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Devotchka

To call the sad and lovely Devotchka merely polka-indie-rock or Gypsy music, is to do their startlingly original, genre-bending sound a major disservice. The band prides itself on a potpourri of influences, everything from American folk, cabaret songs, spaghetti Westerns, and the dance music of Eastern European Gypsies. They roll deep, taking the stage, clad in orchestra blacks, and unveiling a mixture of instruments not usually seen on the indie rock circuit: violin, trumpet, accordion, upright bass, tuba, and theremin.

You'd think Devotchka were from Prague, Barcelona, or the southwestern United States, but they're not. The band hails from Denver, Colorado, but claims a more cosmopolitan background. The drummer counts his heritage among Lithuanian polka musicians and studied mariachi. The upright bass player, well, she was plucked from the ranks of a traveling Civil War recreationist band to join the Devotchka. And the classically trained singer, Nick Urata, counts the Old World in his bloodstream, as he was the grandson of an arranged marriage between a Sicilian and Gypsy.

Urata's soaring voice ties the melting pot of sounds together, as he contributes his smooth and silken vocals into a snazzy antique microphone. The backdrop is earthy, ominous guitars grounding the sensual horns, playing lilting melodies fit to score old black and white movies. As soon as the stalwart piano and swooping violins enter the picture, the whole room swoons alike. And the rest of the band goes soaring alongside these jaw-droppingly gorgeous, lush songs, under the banners of a gigantic sousaphone illuminated with Christmas lights. It's a spectable even without the burlesque dancers and aerial artists found on previous tours. With a name inspired by A Clockwork Orange, you assume correctly that this band has a flair for the dramatic; it must go without saying.

Devotchka take an off-kilter mixture that, on paper, sound like experimentation entirely for the sake of experimentation, but somehow the disparate parts work. From Russia to South American to Mexico and back again, it results in a magical combination, somewhere between Amelie, The Red Violin and Ennio Morricone. Devotchka are the sound of romance and mystery incarnate.

Devotchka - How It Ends
Devotchka - You Love Me
Devotchka - Such a Lovely Thing
Devotchka - Danglin' Feet
Devotchka - Vengo! Vengo!
Devotchka - Queen of the Surface Streets

The official Devotchka site (there are additional MP3s there). Buy How It Ends from Amazon or iTunes Music Store.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.11.06 at 12:18 AM | Comments (1), TrackBack (0)

The Concretes

There's eight of The Concretes, in an adorable co-ed array -- which already makes me wonder what SXSW venues the lush Swedish pop band will play this year. I'm totally having a flashback to that showcase giant band The Earlies played at Maggie Mae's, where they didn't all fit on stage and there was spillover into the crowd!

But I digress. When I played The Concretes for my mom sometime around Christmas 2004, she told me lead singer Victoria Bergsman's tonally challenging yet utterly lovely singing voice (it's very dour and flat, but strangely tuneful and lilting as well) reminded her of Nico. I had't really noticed before, but she did have a point. Moving directly from that general idea, you can then say that The Concretes' songs actually sound like they're from an alternate universe where Burt Bachrach collaborated with Nico instead of Dionne Warwick. This is especially evident in their cover of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You," which I've included below. There's a dash of folky familiarity to their songs as well, much as with the recent work of fellow countryman Jens Lekman. Harmonicas, banjos, slide guitars -- they all make an appearance -- along with lush string arrangements and a smattering of found sounds. (The band's style is a perfect match with the producer of their latest album, In Colour -- Saddle Creek superman Mike Mogis (Rilo Kiley, Cursive, Bright Eyes) -- who is becoming known for his sensible pop arrangements layered with a near excess of big horns, complex harmonies, string arrangements, and pretty effects.

As a matter of fact, one of the tracks may sound familiar because you've actually heard it before, but just didn't know it. The band's jaunty and insouciant breakout single in Europe and the UK, "You Can't Hurry Love," was recently used in, of all things, a commercial for Target.

