PRESS
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Devendra Banhart interview and session
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BBC | Matt WaltonThe wandering minstrel on making dogs look like his grandmother.“Plastic surgery, dogs, schnauzers, pit bulls, shoes…†Devendra Banhart is listing his influences. “Lakes, fields, Africa, elephants, money…†he continues with no sign of stopping. His second album, Nino Rojo, is about to be released, the companion piece to his folky, raw and abstract debut, Rejoicing In The Hands…, released back in May. “It’s a kind of double record,†he explains. “The first one’s called Rejoicing In The Hands Of The Golden Empress, the Golden Empress being the sun. She’s led a long life, is really experienced and she’s kind of resting back in her rocking chair, telling a story. The next record is called Nino Rojo, which means ‘red sun’. It’s her child. He’s being born. He’s coming out and doing his thing. So this record is more upbeat.†Devendra was born in Texas but moved to Caracas at the age of three. He moved back to California at 13 and, although he claims Venezuela hasn’t influenced him musically (“Have you ever heard any Venezuelan music?†he asks incredulously), the experiences of his formative years obviously have. “Caracas is Venezuela’s main city and it has the highest......
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Devendra Banhart: Nino Rojo
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BBC | by The Daily GrowlProlific new US folkie keeps churning ‘em out…Devendra Banhart is prolific, isn’t he? Not only is this his second album this year, it’s his second in four months! Now, this may be seen as a surfeit of creative genius, but while the lad (he’s only 22 years old) is undoubtedly talented, I’m not quite sure how discerning he is. Both the previous album ‘Rejoicing in the Hands…’ and this one (both XL Records) were apparently recorded in the same sessions, but I reckon he could have released one great album, rather than two slightly inconsistent ones. There are so many good ingredients in his skewed take on folk music: a bit of an eccentric backwoodsman persona, quirky lyrics (like “Shakes your pretty little clavicleâ€), stripped-down acoustic guitars, cracked, quivering vocals, and so often it works well – lovely bluesy strains on ‘Wake up Little Sparrow’ and ‘My Ships’, the fantastic horn flourish at the end of ‘We All Know’, and the majestically ragged ‘Electric Heart’. He’s got a thing about writing songs about animals too (see ‘…Sparrow’ and ‘Little Yellow Spider’). But elsewhere there’s just a bit too much meandering to hold my attention and......
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Devendra Banhart interview and session
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BBC | Matt WaltonThe wandering minstrel on making dogs look like his grandmother.“Plastic surgery, dogs, schnauzers, pit bulls, shoes…†Devendra Banhart is listing his influences. “Lakes, fields, Africa, elephants, money…†he continues with no sign of stopping. His second album, Nino Rojo, is about to be released, the companion piece to his folky, raw and abstract debut, Rejoicing In The Hands…, released back in May. “It’s a kind of double record,†he explains. “The first one’s called Rejoicing In The Hands Of The Golden Empress, the Golden Empress being the sun. She’s led a long life, is really experienced and she’s kind of resting back in her rocking chair, telling a story. The next record is called Nino Rojo, which means ‘red sun’. It’s her child. He’s being born. He’s coming out and doing his thing. So this record is more upbeat.†Devendra was born in Texas but moved to Caracas at the age of three. He moved back to California at 13 and, although he claims Venezuela hasn’t influenced him musically (“Have you ever heard any Venezuelan music?†he asks incredulously), the experiences of his formative years obviously have. “Caracas is Venezuela’s main city and it has the highest......
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DEVENDRA BANHART
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New York Times | by Ben RatliffBlurbIt doesn't seem like a good sign that one of the most prolific writers and electrifying performers of the new folk-freak scene is releasing outtakes by his third album. But the recording session for last year's "Rejoicing in the Hands" yielded 54 songs, so the balance will end up on "Nino Rojo."...
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DEVENDRA BANHART
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New York Times | by Ben RatliffBlurbIt doesn't seem like a good sign that one of the most prolific writers and electrifying performers of the new folk-freak scene is releasing outtakes by his third album. But the recording session for last year's "Rejoicing in the Hands" yielded 54 songs, so the balance will end up on "Nino Rojo."...