst the rich musical backdrop that Devotchka creates is one thing but he is capable of more. His voice majestically slicing thru air until it injects itself into the blood stream and plants the seed. His vocals stand atop a long list of adjectives all aching to say the same thing, that this music reaches for you desperately and once it grabs hold it will not let go. Although, you may find yourself holding on just as tight.   

Basia Bulat opened the show and while they share a few musical similarities with the headliners (two of the members were even part of DeVotchKa's string quartet) the approach stands in stark contrast. Playing day to DeVotchKa's deep dark night her set provides quick dashes of light, her music seeks for cracks on your cynical exterior and leaks through. As she did a few months back during the opening night of her headlining tour at Schuba's, she began the night alone on stage singing a cappella. Playing through 2007's Oh, My Darling, an album to which I confess I can't stop listening to, there is an undeniable charm to the music and performance. It may be Basia Bulat's sincere enjoyment while on stage that stands radiant and provides a little sunshine to the show. 

Click here for the complete photoset

Also check out Kirstie's DeVotchKa review from their last time out.