Best of SXSW: Beat The Devil

The first things you'll notice on listening to Beat the Devil's 'Shine in Exile' are the vocals, (inadequately describable as a sort of 'languid croon'), and the fact that there are no guitars - just a harmonium (with some bass & drums). Both of these are supplied by lead singer Shilpa Ray. Forced to play harmonium and sing since she was 8, Ray was raised in a strict Hindu household, where Western music was forbidden. As a result, the band's music sounds as if Ray, upon discovering Western music for herself, decided to incorporate as much as possible into her own work. There are echoes of jazz, blues, folk, and rock all within the one track, and it's unlike anything else I've heard recently.

Beat the Devil currently have a self-titled EP, available from their site here.

Beat the Devil - Shine In Exile
Beat the Devil - Plea Bargain