Devics – Push The Heart

The Devics
Push The Heart

I’ve been gradually becoming assimilated into The Devics‘ mysterious musical world from listening to their CD repeatedly while driving around town. I didn’t know of this L.A. based band until now, though they’ve made a name for themselves over in Italy. The multi-cultural transplants Sara Lov and Dustin O’Halloran are the only members of this slightly quirky dreamrock band but they make up for their lack of numbers with the awesome songs on their new album Push The Heart.

There is a strange ghostly and glowing power running throughout the music, a push and pull of chord pairings which alternates in feeling between whimsical, broken-down cabaret clubs and a classical, almost courtesan setting. That last observation is no doubt validated by the fact that O’Halloran is an accomplished classical musician and composer and has released his own solo piano work to great reviews.

For those who need an overall description of what the music sounds like, imagine Chan Marshall fronting The Delgados. I’m also reminded of another great indie pop duo, Viva Voce, though i think The Devics are a bit more serious. They make really great music that is distinctive, evocative, and compositionally “complete”. A side note: they really seem to like the waltz structure for their songs.

The opener “Lie To Me” is a soft piano arpeggio waltz showcasing Lov’s breathy vocals that does indeed remind me of the Delgados. “Secret Message To You” harnesses a manual typewriter as a beatbox. Sure, it’s been done before but I’m not sure if I ever heard it fit a song so well. Along with tiny bells in the background and a revolving chromatic scale outro, this one was really fun. With “Songs For A Sleeping Girl” comes O’Halloran’s first vocal contribution and it’s certainly significant. All of the sudden, the music gains a more standard folk rock feel but the true treat is the doubling of Lov’s vocals over his. The song reminds me a bit of Mojave 3 or Low at times.

“Distant Radio” could be a Slowdive track with its infectious beat and a great dreamy atmosphere populated with minor chords. Though, the vocals on this one are less ethereal than Slowdive’s. One of my favorites on the album was the Blonde Redhead sounding “Just One Breath” containing those distinctive descending minor chords that Blonde Redhead is known for.

On “Moments”, Lov’s voice drawls a bit like Edith Frost alongside a simmering snare drum and simple repeated piano chords … they certainly do like their waltz and 6/8 time structures! “If We Cannot See” brings a return of O’Halloran’s low vocals… He actually has a great voice and I think his singing may even be a bit underrated because Lov is such a good singer too. The best parts are again when they sing in tandem. This song started to remind me of The Autumns in the louder, denser parts near the end.

“City Lights” is a perfectly dreamy little acoustic guitar waltz, and the album ends with the forboding and and slightly jazzy song “Come Up”. I’m damn impressed with all of their songs… the album is scheduled to be released in the U.S. in March but it’s already been available overseas for quite awhile and is available on Amazon/Itunes as well.

Devics website: www.devics.com

by Palebear