Devendra Banhart - Rejoicing in the Hands
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Free Music Notes for Rejoicing in the Hands
Free Music Review: In Good Hands
Hit: 5 Stars
Aspiring male musicians take note: the measure of a man is not by his record sales but by the size of his female following.
The easiest way to score your own legion of rabid groupies is to adopt a well-recognized persona. Undoubtedly, the definitive standby is the brooding-rocker image perfected by Jim Morrison. But if you're not sure you can pull off the "young lion" look, rest assured and consider the old-school way of making fans: if you have exceptional talent and loads of charisma, it doesn't take much to impress the womenfolk. Devendra Banhart in his live shows looks like Charles Manson in gypsy dresses, and he's still greeted with squeals of estrogen-pumped adoration rather than horror.
The 23-year-old hipster and graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, whose 2002 release of his debut album "Oh Me Oh My...The Way the Day Goes by the Sun is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit" was conceived from bits and pieces sung on a friend's answering machine and produced on a four-track recorder, has many critics touting his penchant for simple yet sensuous imagery and deceptively skillful guitar work as the marked emergence of yet another subgenre that has been recently sought out by indie media, called "neo-folk." Trilling lines about split lips and crab cake, Banhart's delicate voice harkens back to the high-tension ululating of Tim Buckley and the gentle murmuring of Nick Drake that made them indelible, albeit modest, impressions on the music scene in the early 70s.
Highlights from the album include the lyrically understated but dulcet tracks "Will is My Friend" and "This Beard is for Siobhán." On "Todo Los Dolores," Banhart shakily starts to coo in passable Spanish before giggling into a second, and much smoother, attempt. "Rejoice in the Hands" reminds us that the gimmick of lo-fi, in the right hands, can be one not only of simplicity but of sincerity.
Of course, as with his look of mistaken identity, that nixed first try may seem a little too coincidental, almost as though he planned this familiar blunder just to see how pandering his fans would be to his faux pas. But does that even matter? That Banhart can so completely disarm his listeners with some finespun words and by treating them as his intimate companions with whom every song is a privately shared joke is testament to the comforting notion that an up-and-coming musician need not be defined by a massively overstated image in order to be relevant to the iPod generation.
Free Music Review: The three song rule
Hit: 5 Stars
I have a rule for what constitutes a record worth buying, or saying that you like as a whole. It is the Three Song Rule. If I like three songs, it is worth it. Rejoicing in the Hands delivers that in its first three tracks. But it was one song that literally shook me awake and in of itself made me realize that this was a record and an artist to pay attention to--A Sight To Behold. Never have I heard such an honest confession of what it means to be an artist, and he does it without being trite, pompous, or esoteric. Here he strives to understand what love might be like, never having experienced it himself. His only reference to love's possible bliss is what he feels when he creates, which may in fact be that which keeps him from the romantic love others so vigorously try to find. But this feeling is universal for anyone who has ever locked themselves in a room obsessively listening to a record over and over at the expense of their social life: "It's like finding a home in an old folk song. That you've never heard. Yet still know every word. And for sure you can sing along. But love it could be much better. I am told." There is so much dimension to this level of expression, and he puts it simply and universally. That is a great artist.Free Music Review: Arguably Devendra's best yet
Hit: 5 Stars
To label Devendra as an eccentric might be a bit of an understatement. He's truly a hippie of our time, and like the best hippie's of yore he's managed to carve out a unique sound in music, even amongst the countless neo-folk artists that seem to be popping up these days. So when I say that "Rejoicing in the Hands" is my favorite album from Devendra, you can bet that it's going to be one of the best folk albums to have come out in recent years.
It just seems like he managed to really hit his stride here. Even the moments that appear to be the most gimmicky and "weird" (such as Poughkeepsie) seem to play perfectly into the record as a whole, adding a sort of playful, tongue-in-cheek quality as a contrast to the more honest, tender moments. And there are some pretty moving numbers interspersed throughout the album, whether it's (what seems to be) the nostalgia-tinged "Will is my Friend," the gentle harmonies of the title track, or the bittersweet closer, "Autumn's Child." It all seems to coalesce into an album that harkins back to the "Golden Age" of the hippie movement, but manages to sound new and fresh at the same time.
It's a truly great, modern folk album. I can't recommend it enough.
Free Music Review: Best of 2004
Hit: 5 Stars
When I first heard some recordings by Devendra Banhart over a year ago, I didn't realize that I would be listening to a musical revolution. His first album was raw and earnest. It was a home recording. It was a diamond in the rough. Now we have the first real album. "Rejoicing In The Hands" is the great Devendra Banhart album that we have been waiting for. After a year of non-stop touring and writing, Devendra had over fifty songs to cherry pick for this album. He went in the studio with Michael Gira and recorded a classic album. The sound is so rich and deep. It is amazing. Songs that just sound like sketches on the first album, sound like great anthems on the new record. Devendra has utilized a group of musicians that stay true to his vision. There are more strings on certain songs. Devendra's hero, Vashti Bunyan, even shows up on one song here. This is an amazing record all the way through. This is a man to see live and buy all his records. When many musical fads will have faded, I will still be listening to Devendra Banhart. A total original.Free Music Review: Hands On Solution
Hit: 5 Stars
For those who don't know Devendra Banhart is in his early 20's, is on the Young God Label (run by former Swan, Michael Gira) and records only on a four track.
Rejoicing in the Hands is a bit different from his previous two records; Oh me oh my... and the Black Babies ep, mainly because 1) he recorded the album in a studio, 2) different instruments, other than an acoustic guitar have been used (albeit sparingly) and 3) there's a guest vocalist, Vashti Bunyan (basically the 60's version of Banhart)
Musically, however there aren't any big changes, the naivety is still there (there are songs about soups and beards), same the awkwardness and one still has the impression that every song is recorded in one take. Although these may give a negative impression of Rejoicing... it definitely isn't, in fact to say that this album is prefect is an understatement as each and every song is well crafted and very melodic. Highlights here include opener This is the way and Todo Los Dolores. Possibly this is the album of the year.