Devendra Banhart: The Complete Review

Recently, I listened to every song produced and available to the public that Devendra Banhart has been involved in. It was a long endeavour that was completely self-imposed. I have been a big fan of Banhart’s quirky but melodic tunes for a while now but had never done a deep dive into the 10 albums, numerous EP’s, and countless collaborations that the artist has been involved in, including with other equally enigmatic artists like SASAMI, Marisa Monte, and Vetiver. Devendra Banhart’s reputation often proceeds him as the quintessential hipster, with his love for fashion, his taste for dating models and actresses like Natalie Portman, his cultural & political awareness, and the fact that he considers himself a poet first and a musician second.

Now residing in Echo Park, Los Angeles, Devendra Obi Banhart was born in Houston, TX to a Venezuelan model mother and German-American father, both of whom were hippies and followers of the Indian religious leader Prem Rawat, who is ultimately who suggested that Banhart be given his first name. Devendra is a synonym for Indra. His middle name was taken as inspiration from Star Wars.

“I was very lucky to have a hippy mother”

Banhart said in an interview with the tellerreport. If all of this wasn’t enough to make you think Banhart was the epitome of cool. He was raised between Caracas, Venezuela and Los Angeles, attending university at the San Francisco Art Institute. In his spare time, Banhart collects records, interior designs, reads widely and avidly, and engages in political activism. He is particularly passionate about Venezuela and travels there regularly.

I feel Venezuelan everywhere. Except in Venezuela.

Banhart revealed in an interview with ABC news. Despite the multitude of information out there surrounding Banhart’s life and eccentricities, he hates giving interviews and seems to prefer the format of philosophical quandary, to his interviewers equally balanced frustration and delight. He sings in fluent Spanish, English, dabbles in German and even Japanese. Needless to say, Banhart is definitely someone worthy of checking out. Not to mention that his music is beautiful, and of course, unique. After several days of non-stop-listening, I am happy to give you my complete ranking of Devendra’s albums from least favourite to best.

10 — Nino Rojo (2004)

The album has two songs on it that I found enjoyable “Water May Walk” and “Be Kind” but overall the album is definitely not of the same calibre of Banhart’s other work. The style of the music departs from his typical oeuvre but not in the same delightful and surprising way as some of his more off-the-wall material. Perhaps this is because this was the same year Banhart produced his album Rejoicing In The Hands, which as one reviewer commented — has a bit more rejoicing in it than Nino Rojo. Overall, the album comes across as more thrown together and hasty than most of his other work.

9. Oh me oh my… (2002)

Banhart’s debut album is quite long at 22 songs, even by Banhart standards, and thus is a dedicated task to listen to in total. This is mainly because it doesn’t seem like Banhart has really come into his voice yet, and I mean that in more ways than one. From the first song on the album “Ticks Eat the Olives” which is entirely instrumental interspaced by clapping noises, to the last song on the album “The Spirit is Near” which continues in the strain of having Banhart’s very shaky voice sing about natural phenomena, one has to wonder if we’re listening to a Banhart album or a newly discovered Bob Dylan demos record. Still it’s worth listening to if you’re interested in hearing Banhart’s musical roots -which is also the name of a song from the album, but not a song I’d readily recommend.

8. The Black Babies (2003)

The next album Banhart produced in 2003 strikes a much more melodic and haunting tone that immediately draws in the listener. It’s intriguing, sensory and appealing. Banhart has learned to balance his knack for quirky, imagist storytelling with soft sounds and South American influenced musical rhythms. I had the sensation of being sat beside a campfire while Banhart regaled me with a song he made up beautifully on the spot. In this album, Banhart successfully learned how to draw upon sounds from natural wonders that seem to motivate his musical direction, without also sounding abrasive.

7. What Will We Be (2009)

Many people now discover Banhart by his most commercially viable song “Baby” from this album. This 2009 album was Banhart’s attempt to reinvent himself after years of being described as the master of the Freak-Folk genre. It’s a lot less folky and a lot more everything else from pop to rock to jazz. There are a couple of more tracks like “Rats” and “Chin Chin & Muck Muck” which defy generic labels. Banhart seems hell bent on avoiding real commercial success at any means available, his songs remain off-the-cuff and off-the-wall. Banhart has changed his style but refuses to sacrifice his essence. That being said, his playfulness in this format comes across as a bit immature or uncertain about what direction he really wants to pursue. Perhaps the point is a satirical journey through musical evolution.

6. Ape In Pink Marble (2016)

Banhart isn’t taking as many risks in this album as some of his previous work. Most of his songs on the album carry a mellow and dreamy mood, and that is often Banhart at his finest because of the way his deep voice becomes mesmerizing when he sings softly — however, the downside of having all of the songs being the same in their ambient sounds, risks them running together. This is the case for Ape in Pink Marble, where despite some of the songs being prettier than others (“Lucky”, “Theme for a Taiwanese Woman in Lime Green” and “Middle Names” are all very pretty, indeed), there isn’t an obvious stand out track. If pressed, I would say that “Fancy Man” is the most unique on the album, but the repetitive chorus and otherwise unremarkable story just reminds me of a peppier “This Charming Man” by The Smiths.

