Post by Zapp Brannigan on Mar 10, 2011 13:05:00 GMT -5
www.lifessweetbreath.com/reviews/albums/42-100-lovers.html
DeVotchKa - 100 Lovers
[Anti-, 2011]
75%
Emotion is a fickle thing. Some emotions seem to only survive in the solitude of quiet introspection. Others need to be broadcast from the rooftops. In this reviewer’s opinion, the best music is emotion when acting as a wave; at the risk of getting too clinical, what is important is the quality and effectiveness to which the sound can translate into various deeply psychological—or even psychosomatic—reactions.
Because of the varying, fickle emotions elicited, it’s not easy for music to succeed in both the subtle intimacy of headphones and the epic grandeur of the arena concert. Few musical acts can truly thrive in both (a certain Grammy-winning Canadian group comes to mind), who have the language to make something you want to mull over one moment, and shout along with at full volume the next. This is the spectrum across which DeVotchKa has always attempted to stretch itself, with varying results.
On 100 Lovers, the Denver quartet make more of a distinction between their two genres of origin—melodic indie rock and gypsy punk, to the point that the album, in its thinnest moments, sounds like a mixtape of Death Cab for Cutie and 3 Mustaphas 3. But all the same winning elements that have characterized their music since 2004’s How It Ends are still present, even if subtly re-arranged. Most important is their impeccable and untiring attention of orchestration, which is no easy task when so many styles and instruments are on the drafting table (“Ruthless”).
Ultimately, 100 Lovers offers a strong case that DeVotchKa is a band founded on craftsmanship, and that the most impressive outcome of their work is how effortlessly it straddles that emotional spectrum. And yet, 100 Lovers accomplishes this while itself being rather forgettable. Is this a success or a failure? It seems that, just like DeVotchKa’s emotional and stylistic territory, such a thing can’t be pinned down. From vocalist Nick Urata’s own lips: “Here's the part that always gets me.”
-Steve Mathewes, March 9, 2011
DeVotchKa - 100 Lovers
[Anti-, 2011]
75%
Emotion is a fickle thing. Some emotions seem to only survive in the solitude of quiet introspection. Others need to be broadcast from the rooftops. In this reviewer’s opinion, the best music is emotion when acting as a wave; at the risk of getting too clinical, what is important is the quality and effectiveness to which the sound can translate into various deeply psychological—or even psychosomatic—reactions.
Because of the varying, fickle emotions elicited, it’s not easy for music to succeed in both the subtle intimacy of headphones and the epic grandeur of the arena concert. Few musical acts can truly thrive in both (a certain Grammy-winning Canadian group comes to mind), who have the language to make something you want to mull over one moment, and shout along with at full volume the next. This is the spectrum across which DeVotchKa has always attempted to stretch itself, with varying results.
On 100 Lovers, the Denver quartet make more of a distinction between their two genres of origin—melodic indie rock and gypsy punk, to the point that the album, in its thinnest moments, sounds like a mixtape of Death Cab for Cutie and 3 Mustaphas 3. But all the same winning elements that have characterized their music since 2004’s How It Ends are still present, even if subtly re-arranged. Most important is their impeccable and untiring attention of orchestration, which is no easy task when so many styles and instruments are on the drafting table (“Ruthless”).
Ultimately, 100 Lovers offers a strong case that DeVotchKa is a band founded on craftsmanship, and that the most impressive outcome of their work is how effortlessly it straddles that emotional spectrum. And yet, 100 Lovers accomplishes this while itself being rather forgettable. Is this a success or a failure? It seems that, just like DeVotchKa’s emotional and stylistic territory, such a thing can’t be pinned down. From vocalist Nick Urata’s own lips: “Here's the part that always gets me.”
-Steve Mathewes, March 9, 2011
