PRESS
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DEVENDRA BANHART | Rejoicing in the Hands
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Skyscraper Magazine, Spring In every way as enchantingly strangeA couple years ago, to a receptive critical audience, Devendra Banhart released his debut record, Oh Me Oh My, a compelling combination of lo-fi indie acoustic singer-guitarist fare and stimulating creativity in songwriting and delivery. That record earned Banhart comparisons to outsider artists ranging from Nick Drake to Syd Barrett to Karen Dalton. And, while not centering the target, all comfortably lodge in the periphery. Rejoicing in the Hands removes only the lo-fi. This crisp, simple recording cleanly bares Banhart's gift of voice and instrumental dexterity. The songs here, too, improve on the already wonderful ones on that first record. They are generally more realized, and are in every way as enchantingly strange. Banhart has a rare ability to put one in mind of the entire story of Twentieth Century popular music (blues, folk, pop and rock), and his singular vocal means no mistaking this for anyone else's sixteen tracks of sound with the deviation of the new yet vaguely timeless. In his early twenties, Banhart seamlessly unifies the wide-eyed wonder of childhood with complex adult concerns. The range of emotion and imagery is broad: an involving psychedelic love song ("Insect Eyes"),......
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Handson Solution
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Alternative Malta | by Luigi PellegriniDevendra Banhart Rejoicing in the Hands 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....
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Rejoicing in the Hands
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Interview Magazine | by Milena SelkirkBanhart's bizarre odes to teeth, insects, and beardsWhen eccentric singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart sings "it's like finding home in an old folk song" on "A sight to behold" he might as well be describing himself. On his sophmore effort, Banhart's introspective finger-picking, reverb-wailing two minute folk songs seem like they were just unearthed from a dusty basement. His quavewring vibrato is spookily evocative of depression era singers from the Mississippi delta - and strangely, glam rocker Marc Bolan. But the surprising strength of Banhart's bizarre odes to teeth, insects, and beards is what sets him apart.......
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Devendra Banhart, Rejoicing in the Hands
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Treble Magazine | by Terrance TerichALBUM OF THE WEEKEverett: Who's the honcho around here? Radio Station Man: I am. Who are you? Everett: Sir, I'm Jordan Rivers and these here are the Soggy Bottom Boys out of Cottonelia, Mississippi. Songs of salvation to salve the soul. We hear that you pay good money to sing into a can. RSM: Well, that all depends. You boys do Negro songs? Everett: Um, well, sir, we are Negroes, all except our ac...uh, our accomp…uh, the fellow who plays the guitar. RSM: Yeah, well I don't record Negro songs. No, I'm lookin' for some old timey material; people can't seem to get enough of it since we started broadcastin' it on the Pappy O'Daniel Flour Hour, so thankin' you for stoppin' by. E: Uh, sir, the Soggy Bottom Boys is been steeped in old timey material. Heck, we're silly with it, ain't we boys? Pete: That's right! Delmar: That's right. We ain't really Negroes. Pete: All except our accompanist. Just like those bluegrass rooted Soggy Bottom Boys, Devendra Banhart has been steeped in old timey music. Heck, he's silly with it, in more ways than one! Everything from the material to the artwork and......
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Devendra Banhart | Rejoicing in the Hands
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Prefix Magazine | by Nick Stillmanrating: 4.0 At 22 years old, the young man is completely an original.Devendra Banhart has already racked up his share of critical acclaim, so it's probably unnecessary to tell his story or list his virtues and points of separation from his (sort of nonexistent) peers. But how refreshing to hear Rejoicing in the Hands, his second proper album, in this cultural context -- an album just dripping with (surprise!) sincerity, devoid of irony or reference-heavy posturing. And not only is this album sans the requisite pomo dose of irony, it's also not at all a regressive "return" to idyllic, pre-irony '60s folk, which would be just as bad. At 22 years old, the young man is completely an original. Rejoicing in the Hands is mostly just Banhart and his acoustic guitar, a formula that, unless you're a Beck or Nick Drake type, is cornball shit waiting to happen. It's so easy to have this melancholic, acoustic singer-songwriter stuff sound cheesily sentimental (Red House Painters) or overwhelmingly underwhelming (the Mountain Goats). Yet, there are almost no inferior songs on this album (the album was culled from the 57 songs Banhart originally sumbitted; those that didn't make......