In the early days of Devendra Banhart's career, his ghostly voice singing down the phone and captured on four track was more than enough to lend the eerie mysticism required for his nonsensical material (of course, it didn't hurt that his voice was bewitching no matter the lyrical content). As he gradually acquired confederates and the ability to record in studios, the clear problem was going to be retaining that same ghostly personality that made his early recordings so special. Decamped to a woodsy compound nestled in Topanga Canyon, and an enterprising home studio built within, manned by early champion Noah Georgeson, Banhart has weathered the storm of accessibility very well. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is many things -- perhaps too many things, but its successes outnumber its failures, and it essentially solves the problems inherent in confining a free-form singer to time signatures and arrangements and rhythms imposed by outsiders. It's also a success in that it finds him more comfortable within those confines than 2005's Cripple Crow, his first full-band record. Of the many things Smokey Rolls is, first of all it's his White Album, as he marshals his many influences into a mural of closely drawn portraits, whether it's Victor Jara on the opener, "Cristobal," Gilberto Gil on the deep polyrhythms of "Samba Vexillographica," Jewish wedding music and Borscht Belt comedy in equal measure on "Shabop Shalom," or, in the oddest combination, Dave Brubeck and Grand Funk (separately, not together) on the eight-minute "Sea Horse" (with backing vocals from another influence, the winsome Vashti Bunyan). The album is also his Blue -- Joni Mitchell's Blue, that is -- with several songs dedicated to the destruction of a relationship, with poignant lyrics ("Mama, I ain't waiting but I'm still holdin on"). As an aside, given the cast of "bearded bums" present, Smokey Rolls is also his Absolutely Free and, given his representation by Neil Young manager Elliot Roberts, it must be his After the Gold Rush. Certainly, his surreal life continues to yield more material -- consider the inspiration of becoming lost with friends in the Orinoco basin until a stork lands and immediately leads them far into the jungle to a tribe of yopo-snorters ("Tonada Yanomaminista"). And, amid the trippy songs and confessional singer/songwriter material, there's yet more evidence of Banhart's continuing musical idiosyncrasies: "Saved," which comes complete with a gospel choir, has the production mark of the late '70s (but not in a good way), while "Lover" is a surprisingly funky fusion of soul and pop, like Jackson 5 with a backing group of Archie Bell & the Drells plus the Manson Family on vocals. Continually beguiling and fascinating, even as he leaves his four-track days farther behind, it's clear that Devendra Banhart has much more ground to plow.
I reviewed Devendra's latest album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon last week for Dusted -- and also did an interview with him (which isn't finished yet and won't run for a while). Here's a bit from the review:Over the last few years, Devendra Banhart has evolved from a fragile outsider artist, recording on other people's answering machines (Oh Me Oh My), to a favored protégé of Swans/Young Go.
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MOGstars: 9 out of 10Forged in Topanga Canyon, one time playground of all of hippie-folk royalty, Devendra Banhart’s latest offering sees him lose some of his more extreme idiosyncrasies and mix a more accessible sound with retrospective overtones that hark back to Stills, Mitchell and Young.Opening track _Cristobal_ glides past with gravely vocals and gentle guitar plucks with the Spanish voca.
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In the past few years, Devendra Banhart seems to have become the indie world's pet hippy, a benign prankster who radiates love for music, spiders, humanity, his beard, and the vast array of fine artists he has nurtured, played with and championed over the past five years. I can't think of many other musicians in that time who have informed my taste so much, whose proselytizing have turned me on...
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Devendra Banhart's artwork is currently being displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) through February 24, 2008.Banhart's artwork will be displayed alongside works from renowned Swiss painter Paul Klee in 'Abstract Rhythms: Paul Klee and Devendra Banhart'.The ??new weird American?? created several drawings as an accompaniment for his recent album ??Smokey Rolls Down Thunder...
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Wow! What a way to kick off a Tuesday! Maharishi-tastic Banhart with his A-list squeeze Natalie Portman acting out some made up Hindu prophecy in art direction that screams your nearest Taj Mahal Indian restaurant calander art. (Mmm...Chicken Tikka Saag). You know what's coming next? A Banhart-produced Portman album of Warren Zevon covers. (I kid.)Devendra Banhart, "Carmensita" off Smokey Roll...
