Produced by 16 Horsepower's Bob Ferbache, DeVotchKa's debut, Supermelodrama, shows a band filled with vigor and paranoia, but with a much distilled and prominent vision. At their most dark and forceful, DeVotchKa sit somewhere between the nervous Radiohead and the most melodic of Talking Heads, due to vocalist Nick Urata's vocal likeness to Thom Yorke and David Byrne, but the band is much more than these influences. To mix it up, DeVotchKa mix regular references to European folk, hints of sunny pop melodies, and angular ...
Read More
Produced by 16 Horsepower's Bob Ferbache, DeVotchKa's debut, Supermelodrama, shows a band filled with vigor and paranoia, but with a much distilled and prominent vision. At their most dark and forceful, DeVotchKa sit somewhere between the nervous Radiohead and the most melodic of Talking Heads, due to vocalist Nick Urata's vocal likeness to Thom Yorke and David Byrne, but the band is much more than these influences. To mix it up, DeVotchKa mix regular references to European folk, hints of sunny pop melodies, and angular post-punk ruminations via a mesh of clarinet, accordion, sousaphone, trumpet, percussion, and violin falling over the staggering peaks of the traditional rock & roll bed of guitar, bass, and drums. "Danglin' Feet" leads the album off with the opening bars joyously capturing a vibe similar to the irresistible charm of Joe Meek's classic "Telstar," but the likeness ends when Urata's fevered vocals take over and terrorize the listener through the plans of a suicide. It is followed by the furious and engaging theme song for the band, an intoxicating, Slavic gypsy-sounding melody reaching similar territory in cadence and vitality as the amazing Taraf de Haïdouks often do, and this is what the band is all about. In the first five minutes of Supermelodrama, DeVotchKa travel around the globe without knowledge of or care for the boundaries that have separated popular cultures for centuries, and furthermore do it without sounding choppy or forced. This is the same approach George Harrison took when molding the sitar into John Lennon's "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and fills a very interesting distinction of rock which, surprisingly, has been visited by very few since. At the roots of the clever arrangements, it is nice to find DeVotchKa's songwriting is just as realized and appealing as their sound, and moreover is surprisingly accessible which makes the fact that Supermelodrama is the group's debut all the more impressive. ~ Gregory McIntosh, Rovi
Read Less
Add this copy of Supermelodrama to cart. $4.10, fair condition, Sold by Service First Media rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Taylorsville, KY, UNITED STATES, published 2002.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Ex-Library rental. Disc(s) are professionally cleaned and may contain only light scratches that do not effect functionality. Includes disc(s), case, booklet, and back artwork. Disc(s), case, booklet, and back artwork may contain library/security stickers and ink writing. Case and artwork may show some wear. Case may not be an original jewel case. All disc(s) are authentic.
Add this copy of Supermelodrama to cart. $4.10, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Cicero Recordings.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!