PRESS
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Akron/Family | Review
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rhino.com | Brandon Stosuymajestic psychedeliaKnown first for fronting the ultra '80s Downtown New York noise pioneers Swans, Michael Gira still records arresting music as Angels Of Light. Sick of music biz bureaucracies, he started Young God Records in 1997, reissuing Swans and releasing Angels Of Light as well as the work of kindred musical entities. His biggest find thus far is Devendra Banhart, but alas, the archangel of freak-folk recently wandered off to XL, so the ever-busy Gira's back to unearthing new voices. His most recent discovery (and current Angels Of Light studio/tour backing band) is Akron/Family, Brooklyn/Manhattan-based multi-instrumentalists who make Appalachian arias for rusted-out fire escapes. Difficult to pin down, the quartet creates gentle acoustic hymnals, majestic psychedelia, pastoral field recordings, nugget-sized ballads, and spacious drone. Peel back an arpeggio to unearth a looping playground undertow. Split a glockenspiel chime or birdcall and find a trumpet/melodica interlude packed inside. Textually, the colorful lyrics, with their burning horizons and gentle details ("Comb / My hair with your hand"), read like haiku in their spare simplicity. Rising above the rattle to impart these elliptical narrations, Ryan Vanderhoof's whispered breaths and airy falsetto are lovely in their own right, and he's often......
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Devendra Banhart | various international reviews
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Ofir Katzmantranslations by Ofir KatzmanTarbut Ma’ariv Newspaper Devendra Banhart, “Rejoicing In The Hands†The dictionarial definition of the music Devendra Banhart produces would probably be folk, but to sum it up thusly would be criminal, akin to saying Maradonna was merely an offensive soccer player. Like any genius, Banhart’s story is a sprawling and mysterious one. He was born in Texas 23 years ago, but relocated with his mother at a young age to Venezuela, where he was raised. Later he attended an art school in San Francisco, lived the life of a vagrant for a little and recorded his first songs on answering machines. He was discovered by Michael Gira, of Swans fame and owner of the “Young God†label, whose jaw literally dropped when he heard a Banhart recording. His debut was released two years ago, comprised of low quality home recordings, although already showing enormous talent. This year he entered Gira’s studio with the guitar, and came out with a moving masterpiece of the kind you encounter once every few years. If that. An album of beautiful troubadour songs, touching, vividly colored and expressive, revealing a sensitive song writer, brilliant and unique. DJ Ha-ir | by Raviv......
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Akron/Family | Review
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rhino.com | Brandon Stosuymajestic psychedeliaKnown first for fronting the ultra '80s Downtown New York noise pioneers Swans, Michael Gira still records arresting music as Angels Of Light. Sick of music biz bureaucracies, he started Young God Records in 1997, reissuing Swans and releasing Angels Of Light as well as the work of kindred musical entities. His biggest find thus far is Devendra Banhart, but alas, the archangel of freak-folk recently wandered off to XL, so the ever-busy Gira's back to unearthing new voices. His most recent discovery (and current Angels Of Light studio/tour backing band) is Akron/Family, Brooklyn/Manhattan-based multi-instrumentalists who make Appalachian arias for rusted-out fire escapes. Difficult to pin down, the quartet creates gentle acoustic hymnals, majestic psychedelia, pastoral field recordings, nugget-sized ballads, and spacious drone. Peel back an arpeggio to unearth a looping playground undertow. Split a glockenspiel chime or birdcall and find a trumpet/melodica interlude packed inside. Textually, the colorful lyrics, with their burning horizons and gentle details ("Comb / My hair with your hand"), read like haiku in their spare simplicity. Rising above the rattle to impart these elliptical narrations, Ryan Vanderhoof's whispered breaths and airy falsetto are lovely in their own right, and he's often......
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Devendra Banhart | various international reviews
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Ofir Katzmantranslations by Ofir KatzmanTarbut Ma’ariv Newspaper Devendra Banhart, “Rejoicing In The Hands†The dictionarial definition of the music Devendra Banhart produces would probably be folk, but to sum it up thusly would be criminal, akin to saying Maradonna was merely an offensive soccer player. Like any genius, Banhart’s story is a sprawling and mysterious one. He was born in Texas 23 years ago, but relocated with his mother at a young age to Venezuela, where he was raised. Later he attended an art school in San Francisco, lived the life of a vagrant for a little and recorded his first songs on answering machines. He was discovered by Michael Gira, of Swans fame and owner of the “Young God†label, whose jaw literally dropped when he heard a Banhart recording. His debut was released two years ago, comprised of low quality home recordings, although already showing enormous talent. This year he entered Gira’s studio with the guitar, and came out with a moving masterpiece of the kind you encounter once every few years. If that. An album of beautiful troubadour songs, touching, vividly colored and expressive, revealing a sensitive song writer, brilliant and unique. DJ Ha-ir | by Raviv......
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Devendra Banhart | various international reviews
()
Ofir Katzmantranslations by Ofir KatzmanTarbut Ma’ariv Newspaper Devendra Banhart, “Rejoicing In The Hands†The dictionarial definition of the music Devendra Banhart produces would probably be folk, but to sum it up thusly would be criminal, akin to saying Maradonna was merely an offensive soccer player. Like any genius, Banhart’s story is a sprawling and mysterious one. He was born in Texas 23 years ago, but relocated with his mother at a young age to Venezuela, where he was raised. Later he attended an art school in San Francisco, lived the life of a vagrant for a little and recorded his first songs on answering machines. He was discovered by Michael Gira, of Swans fame and owner of the “Young God†label, whose jaw literally dropped when he heard a Banhart recording. His debut was released two years ago, comprised of low quality home recordings, although already showing enormous talent. This year he entered Gira’s studio with the guitar, and came out with a moving masterpiece of the kind you encounter once every few years. If that. An album of beautiful troubadour songs, touching, vividly colored and expressive, revealing a sensitive song writer, brilliant and unique. DJ Ha-ir | by Raviv......