This Night Falls Forever

Album review

The first studio LP since 2011's 100 Lovers -- an ambitious concert album, Live with the Colorado Symphony, arrived the following year -- This Night Falls Forever sees Devotchka delivering another expansive set that pairs sumptuous orchestral pop with elements of European folk and sweeping, stadium-ready alternative rock. Drawing from a musical arsenal that includes Theremin, guitar, bouzouki, piano, trumpet, violin, accordion, sousaphone, double bass, and flute, the Denver-based quartet casts a wide and eclectic net of sound that evokes Coldplay by way of Beirut, with a little Neon Bible-era Arcade Fire tossed in for good measure. Frontman Nick Urata has spent much of his time between Devotchka releases composing music for film and television, and that widescreen aesthetic is applied liberally throughout the LP's just-under-50-minute runtime. Opener "Straight Shot" builds slowly, unveiling layers of staccato guitar and sweeping strings with measured grace. While it never reaches the nosebleed seats -- that particular triumph is reserved for the ascendant, late-album alt-rocker "Angels" -- it's representative of the set as a whole, with the elegant single "Empty Vessels" and the operatic "Lose You in the Crowd" following suit. Urata and company have always been adept at teasing out big moments without succumbing to excess, and with the lovely This Night Falls Forever, they've distilled that predilection into something both intimate and grandiose.

© James Christopher Monger /TiVo