DeVotchKa

DeVotchKa hails from Boulder, Colorado, but its exotic songs defy geographical pinpointing. Using a vast instrumental arsenal that includes tuba, theremin, accordion and vibraphone, DeVotchKa performs original songs that sound as if they’ve migrated through word-of-mouth transmission over hundreds of years, accumulating regional influences as they traveled. Nick Urata narrates this epic nomadic journey, and his vintage microphones capture every nuance of his richly dramatic delivery. In addition to this high-profile tour with the goth-cabaret duo Dresden Dolls, DeVotchKa is winning exposure thanks to the use of its evocative “How It Ends” in the Everything Is Illuminated trailer. (The song doesn’t appear on the soundtrack, though it would fit neatly alongside the collection of Ukrainian Gypsy-folk tunes.) The rising popularity of Gogol Bordello, an aesthetically similar act whose singer stars in Illuminated, suggests that adventurous, globe-trotting pop might be the next big movement.