Giving DeVotchKa an unfavorable review is a rarity on par with seeing Haley's Comet. Chris Barton from the LA Times, however, is clearly impervious to the band's charms. In his critique of the act's show a few nights ago at the El Rey in Los Angeles, he gave the band a thumbs down, saying, "For all of the energy and commitment on display from the band, the most festive presence was the bundle of Christmas lights jammed into the mouth of Jeanie Schroder's sousaphone. In short, it was an evening of dance music whose inescapable reserve afforded precious little dancing." Maybe he was seeing something we didn't? The group certainly sounded fine to us earlier in the day on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Guess it's just a matter of perspective. -- Dave Herrera