5. Ma (2019)

By 2019, Banhart has the capital and influence in order to produce very high quality sounding songs. That being said, he’s a bit more commercial and seems to take fewer risks or deviations from his normal algorithm that he knows by now works for him. In most of his earlier albums Banhart experimented with different genres. Though there are some powerful highlights from this album, like the irresistible “Kantori Ongaku”. Many of the other best songs including “Love Song” and “October 12” have rich ambient tones that create a very sexy and atmospheric mood, but are definitely more serious than much of Banhart’s previous work. That being said the delightful “My Boyfriend’s in the Band” harks back to Banhart’s more playful spirit.

4. Rejoicing in the Hands (2004)

Arguably the album that put Banhart on the map and made his work stand out and get recognized as inspired by genius. His songs are simple, different from the surplus of other indie labels, completely original, as well as striking an age-old reverence to artists who’ve come before — back to when music was a means of singing songs of returning warriors from ancient battles. Banhart is rejoicing in life in a spiritual and albeit very trippy way. His soft vocals and beautiful instrumentals are compelling. His bizarre lyrics: “Because my lips have split all the little children, they are hiding in the front, in the middle and in the behind. And because my nose has froze, I can keep on smelling” are somehow relatable and even catchy. He understands how to balance repetition with story-telling in order to be cathartic. He knows rhetorical devices and thus seems to have balanced poetic formulas with musical innovation.

3. Mala (2013)

The album is a safe bet for Banhart and it’s probably his most “normal” attempt at blending in with other indie musicians. His work here is unique-enough but comparably quite sober. Though this is arguably the first time we hear truly grown up Banhart in his ever-melodic and romantic “Mi Negrita” which you’d have to be soulless not to enjoy. I’ve placed the album so high up in Banhart’s oeuvre because every song is worth listening to, even the purely instrumental “The Grain.” And despite the catchy and irresistible quality of all of the tunes presented there is a thread of pathos weaved through the album that is undeniable and poignant. This pathos is more interesting to analyze and discover when the album more or less sticks to being reserved compared to his more experimental exaltations. You have an upbeat and infectious track like “Never Seen Such Good Things” with such heart-wrenching lines as “If we ever make sweet love again, I’m sure it will be quite disgusting” and “Love you’re a strange fella, show me your muck and melody…Love won’t you come and punish me.”

2. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon (2007)

Where to begin. It was very hard to choose between this album and Cripple Crow as getting the number one placement because everything about this album is Banhart at his best. Between “Cristobal”, “Bad Girl”, and “Carmensita” there isn’t much left to be desired with such joyous highs and melodic sadness being on full display. Every song is a microcosmic world you could get lost in, like “Samba Vexillographica” which feels like a journey to another, more sensual realm— this transition is made complete by the involvement of animal noises and jungle sounds at the end of the song. Then we have the entirely playful “Shabop Shalom” which is a crooning Jewish acid-trip. Then without time to catch our breath we’ve got “Tonada Yanomaminista” which is tantalizingly rock and roll with a lulling break to pay reverence to the sweeter side of love. “Lover” and “Freely” are both underrated gems on an album that is so full of stand-out hits, it’s perhaps altogether too much of a good thing. Because the songs are all so different in their genres and themes, it’s hard to remember which ones you really loved. The result, Banhart packed too many brilliant “one of their kind” songs into a single album.

1. Cripple Crow (2005)

If you’re still not sure about Banhart, if you don’t know where to begin, or if you want to listen to what makes him one of this generations most inspired and creative musicians then I would recommend starting with Cripple Crow. “Santa Maria de Feira” is a pure delight. “Long Haired Child” is zany, wild, political, and hang-banging fun. “Quedate Luna” is emotive, beautiful, and gripping. “I Feel Just Like a Child” is as fun as you’d expect a track with a name like this to be. “Chinese Children” is hilarious and will definitely provide insight into why Banhart can’t ever be said to take himself too seriously. “Luna De Margarita” is as haunting as an old man playing a Spanish guitar alone at midnight in the Basque region. And finally “Little Boys” is at the same time subversive, beautiful and playful. Listening to this album from a critical perspective leaves me reflecting on all the parallels Banhart has to Shakespeare. Without risking hyperbole, Banhart is a man of the people, he’s also a man of the world, he loves experimenting with genre, he loves comedy and tragedy, and he isn’t afraid of being silly, feminine, or deeply romantic. All of these personalities play out beautifully on the Cripple Crow album.

***

To sum up, since 2019, Banhart has released many singles but as of yet no cohesive new album. Perhaps this is another form of experimenting in itself, and we won’t see another traditional album release. There have been many great compilations including an album called 27th: The Most Perfect Album where he teams up with artists like Dolly Parton, Palehound, Kevin Morby, Field Metric, and more in order to sing their way through the 27 amendments of the United States, each in their own way. He’s also done great stand out pieces like the single release “Let’s See.” But we’re all waiting to see what Banhart will do next and more than anything excited that he’s graced us with so much incredible music.