Black Sea Hotel: Delightfully Dissonant A Cappella

When you hear the term a cappella, quirky college concerts, inventive pop covers, or famous television theme songs may be the first things that come to mind. But Black Sea Hotel shatters these expectations. The Brooklyn trio 's 2013 album, The Forest Is Shaking and Swaying, showcases the group's haunting, reverb-drenched harmonies, recalling the Gregorian polyphony of the Catholic church. Yet the group credits another exotic influence in helping to shape its sound: Balkan folk music.

No matter the creative source, Black Sea Hotel's music is ethereal, and oftentimes, dissonant, creating a swirling sonic palette that skips around nimbly. It's a sound that expertly plays with melody and harmony, fashioning a musical world equally familiar and fantastical.

Black Sea Hotel performs tonight at Joe's Pub.