"Devandra Banhart is an odd singer songwriter. In a time when more and more folk artists move into the electronic era, Banhart takes a purer approach to recording, adding few additional instruments and running with the strength of his songwriting and playing, and creating a strong, if minimalist, album.
On the first track, you are immediately struck by just how bare this album is. Not barren, just bare; his vocals stand stark and naked, approachable and familiar, as if being played through a tube wireless radio from the forties, with a vocal warble reminiscent of singers of the time. Not to be confused with annoying crooning, his vocals are both distinct and friendly; even at his darkest moments you get the impression he is smiling through it, and the album provides a similar inspiration in the listener.
Not to be outdone by his vocals, his guitar work rivals it in character and timelessness. With rhythms that seem as equally rooted in the works of Django Reinhardt as Simon and Garfunkle, Banhart successfully achieves a beautiful and powerful sound, with emotion, playfulness, and thematic prowess that will leave aspiring songwriters jealous and drooling. A beautiful, raw, and emotive release." - Todd Berry, jadedtimes.com, February 2004
" his raw songcraft is terrifyingly effective at communicating the breadth of human emotion beautiful, damaged, naked and utterly compelling."- The Wire
"The quaver in Mr. Banhart's voice is as shaky as his songs' connection to everyday reality...his songs and fragments ponder animals, apparitions, logical leaps and childlike certainties, all with credible eccentricity."- The New York Times #2 Alternative Album of 2002
"It's been awhile since an obsessive, naïve, utterly original musical visionary emerged from a private sanctum into the embrace of the rock cognoscenti. But we've got one now." -The Los Angeles Times
Musicians:
Vashti Bunyan, vocal duet on "Rejoicing..."
Jerome O'Brien, double bass
Joe McGinty, piano
Thor Harris, percussion
Julia Kent, cello
Paul Cantelon, violin
Siobhan Duffy, backing vocals
Patrick Fondiller, bass
Steve Moses, drums/percussion
Devendra Banhart, vocals, acoustic guitar, electric/slide guitar, piano, and kazoo...
Selections: LP1
1. Wake Up Little Sparrow
2. Ay Mama
3. We All Know
4. Little Yellow Spider
5. A Ribbon
6. At The Hop
7. My Ships
8. Noah
9. Sister
10. Water May Walk
11. Horseheaded Flesh Wizard
12. An Island
13. Be Kind
14. Owl Eyes
15. The Good Red Road
16. Electric Heart
LP2
1. This Is The Way
2. A Sight To Behold
3. The Body Breaks
4. Poughkeepsie
5. Dogs They Make Up The Dark
6. Will Is My Friend
7. This Beard Is For Siobhan
8. See Saw
9. Ti Smoking In The Temple Of Artisan Mimicry
10. Rejoicing In The Hands
11. Fall
12. Todo Los Dolores
13. When The Sun Shone On Vetiver
14. There Was Sun
15. Insect Eyes
16. Autumn's Child
On the first track, you are immediately struck by just how bare this album is. Not barren, just bare; his vocals stand stark and naked, approachable and familiar, as if being played through a tube wireless radio from the forties, with a vocal warble reminiscent of singers of the time. Not to be confused with annoying crooning, his vocals are both distinct and friendly; even at his darkest moments you get the impression he is smiling through it, and the album provides a similar inspiration in the listener.
Not to be outdone by his vocals, his guitar work rivals it in character and timelessness. With rhythms that seem as equally rooted in the works of Django Reinhardt as Simon and Garfunkle, Banhart successfully achieves a beautiful and powerful sound, with emotion, playfulness, and thematic prowess that will leave aspiring songwriters jealous and drooling. A beautiful, raw, and emotive release." - Todd Berry, jadedtimes.com, February 2004
" his raw songcraft is terrifyingly effective at communicating the breadth of human emotion beautiful, damaged, naked and utterly compelling."- The Wire
"The quaver in Mr. Banhart's voice is as shaky as his songs' connection to everyday reality...his songs and fragments ponder animals, apparitions, logical leaps and childlike certainties, all with credible eccentricity."- The New York Times #2 Alternative Album of 2002
"It's been awhile since an obsessive, naïve, utterly original musical visionary emerged from a private sanctum into the embrace of the rock cognoscenti. But we've got one now." -The Los Angeles Times
Musicians:
Vashti Bunyan, vocal duet on "Rejoicing..."
Jerome O'Brien, double bass
Joe McGinty, piano
Thor Harris, percussion
Julia Kent, cello
Paul Cantelon, violin
Siobhan Duffy, backing vocals
Patrick Fondiller, bass
Steve Moses, drums/percussion
Devendra Banhart, vocals, acoustic guitar, electric/slide guitar, piano, and kazoo...
Selections: LP1
1. Wake Up Little Sparrow
2. Ay Mama
3. We All Know
4. Little Yellow Spider
5. A Ribbon
6. At The Hop
7. My Ships
8. Noah
9. Sister
10. Water May Walk
11. Horseheaded Flesh Wizard
12. An Island
13. Be Kind
14. Owl Eyes
15. The Good Red Road
16. Electric Heart
LP2
1. This Is The Way
2. A Sight To Behold
3. The Body Breaks
4. Poughkeepsie
5. Dogs They Make Up The Dark
6. Will Is My Friend
7. This Beard Is For Siobhan
8. See Saw
9. Ti Smoking In The Temple Of Artisan Mimicry
10. Rejoicing In The Hands
11. Fall
12. Todo Los Dolores
13. When The Sun Shone On Vetiver
14. There Was Sun
15. Insect Eyes
16. Autumn's Child
