Opening with the gently swelling strings and piano of "the Alley," 100 Lovers arrives like the gently sweeping sands of a desert oasis. It's exudes a feeling so calm and serene that it's almost impossible not to imagine the majestic expanse of the desert in its still and silent beauty. It's not until the propulsive opening bars of the second song, "All the Sand in All the Sea," that the album starts to feel more like the center of a dust devil.
Welcome to Devotchka's sixth studio album. It's an album rich with inspired visions of the desert, tastefully impressive musicianship and a production sense so epic that its cinematic. It's an album that sounds like a Lorca play scored by Ennio Morricone and spiked with red wine.
It's also probable that it's the most romantic piece of work you'll hear all year. Whistfully poppy at turns, elegantly strident at others, their usual blend of ambitious world music is bolstered here by a production ethic that enhances it's accessibility without sacrificing it's diversity. They veer effortlessly from flamenco ("Bad Luck Heels") to spaghetti western bombast ("the Man From San Sebastion") while still managing to cover all points points in between. The success of this approach, whether it's the infectiously breezy pop of "100 Other Lovers" and "Exhaustible" or the arena ready urgency of "All the Sand in All the Sea" and "The Common Good," is self evident.
Musically, Devotchka tower. And even though the songs don't sound like it, they are deceptively straightforward. They live within the simple skeleton framework of pop music songwriting (verse chorus verse and so on) but every devilish little deatil, whether it's Thomas Hagerman's violin work or Nick Urata's double duty with the theramin, take the songwriting from dependable to spellbinding. It wouldn't be hard to argue that Devotchka may be the most literate band out there but this is still a helluva ruckus for four musicians who look more like a book club.
essential listening:
All the Sand in All the Sea
100 Other Lovers
the Common Good
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