Personnel: Dan Sjogren (bass clarinet).

The follow-up to Devotchka's 2004 album, HOW IT ENDS, the CURSE YOUR LITTLE HEART EP finds the Colorado-based ensemble applying its eclectic gypsy-rock sound to both originals (the frenetic and haunting title track is a stand-out) and covers (the pop standard "Somethin' Stupid" and a spare, brooding take on the Velvet Underground's "Venus in Furs"). Although the release will mainly appeal to fans, its eclectic track listing should also pull in curious newcomers.

Denver-based cabaret/Gypsy/indie rock collective DeVotchKa's collection of four covers, a traditional piece and one new original puts to shame many artists who have tried to bridge the gap between full-length albums in the past with a hastily thrown together EP. In between a languid and lush version of "I Cried Like a Silly Boy" by Ted Thacker, and a frenzied, South of the Border carnival jam called "Zopilote Mojado," DeVotchKa manages to turn Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Last Beat of My Heart" into the anthem at the end of the world and the Velvet Underground's oft-covered "Venus in Furs" into the best 16 Horsepower song ever stuck to tape. Even the two weakest cuts, a breezy version of the Frank Sinatra standard "Something Stupid" and the dervish-like title track warrant repeated listens, making this little transient jukebox one of the best kept secrets of 2006. ~ James Christopher Monger