Singles

DeVotchka - How It Ends

Emily Tartanella 14/08/2007

Rating: 4/5

A dreamy, slurring folk song, “How It Ends” is radically different from DeVotchKa's earlier punk work. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Ethereal, light, and with a guitar riff reminiscent of the Smiths at their mooniest, “How it Ends” might be better suited for a melancholic winter morning than the last dog-days of summer, but the woozy and boozy lead vocals elevate this track above the typical “melodic” fare. The lyrical sentiment of “You said you loved me / I thought you loved me” is perhaps less than novel, but then again, when it's this hot, who's thinking about lyrics?

B-side “The Enemy Guns” opens with a spaghetti western-inflected whistle, and just as the guns are about to be drawn, a vaguely Russian drawl emanates form the lead singer and the Gogol Bordello's phrase “immigrant punk” seems all the more apt. It's not especially tuneful, but at least it's different, which is something few bands today can claim.

It's been a good couple of years for DeVotchKa, what with a gig scoring the indie hit Little Miss Sunshine and releasing the critically hyped Curse Your Little Heart ep, but this former burlesque act backing band is getting anything but lazy. Woozy, folky, and definitely strange, this act is here to stay.

Release Date: 06/08/07