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I am loving this soon to be released Devendra Banhart album. Has a very cool Cat Stevens feel to it...the album is called 'Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon'Especially this trackenjoy
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Hey look, I interviewed Devendra Banhart again. The piece runs in PopMatters today: C'mon Over and Let's Make a Record: An Interview with Devendra Banhart[2 October 2007]How the pied piper of psych folk and his ever growing band of followers holed up in a Topanga Canyon house, broke out a boxload of exotic instruments and kicked out the jams of Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon.If you ever get...
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MOGstars: 9 out of 10Forged in Topanga Canyon, one time playground of all of hippie-folk royalty, Devendra Banhart’s latest offering sees him lose some of his more extreme idiosyncrasies and mix a more accessible sound with retrospective overtones that hark back to Stills, Mitchell and Young.Opening track _Cristobal_ glides past with gravely vocals and gentle guitar plucks with the Spanish voca.
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Got to see this one to believe it: Lot of comments on YouTube by Hindus and other Indians/Bollywood fans complaining about this insult to their culture.Hey - join our Indians. They've been being insulted in Western flms for a lot longer...
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Sometimes the genres in itunes make no sense. Take Devendra Banhart,,,, his excellent song Seahorse is listed as Space Reggae. Then on wikipedia, they list the following:Banhart's music has been classified as indie folk, psych folk, freak folk, Naturalismo, and New Weird America; his lyrics are often surreal and naturalistic.Not quite Space Reggae. I might like Space Reggae, I always liked the...
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I reviewed Devendra's latest album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon last week for Dusted -- and also did an interview with him (which isn't finished yet and won't run for a while). Here's a bit from the review:Over the last few years, Devendra Banhart has evolved from a fragile outsider artist, recording on other people's answering machines (Oh Me Oh My), to a favored protégé of Swans/Young Go.
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Fantastic song and promo video for Devendra's new album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. Video is of the making of the album.I believe it is his finest album to date. Love the jam starting at around 5 mins
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The tile of Devendra Banhart upcoming album will be Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, according to the artist's publicist.Revitalizing the spirit of the '60s.The album, co-produced by Banhart and his longtime collaborator Noah Georgeson, will be out on XL on Sept. 25.Players on the album include Georgeson (who recently released his solo debut Find Shelter) Luckey Remington, Pete Newsom (Joanna'...
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Devendra Banhart's next album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, will be out on XL September 25, but you can listen to two tracks off the album - "Tonada Yanomaminista" and "Rosa" - right now.Simply head over to the bearded neo-folkie's myspace page:http://www.myspace.com/devendrabanhartLike it's 1966 all over again.The cover.And here is the track rundown for the album.Smokey Rolls Down Thunde...
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Just a quick note, because I am in a hurry this morning, but I had to get this out. I picked up Devendra Banhart's new one this week, and it hit me like a brick wall. This album is magic and love and fire and all that cliche garbage that dreams are made of.The standout piece (off the top), at least for me, is "Sea Horse." After my first run through the album I went back to this one on repeat fo...
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In the past few years, Devendra Banhart seems to have become the indie world's pet hippy, a benign prankster who radiates love for music, spiders, humanity, his beard, and the vast array of fine artists he has nurtured, played with and championed over the past five years. I can't think of many other musicians in that time who have informed my taste so much, whose proselytizing have turned me on...
More >
One of my favorite albums from last year, and probably much higher now than when I ranked it previous, was Devendra Banhart's Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. Banhart finally released a real, high-production-style video for one of the album's songs, Carmensita, this week. It stars his special lady, Natalie Portman. Not my first choice of songs from the album I'd like to see visually, but st...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Cristobal |
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| 2 So Long Old Bean |
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| 3 Samba Vexillographica |
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| 4 Sea Horse |
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| 5 Bad Girl |
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| 6 Sea Side |
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| 7 Shabop Shalom |
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| 8 Tonada Yanomaminista |
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| 9 Rosa |
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| 10 Saved |
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| 11 Lover |
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| 12 Carmensita |
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| 13 The Other Woman |
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| 14 Freely |
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| 15 I Remember |
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| 16 My Dearest Friend |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon")