The Concretes - You Can't Hurry Love
The Concretes - Lady December
The Concretes - Miss You
The Concretes - Chosen One
The Concretes - On the Radio

The Concretes' official site. Buy their self-titled debut at Amazon or from the iTunes Music Store. Their second album, In Colour, will be released later in 2006.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 02.10.06 at 3:30 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Belaire

One of the wonderful things about the myriad intertwining tentacles of the Austin music scene are bands like Belaire. Made up of twin sisters Cari and Christa Palazzolo (the former had a one-girl band called Fancy Feast, and worked with bands Flashlight Fiction and Arkay) along with Jason Chronis and Matt Simon (who do double duty in See You in the Pit favorites Voxtrot), Belaire are relatively young band, founded in 2004. I first saw them play in late 2004 or early 2005, I suppose, and was utterly charmed by their perky and delightfully energetic synth pop stylings -- and they've done nothing become even more amazing at every live set I've seen over the past few months.

To wit: They're a bit like a sweeter and more twee version of Le Tigre or The Rondelles or Palomar, with mirror-reflection twin sister harmonies reminiscent of Tegan and Sara or Kim and Kelley Deal. And on top of all that, they carry a dash of affinity for punk and bossa nova and hip hop (there's really nothing like hearing an adorable girl yelling about sipping the syzzurp -- see the Kanye West cover below) and Italian horror films (and their soundtracks), which certainly takes some doing. But in the end, Belaire pulls it all off gracefully and offers up a wonderful synthesis of surprising and unexpected influences that wouldn't be caught dead in the same room, much less mesh well together.

There's not too much more to say here; Belaire is nearly as unknown to me now as Voxtrot was to The Last Girl at the Party when she covered them last year. If you take that into account, along with the fact that there are members of Voxtrot actually in Belaire, one can only hope that the band is headed for similar greatness. Luckily, they're currently recording a full-length album, so we're totally keeping our fingers crossed.

Belaire - Da Da Da
Belaire - Hit and Miss
Belaire - Through the Wire (Kanye West cover)

Belaire's official website. One of Belaire's best tracks -- RIP -- is available at their MySpace page and there's two live tracks on the KVRX website.You can buy a hand-decorated, limited edition EP directly from the band.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 02.09.06 at 1:16 AM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

Magneta Lane

Magneta Lane has been making a splash in their hometown of Toronto over the past several months with an aggressive, guitar-driven, tough-as-nails take on power-pop. What you might find surprising is that the trio is made up of three very talented ladies, who are also recent high school graduates. That's right: the average band member's age hovers somewhere around 19, who claim that the impetus for starting the band was wondering "what it was like on the other side of the stage." The brashness of youth, perhaps, but the results are surprisingly great nonetheless; nevermind that they've been paying their instruments for only about than two years! Despite their relative lack of experience, Magneta Lane has as much poise as bands who've been around for two or three times as long.

Lead singer Lexi Valentine is blessed with an attention-getting, brassy voice that's little bit Chrissie Hynde, a little bit Debbie Harry, and a little bit all her own. The sound is like a sultry, womanly version of the Strokes, and struts all over the stage. These gals can pull out a surprisingly heavy bottom whenever they feel like it, channeling the bluesier moments of Sleater-Kinney.

Magneta Lane draw equal inspiration from Hole and Nancy Sinatra, and play up the strong-willed rock'n'roll nature of their music with a throbbing, swagering attitude. "Their Party Days" is filled with a surprisingly satisfying crunch, while "The Constant Lover" is an instant classic, and the catchy chorus is impossible to ignore.

They released a teaser EP on Paper Bag Records this fall to critical acclaim; expect a proper full-length very soon. Dancing with Daggers is out February 14th in Canada, and on April 4th in the US. The trio is making their way down to Austin for their very first SXSW; be sure to give 'em a warm welcome.

Magneta Lane - The Constant Lover
Magneta Lane - Their Party Days
Magneta Lane - The Better Plan
Magneta Lane - Follow Me (Exclusive Japanese Bonus Track)

Official Magneta Lane Site. Buy The Constant Lover EP on Amazon or iTunes Music Store.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.08.06 at 9:14 AM | Comments (4), TrackBack (0)

The Meat Purveyors

(We covered The Meat Purveyors in 2005. This is a reprint of that original entry with updates of what the band's been up to in the past year. And sorry for all the reruns this week, Little Miss Rock'n'Roll and The Last Girl to the Party did some travelling over the weekend that was extended by some airline weirdness and are now thoroughly exhausted.)

