PRESS
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Devendra Banhart | Rejoicing In The Hands
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Just Add Noise Rating: 9.5Completely original, completely honest, completely accessible. Devendra Banhart's second album rejoices in itself and leaves you with no other option than to do the same. Young God Records' Michael Gira knew instantly that he had found a gem when he heard the rough homemade recordings of wandering hippy folk artist Devendra Banhart. These recordings would become the first Banhart release on the label. On this second record, all the spirit remains, however the recording quality is greatly improved but retains the charm provided by vintage instruments and recording devices. Recorded in an old southern-style Georgia house with tall ceilings and wood floors - only Banhart on a stool with a guitar and a handful of mics around him. The result is what you hear with only a few overdubs and collaborations including Vashti Bunyan, one of Banhart's idols, on the title track. Banhart's warbling voice is at the same time familiar and original, honest and nonsensical, soothing and entertaining. Pianos, organs, cellos, violins, drums and upright bass all struggle to hold their own ground in the company of his words. But how can you compete with such brilliance as "Now because my teeth don't bite, I......
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Devendra Banhart, Rejoicing in the Hands
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Agouti | by EliRejoicing in the Hands has an enchantingly rare mystique about itWhen you first lay eyes on Devendra Banhart, it’s tempting to simply dismiss him as a lackadaisical 23-year-old neo-folk hippie. But the moment his graciously transcendent utterances flow softly through your ear canal, you feel ashamed for having harbored such misplaced judgment. I was never particularly fond of folk-style harmony, but Rejoicing in the Hands has an enchantingly rare mystique about it. The acoustics are impressive, if not downright exemplary. It’s the type of music you might hum to yourself while strolling along a lengthy winding road, clouds rolling overhead as the sun dips quietly into the ocean. When a really good song is over, the listener wishes that it could’ve continued on forever. The same holds true for certain albums. Occasionally, you run across the kind of record that must be heard from start to finish and then played over once again in its entirety. Devendra Banhart effortlessly triumphed in crafting such a valuable treasure and has done it all without any inclination toward projecting a distorted self-image. Manufactured personas are exceedingly commonplace in the music industry. Many artists create identities that shadow their former selves,......
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Psych-Folk Confidential
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Exclaim | by Kevin HaineyBanhart humbly evokes the most accessible epitome of modern psych-folk with his symbolic, poetic lyrics and wide breadth of acoustic guitar patternsAfter being drilled, chilled and head-ached by the droves of dance-punk, post-punk and no-wave bands that have been demanding everyone gyrate, jiggle and vogue about indie hangouts, it sure feels refreshing to rest your danced-out legs in the lotus position and immerse your ears, heart and soul in the inviting, unassuming and ultimately soothing sounds of psychedelic folk that are pouring out of whittled notches all over America. In fact, when it comes to spotting psych-folk acts on the rise, what at first seems to be a few isolated saplings (artists and groups like Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective, the Skygreen Leopards, Charalambides and Vetiver) on closer inspection reveal themselves to be part and parcel of a densely populated forest of earthy creativity that dates back to long before the very beginnings of modern, album-based musical expression (arguably the Beatles’ 1966 folk-tinged Rubber Soul), to the times of traditional folk music, spiritual chants, autumnal hymns, witty limericks and Elizabethan poetry. To quote Spinal Tap’s folk-rock parody, "Stonehenge," this music stems from a time "hundreds of years......
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Psych-Folk Confidential
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Exclaim | by Kevin HaineyBanhart humbly evokes the most accessible epitome of modern psych-folk with his symbolic, poetic lyrics and wide breadth of acoustic guitar patternsAfter being drilled, chilled and head-ached by the droves of dance-punk, post-punk and no-wave bands that have been demanding everyone gyrate, jiggle and vogue about indie hangouts, it sure feels refreshing to rest your danced-out legs in the lotus position and immerse your ears, heart and soul in the inviting, unassuming and ultimately soothing sounds of psychedelic folk that are pouring out of whittled notches all over America. In fact, when it comes to spotting psych-folk acts on the rise, what at first seems to be a few isolated saplings (artists and groups like Devendra Banhart, Animal Collective, the Skygreen Leopards, Charalambides and Vetiver) on closer inspection reveal themselves to be part and parcel of a densely populated forest of earthy creativity that dates back to long before the very beginnings of modern, album-based musical expression (arguably the Beatles’ 1966 folk-tinged Rubber Soul), to the times of traditional folk music, spiritual chants, autumnal hymns, witty limericks and Elizabethan poetry. To quote Spinal Tap’s folk-rock parody, "Stonehenge," this music stems from a time "hundreds of years......
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Devendra Banhart
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Rockpile #105 | by MAGGIE SEROTA Rejoicing in the HandsLately, it has become rather difficult to pick up a music magazine and not find Devendra Banhart's handsome, artfully disheveled mug somewhere within the pages. Since the release of his 2002 debut, Oh Me, Oh My, critics have been beside themselves over his unique brand of gritty, soulful, folk music. In addition to his lyrical complexity and agile acoustic plucking, his work resonates with the strained, aching vibrato of his vocal style. Imagine the plucking of a tight violin string crossed with the warbled moaning of a 60-year-old woman and you have some idea. „I try to imitate the raping of a weasel," Banhart quips between sips of carrot juice. „Or the sodomizing of a chicken." That being said, the love affair among critics and fans alike continues with the release of 2004's Rejoicing in the Hands (Young God Records), and rightfully so. At barely 23 years of age, Banhart has been covered by legendary British folk singer Bridget St. John, collaborated with the equally iconic Vashti Bunyan, been featured on NPR and ultimately created a body of work belying the raw sincerity and maturity of an artist three times his......