Pitchfork Forkcast: New Music: DeVotchKa: "Along the Way" [MP3/Stream]

New Music: DeVotchKa: "Along the Way" [MP3/Stream]

This spring Anti- is releasing new albums by both Man Man, whom we heard from last month, and Denver's DeVotchKa. The two bands used to share a smaller label (Ace Fu) and both draw from resiliently indie-fashionable European folk forms that range from Spanish flamenco to the folk traditions of Eastern Europe. Despite all that overlap, that's pretty much where the comparisons end with "Along The Way", a track from DeVotchKa's forthcoming album A Mad and Faithful Telling. Soaring along on a bed of sweet strings, lead singer Nick Urata's voice drips with melodrama, like maybe he's been listening to a bit of Scott Walker or Roy Orbison; rather than a rough-around-the edges Balkan sing-along, "Along The Way" points to a romantic album brimming with bright colors.