Trying to describe the band is a rather futile endeavor. The first time I heard them was when they opened for Vampire Weekend; I had never heard of them before. Their first song was arranged thusly: tiny girl with a huge voice, banging on a giant metal shovel with a pair of pliers, a basher of a drummer, and a guy in the back of the audience wacking on a giant drum with a skull on it. But it worked; it wasn't gimmicky. For the rest of the set the girl moved to harmonium and and and the guy in the back of the audience moved on stage and played bass. That's it, that's the band. Harmonium, bass, drums, vocals.
I had two initial reactions: (1) what the HELL is going on here and (2) WHY have I not heard of these people before??? The few mentions I have found online have described their sound as a jazzy folk blues. Well, if you throw classical in there, you'll have almost all modern music covered. I've heard that lead singer Shilpa Ray sounds like Billie Holiday. I can see that. I personally thought Janis Joplin. Either way, the girl has some serious pipes. At times there is a weirdness to their music, a sense of off-kilter, that is often associated with Tom Waits. In one song (Shine In Exile), there is a certain sensibility that I associate more with bands such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Trying to describe BEAT THE DEVIL is made even more difficult because their live sound is so different from their recorded sound. Live they were angry, loud, in your face, cathartic, bluesy, demanding, defiant, proud, and drunk. Recorded they are much more restrained. The drums don’t pound, the bass doesn’t scream, and Shilpa doesn’t wail like she does live. But yet, their recorded output works just as well (possibly better) than their live show. It’s much more restrained but no less intense.
There is one thing that I feel is certain, irregardless of what adjectives you decide to use to describe Beat the Devil's sound. They are one of the best band in Brooklyn right now. Certainly one of the more original. Their lyrics are fantastic. They evoke moods and feelings I've never seen or felt in songs before.
They have a new album coming out soon called Idiots Guide. It should be amazing. Like, Best New Music amazing.
Here are two songs:
Here is a video of the song "Plea Bargain" from their @Seaport show on 2/22/2008
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