PRESS
-
The Year's 40 Best Albums
()
Beta Music2 Devendra Banhart-Rejoicing in the Hands (Young God) / Devendra Banhart-Nino Rojo (Young God) People either get Devendra Banhart or they just plain don't. But in 2004, the 23 year old folksinger put out two full-length albums, both astonishing, both pristine. April saw the release of Rejoicing In The Hands, while Nino Rojo emerged in September. On the two albums, Banhart's ties to traditional American folk and blues have become even more evident, as are intimations of previously undeclared affinities to Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch. The spiritual purity of his music hits hard: with the studio circumstances of their birth, the new songs have lost the cloying witchiness of the debut, leaving you with old-fashioned songs that concern themselves with the important, small things in life. On Rejoicing In The Hands 's closer "Autumn's Child", Banhart's high voice quivers like a feather above a soft, piano line. Nino Rojo takes Banhart even further from the early Syd Barrett and Marc Bolan comparisons that dogged him in 2002. As a record, it's more stripped down, burrowing into a locus where folk meets blues in a very primitive way. On "My Ships", he sings: "My fists are plastic dice, oh......
-
The Year's 40 Best Albums
()
Beta Music2 Devendra Banhart-Rejoicing in the Hands (Young God) / Devendra Banhart-Nino Rojo (Young God) People either get Devendra Banhart or they just plain don't. But in 2004, the 23 year old folksinger put out two full-length albums, both astonishing, both pristine. April saw the release of Rejoicing In The Hands, while Nino Rojo emerged in September. On the two albums, Banhart's ties to traditional American folk and blues have become even more evident, as are intimations of previously undeclared affinities to Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch. The spiritual purity of his music hits hard: with the studio circumstances of their birth, the new songs have lost the cloying witchiness of the debut, leaving you with old-fashioned songs that concern themselves with the important, small things in life. On Rejoicing In The Hands 's closer "Autumn's Child", Banhart's high voice quivers like a feather above a soft, piano line. Nino Rojo takes Banhart even further from the early Syd Barrett and Marc Bolan comparisons that dogged him in 2002. As a record, it's more stripped down, burrowing into a locus where folk meets blues in a very primitive way. On "My Ships", he sings: "My fists are plastic dice, oh......
-
2004's Artist of the Year
()
Beta MusicDEVENDRA BANHART SPINS A SPELLAt 23, new folksinger Devendra Banhart has the whole world in front of him. His 2002 debut album, the one with the preposterously long title Oh Me Oh My ...The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit rocked the critics with its ditzy, open-hearted warblings, and made him a name to watch. And watch we all did, only to be treated with two of 2004's most pristine records. April saw the release of Rejoicing In The Hands, and Nino Rojo emerged in September. On the two albums, Banhart's ties to traditional American folk and blues are even more evident, as are intimations of previously undeclared affinities to Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch. The spiritual purity of his songs is startlingly striking because the studio environment of their birth has removed a big part of the cloying witchiness of the debut, leaving you with old-fashioned songs that concern themselves with the important, small things in life. On Rejoicing In The Hands 's closer "Autumn's Child", Banhart's high voice quivers like a feather above a soft, piano line. Nino Rojo takes Banhart even further from the early......
-
2004's Artist of the Year
()
Beta MusicDEVENDRA BANHART SPINS A SPELLAt 23, new folksinger Devendra Banhart has the whole world in front of him. His 2002 debut album, the one with the preposterously long title Oh Me Oh My ...The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit rocked the critics with its ditzy, open-hearted warblings, and made him a name to watch. And watch we all did, only to be treated with two of 2004's most pristine records. April saw the release of Rejoicing In The Hands, and Nino Rojo emerged in September. On the two albums, Banhart's ties to traditional American folk and blues are even more evident, as are intimations of previously undeclared affinities to Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch. The spiritual purity of his songs is startlingly striking because the studio environment of their birth has removed a big part of the cloying witchiness of the debut, leaving you with old-fashioned songs that concern themselves with the important, small things in life. On Rejoicing In The Hands 's closer "Autumn's Child", Banhart's high voice quivers like a feather above a soft, piano line. Nino Rojo takes Banhart even further from the early......
-
2004's Artist of the Year
()
Beta MusicDEVENDRA BANHART SPINS A SPELLAt 23, new folksinger Devendra Banhart has the whole world in front of him. His 2002 debut album, the one with the preposterously long title Oh Me Oh My ...The Way The Day Goes By The Sun Is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit rocked the critics with its ditzy, open-hearted warblings, and made him a name to watch. And watch we all did, only to be treated with two of 2004's most pristine records. April saw the release of Rejoicing In The Hands, and Nino Rojo emerged in September. On the two albums, Banhart's ties to traditional American folk and blues are even more evident, as are intimations of previously undeclared affinities to Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch. The spiritual purity of his songs is startlingly striking because the studio environment of their birth has removed a big part of the cloying witchiness of the debut, leaving you with old-fashioned songs that concern themselves with the important, small things in life. On Rejoicing In The Hands 's closer "Autumn's Child", Banhart's high voice quivers like a feather above a soft, piano line. Nino Rojo takes Banhart even further from the early......