|
|
|
|
|
|
[by Jeff Pearce] I love this guy, especially when I'm tired of the same old same old. When I'm tired of indie rockers who aren't really independent at all,. When I'm tired of everyone trying to do their very best Bowie, Iggy, Lennon, or Lou Reed impression. Cripple Crow, Devendra Banhart's fourth full-length album, is simple and sweet, a set of songs summed up most capably by one of them, the wide-eyed "I Feel Just like a Child." And after listening to the entiretyCripple Crow over and over for the last couple of months, I fully believe him. Because Banhart's songs lack any trace of cynicism, instead deciding to carry a sense of wonder and care for the world into that world itself. And, like a child, Banhart's is refreshingly playful and, at other times, innocently concerned for what damage the adults of the world are causing. Take the unpretentious lyrics of "Heard Somebody Say," for example, a song that I can only assume to be about , what else, the war in Iraq: I heard somebody say
Cogent analysis, but Banhart can still swerve from saying something appropriately concerned with the War on Terror's current state to admitting that he really doesn't know that much at all: Some people try and treat me like a man Melting down the rhetoric to the fundamental need for explanation, "I Feel Just like a Child" defends childhood and all its unassuming needs: Well, I need you to help me reach the door Compared to Banhart's previous work, Cripple Crow sounds not only as if his recent success has provided more money to spend on production, but more musicians as well. Whereas the majority of his earlier songs consisted of Devendra, his guitar and not muich else,Cripple Crow boasts everything from flutes, violins, banjos and vocal harmonies to pianos, drums, and various percussion instruments most likely played by his tour band Hairy Fairy. Composed of members of Vetiver (a band Banhart himself plays guitar for) and other friends, Hairy Fairy adds a much more complex level to Devendra's once-stripped sonics. And that accompaniment expands his wistful songs out across prairies and mountains like majesty. In other words, not only would I recommend this album, I'd recommend all of Devendra's albums. The guy has got that Special Thing, the kind that you can't quite put your finger on but you know it's there. Bob Dylan had it. Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel) has it too. It's that type of creative and original talent that forces you to confess, "Goddamn! How in the hell did a person so young get so good at songwriting?" According to available data, Banhart is only in his mid-'20s, but he's already released his fourth album, and it's simply amazing. But lest you think he's beocme to big for his tattered clothes, check his philosophy about the perils of success in the saloon-style jaunt of "Some People Ride the Wave:" Some people ride the wave of generosity It's hard to say which of Cripple Crow's stunning 22 songs is the best, but it's damn near impossible to wipe the smile off your face during the head-bopping jam "Chinese Children." "Foolin' around?" Indeed. In a song where Devendra sings that if he lived in China, he'd have some Chinese children -- before going on to say that, whether he lived in Russia, Prussia, Spain, Greece, Oakland or anywhere, he'd still have Chinese children -- childlike fun turns very quickly into quaint, lovely songwriting. All of which is a long-winded way of saying that Devendra Banhart is just plain amazing. And if you've heard him, you already know this. If you haven't, what in the War on Terrorized world are you waiting for? 12 December 05 | GET MORE MORPHIZM
 The Violent TruthDavid Cronenberg spent a career tearing bodies apart and putting them back together. Now History of Violence is doing the same with the mind: MORE
|
LOAD/STREAM THE CONSTANTINES FRUIT BATS DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: |
      |