Punk bluegrass? I can already see one incredulous eyebrow shoot up. Before you scroll past this entry, hear me out.

Okay, yeah, you may know The Gourds and their now-famous cover of Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice" or the raucous irreverence of the Bad Livers. (Sidebar: How is it that Austin is home to all these weird bluegrass-ish bands anyway?) Trust me, the song stylings of The Meat Purveyors are another matter entirely.

Could it be the sassy, world-weary vocals and on-stage shenanigans of frontwoman Jo Walston? Or the fearsome guitar work of Elvis Costello-bespectacled, Austin Music Hall of Fame member Bill Anderson? Perhaps it's the slappy stand-up bass lines of angelic-voiced, foul-mouthed Cherilyn Dimond, or the mandolin fireworks from Peter Stiles? (And don't forget the occasional assistance of Darcie Deaville's blistering turns on the fiddle!) Or perhaps it's the fact that, over the course of their wide and varied career, The Meat Purveyors have covered traditional tunes ("Working on a Building"), as well as offerings from Madonna, Abba, Ratt, Fleetwood Mac, Dolly Parton, and Ralph Stanley with aplomb -- all the while turning out sharp and witty original songs about ephedrine abuse ("Trucker's Speed" and "Little White Pills"), abusive relationships ("Little Sister" and "Circus Clown"), and excessive alcohol consumption ("Tallboy" and "How Can I Be So Thirsty Today?").

Well, maybe one can't pin down The Meat Purveyors' je ne sais quoi, but whatever it is, it's made the band big in Alaska. They were proud to announce, following a number of tour dates in the 49th state in early 2004, that they'd sold all TMP-branded underpants they'd taken along to hawk at the merch table.

And that, my friends, should clear up a number of questions you may have about The Meat Purveyors.

The rest can be answered by catching one of their live sets, which can only be described as a glorious, train wreck dance party -- be ready to throw down some whiskey shots and scream along with their cover of The Pocket FishRmen's classic yet all-too-timely anthem "We Kill Evil."

The Meat Purveyors - The Middle of Nowhere
The Meat Purveyors - We Kill Evil (live)
The Meat Purveyors - Working On a Building

(the following three tracks are posted at the Bloodshot Records website)
The Meat Purveyors - Tallboy
The Meat Purveyors - Circus Clown
The Meat Purveyors - Lady Muleskinner

The Meat Purveyors @ the Bloodshot Records site. The Meat Purveyors MySpace Page. Buy their latest album, Pain by Numbers, from Amazon or the iTunes Music Store.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll on 02.07.06 at 3:24 AM | Comments (3), TrackBack (0)

Tarantula AD

(We featured this artist last year. The following is a semi-reprint, with sections updated.)

A punk rock drummer walking down St. Mark's Place. Fugitives sitting in an anonymous, smokey coffee house, skulking in the corner. A wild cellist, case in tow, rushing madly about the streets of some European town -- Berlin, perhaps, or maybe Budapest. A pair of lovers, dressed in their best tango-ing outfits, having a quarrel on the streets of Paris. The sneering gypsy with his violin in one hand and the other on the knife hanging from his belt; he surveys the room quietly, with a glimmer of mischief in his eye. This is history, this is drama, this is merely your imagination, this is circumstance, and this is a band named Tarantula AD (formerly known as just "Tarantula"). They've been described as "prog-chamber" or "classical punk" but I prefer to call it music for the novel that's still being written in your head. One of my favorite quotations is from Tokion Magazine: "a sound so dramatic it’ll draw pictures inside your shuttered eyelids." Because Tarantula AD is best taken with your eyes shut, daydreaming of abstract colors and slow motion picture scenes.

Drawing from such disparate sources of inspiration as free jazz, nuevo tango, and classical string quartets, the daring and freewheeling will take you musky libraries and dirty street corners. Tarantula AD is about the melding of minds and the beautifully unexpected, where one half of the band looks like they'd be playing your grandmother's tea party and the other half of the band looks perfectly at home at your neigborhood dive bar.

