100 Lovers

by DeVotchKa

Overview

Fresh off a worldwide tour that saw the group perform in front of nearly 80,000 people at the Stade de France as the opening act for Muse, Denver-based Gypsy-alt-rock outfit Devotchka have managed to find a nice middle ground between world domination and underground anonymity since their 1997 inception as a burlesque backing band. The group's sixth studio album still relies heavily on the Eastern European-infused, heavily cinematic -- you can hear the influence of the band's recent stints in the world of film music (Little Miss Sunshine, I Love You Philip Morris) throughout 100 Lovers' 45-minute run time -- chamber pop of past efforts, but there are some new elements at play here. IMAX-sized opener "The Alley" rolls in like a thunderous qawwali prayer, you can practically hear the strings of firecrackers bouncing around the pavement on the mariachi-drenched "Contrabanda," and "Bad Luck Heels" flirts with Brazilian forro and goes home with Bollywood. Throughout it all, bandleader Nick Urata croons and wails and the wild percussion, seemingly random tango-fueled arpeggios, and instrumental segues pile up, which can get a little exhausting when taken straight through. It's a melting pot to be sure, and the band has a tendency to go heavy on the atmosphere and light on the hooks, but there's never any doubt that it's a brew tended over by some awfully talented cooks. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	03/01/2011
Label:	Anti- / Epitaph
UPC:	0045778710317
Rank:	63485

Tracks

1. The Alley
2. All the Sand in All the Sea
3. 100 Other Lovers
4. The Common Good
5. Interlude 1
6. The Man from San Sebastian
7. Exhaustible
8. Interlude 2
9. Bad Luck Heels
10. Ruthless
11. Contrabanda
12. Sunshine

Album Credits

Performance Credits

DeVotchKa   Primary Artist
Eleanor Wells   Guest Artist,Cello
Lisa Jablonowski   Viola,Guest Artist
Charles C. Lee   Cello,Guest Artist
Thomas Maeda   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus
Aislin Reardon   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus
Eva Maeda   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus
Sophia Maeda   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus
Mauro Refosco   Percussion,Guest Artist
Chris Barron   Trumpet,Guest Artist
Jacob Valenzuela   Trumpet,Guest Artist
Lee Shaw   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus
Evan Orman   Bandoneon,Guest Artist
Takanori Sugishita   Violin,Guest Artist
Derek Banach   Trumpet,Guest Artist
Dan Sjogren   Sax (Tenor),Guest Artist,Sax (Baritone)
Regan Kane   Violin,Guest Artist
Summer Rhodes   Viola,Guest Artist
Claude Sim   Violin,Soloist,Guest Artist
Ilya Goldberg   Violin,Guest Artist
Sophia Parnell   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus
Miriam Vonnahme   Guest Artist,Children's Chorus

Technical Credits

Colin Bricker   Engineer
DeVotchKa   Producer
Jeanie Schroder   Composer
Nick Urata   Composer
Chris Schultz   Engineer
Craig Schumacher   Engineer,Producer
Tom Hagerman   Composer
Shawn King   Composer
Gary Isaacs   Photography
Greg Carr   Design
Tyler Bender   Engineer
Justin Peacock   Engineer
Salli Ratts   Design
Rob Thomas   Management
Fen Ikner   Engineer