DeVotchKa

Many people first heard DeVotchKa when the band scored the 2006 movie Little Miss Sunshine, but the quartet’s origins go back a decade earlier. Initially a backing band for burlesque shows and fetish model Dita Von Teese, the Denver outfit has exploited its multi-instrumental talents to forge a dynamic sound rich in sonic detail. The band’s expansive approach centers on chamber pop, colored with European sophistication and hotfooted Eastern European gypsy folk and polka rock — a charming blend of stately carriage and proletariat passion. DeVotchKa’s recently released fifth studio album, 100 Lovers, frames Nick Urata’s languorous croon inside moody, cinematic music, with results that suggest a distant kinship with Arcade Fire. It’s a beautifully crafted record, like something that should be carefully propped on a velvet pillow in an elegant display case. Which makes the vibrant abandon of a typical DeVotchKa live performance that much more welcome.