Songs on Book of Sand integrate the most bone-chilling, grinding heavy metal riffs with soothing chamber music landscapes. They take the soft-loud-soft dynamic of The Pixies and Nirvana stretch it into new directions: It's Tin Hat Trio meets the Tosca Tango Orchestra meets Bill Frisell meets The Dirty Three meets that shitty punk rock band that's always practicing in the garage, all synthesizing into a single, mesmerizing entity that explores everything from an all-out, powerful wall of sound to the quietest, most intense moment between a single violin or a glockenspiel. Live, the band successfully gives every performance their all, 110%, creating a great wave of sound that pounds the shore and recedes, over and over again; appropiate as their album was recorded in a wooden lodge on the banks of the Pacific Ocean, somewhere off the coast of Washington State.

Tarantula AD - Embedded In Ice
Tarantula AD - Opening Theme
Tarantula AD - Who Took Berlin (Part I)
Tarantula AD - Sealake

Official Tarantula site. Buy their full-length, Book of Sand, from Amazon or iTunes Music Store. Buy their self-titled EP from Insound.

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.06.06 at 12:11 PM | Comments (0), TrackBack (0)

The Long Winters

The Long Winters are progenitors of wonderfully brainy, refreshing West Coast pop with a heavy dash of REM. John Roderick of the Long Winters is one of those oblique storytellers, crafting his tales with tiny tidbits of humor and tender details that would be ignored by a less talented songwriter. His songs are filled with non sequitors ("Washington's on the one"), narrators talking out loud, snippets of conversation. These pieces are bolstered, too, by his weaving in of tiny, joyful moments, like the wind blowing across the cheek of a hospital patient in a coma, missing a former girlfriend who used to steal the blankets, or the grounding a song's plot in the taste of limes. Nevermind what the song is really about, although it's probably about a girl, substance abuse, a relationship gone sour ("She never says 'I love you' until I say 'I love you,' like we're exchanging hostages"), and some past regrets. Then again, I suppose a man who's walked across the whole of Europe over five months is allowed some eccentricities.

But let me back up one moment here. The charm of a Long Winters song is thus: an unnamed narrator holds his cards close to his chest, never really telling the truth about what happened, leaving behind half-explanations and cryptic turns of phrase, and letting you in just close enough to invade your personal space, and then the bastard charms his way out of the conversation, bumming a smoke and a twenty dollar bill, with only as much as a thank-you-and-see-you-later. But in an instant, the smooth talker vanishes and lets you in on something terrible. I mean, what other frontman would go and reproduce angry letters from ex-girlfriends in the liner notes? And then to make matters even more complicated, he follows things up a one-two punch of a grin-inducing chorus and some handclaps, elevating a formerly good pop from to a great, memorable one that invades your senses. In short, expect the unexpected from the Long Winters.

One of the most versatile indie pop bands on the circuit, the mood on When I Pretend to Fall, their last full-length, ranges from exuberant to wistful to somber, and back again. The Long Winters are kings of catchy melodies, sunny multi-part harmonies, and the clever anti-love song, but always capped with a clear, glossy pop sheen. Somehow the combination of bright keyboards, lazy horns, and lush orchestration is more than the sum of the parts, and the songs are more than than a brisk autumn walk. On stage, The Long Winters are consummate showmen, and renowned for grace in handling hecklers and wicked bantering style, qualities usually absent in indie rock.

The band have been working on a follow-up to 2003's When I Pretend to Fall (one of my top albums from that year) for ages now, i.e., Mr. Roderick has been holed up in a non-descript house in Seattle, tinkering for months and months, while also bumming around on the campus of the University of Washington, Seattle. But from what we, the public, have gotten to hear from the most recent Ultimatum EP, I predict the results will be very promising, as the band expands their palate. Most notable is the emotional devastation of "The Commander Thinks Aloud," an ode to the astronauts in a NASA shuttle disaster, a song that breaks my heart every time.

The Long Winters - Car Parts
The Long Winters - Medicine Cabinet Pirate
The Long Winters - It'll Be a Breeze
The Long Winters - Stupid
The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud

The Long Winters' official site. Buy the Ultimatum EP from Amazon or iTunes Music Store. And why not grab When I Pretend to Fall from Amazon or iTunes Music Store while you're at it?

Posted by Queen of the Front Row on 02.05.06 at 12:54 AM | Comments (1), TrackBack (0)