Customer Reviews

Rejoicing in the Hands

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4 star:		(4)
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I didn't think I'd be into this, but it turns out I was wrong. At first glance he seems kinda gimmicky in that precious, indie kinda way, but once I actually listened to Devendra Banhart...well his music is really amazing. His lyrics are sometimes playful, sometimes sad and always surreal, and his voice is one of a kind. The songs are simple, short and mostly recorded solo with acoustic guitar, though electric guitar, percussion and the occasional understated horn or string is thrown into the mix perfectly. Devendra Banhart released another album, Nino Rojo, within a few months of this one. Both albums are very similar in sound and style (they come from the same recording session) and both have a uniform good-to-great song quality. I reccomend you buy them both and if you're not won over immediately just relax, keep listening and don't analyze things so much.

My friend got this to me as a gift... As I've been wanting it since hearing it in full at a listening station at Virgin... What caught my ears at first (and heart) is his similarities to Marc Bolan (his solo acoustic music)... His nuances and inflections in his singing style and guitar playing more than remind me of Marc... The way he structures his songs as well... This is a good thing, because I believe Marc as well as Devendra to be a musical genius... So if you're a fan of Marc Bolan's, you'll enjoy his music as well... Also, I believe that fans of old style acoustic blues will enjoy it as well, seeing as he incorporates old style acoustic blues into his playing, with modernistic touches... As well as anti-folk fans will enjoy...

So all in all, if you're a fan of anti-folk, old style acoustic blues or Marc Bolan solo acoustic music, I highly recommend you to pick up this cd and rejoice in his music - Savannah Skye aka DJ Dakini-NYC...

if you are at all familiar with karen dalton (you should be if not, b/c she's amazing), you will draw comparisons to devendra with her. i find that this album really reminds me of a mixture of karen, vashti bunyan, and a dash of jack white. it's a summer album, hell, it's an all-year-round album, but when i listen to this, i feel like chewing on the end of a long, sun-dried weed while walking barefoot at sundown in late august in my original northern wisconsin digs. that is this album. and all affectedness aside, devendra's voice is just plain gritty and lovely and wonderful, along with his original song-writing and musicianship.

Devendra Banhart is still new to the world, which finds most people comparing him to a surplus of other musicians. However, Banhart has quickly proven that, contrary to comparison, he possesses his very own unique style that easily sets him apart from any singer/songwriter on the planet (past or present). His voice is so unique that he will find himself in a similar league with some of music's all-time great distinctive voices.

His ability to create charming images of a surreal world with his abstract lyrics, abnormal time signatures, and inimitable vocals is like no other current artist today. On his previous albums, this was heard through his ghostly recordings on four track recorders and answering machine messages. These were songs never meant for public consumption until his friends convinced him that it'd be a good idea to let them loose. So, Michael Gira (Swans and Angels of Light) took control of these recordings and released them "as is" on his self-managed Young God label. Accolades have been strewn about Banhart's feet since.

One of the principal qualities that made these early recordings of Banhart's so unique is how they effortlessly sounded like they came from another era. If you didn't know they were recorded within the last five years, you'd swear they were the lost tapes of Robert Johnson's next-door neighbor. But with the release of Rejoicing in the Hands, Banhart entered an official studio to record fifty-some songs. There is a decidedly cleaner sound than on the lo-fi recordings of before. Some of the new songs will appear here and the rest will make it on to a separate album or EP to be released in the next year.

Banhart certainly is prolific at what he does. He's also very dedicated to making his art as perfect as possible, regardless of how bizarre it may appear. During the song "Todo los Dolores" he makes a mistake with the Spanish lyrics, but quickly recovers and shows that his work is very serious. Once he regains composure and begins his "1-2-3-4" intro, it's time for business again.

Banhart's lyrics are not only on par with what he has currently accomplished, but music schools around the world should study his guitar work on this folk-rock masterpiece. With the addition of the studio effects Devendra has been able to add different elements to his songs. Rejoicing in the Hands has a more current vibe than Oh Me Oh My and Black Babies, but the charm and unique qualities are still very much in tact. If anything, it has allowed his music to become more greatly appreciated by the casual listener. "Insect Eyes," which is also the best song of Banhart's catalog, has the addition of bass and "Autumn's Child" contains piano. Both of these instruments are exclusive to this album so far, but subtly add a substantial depth to the songs.

Besides being one of the most interesting artists to come out of the singer/songwriter genre in recent memory, Devendra Banhart is proving that the self-reliant style of the folk artist is something that is sadly being overlooked. If anyone can single-handedly bring this back to the forefront, it will be him. He's already every bit as important as Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, Jackson C. Frank, or any of the other artists who have influenced his art. Only his music speaks more clearly to this generation.

The idea that he can transcend his influences makes Devendra Banhart well worth your time and attention. And if you've appreciated any of his work thus far, you'll be extremely happy with what Rejoicing in the Hands has to offer. Perhaps only time will tell, but it could very well turn out to be one of the great timeless folk albums. And anyone who can sit down in such a short period of time and write this many unique songs has to have something abnormally genius working inside.

The first time I heard Devendra's album, I wasn't too impressed with it. It took seeing him in person to become a fan. I understand people not liking the album, but the memory of him singing such beautiful songs... is unforgettable. When he sings, he is like a child and an 80 year old jazz singer. Beautiful in sight and sound and inspiration. His songs may be simple and repetitive but he is a young genius. See him live if you can, its better then buying any of his stuff... and cheaper :)

Aspiring male musicians take note: the measure of a man is not by his record sales but by the size of his female following.

The easiest way to score your own legion of rabid groupies is to adopt a well-recognized persona. Undoubtedly, the definitive standby is the brooding-rocker image perfected by Jim Morrison. But if you're not sure you can pull off the "young lion" look, rest assured and consider the old-school way of making fans: if you have exceptional talent and loads of charisma, it doesn't take much to impress the womenfolk. Devendra Banhart in his live shows looks like Charles Manson in gypsy dresses, and he's still greeted with squeals of estrogen-pumped adoration rather than horror.

The 23-year-old hipster and graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, whose 2002 release of his debut album "Oh Me Oh My...The Way the Day Goes by the Sun is Setting Dogs Are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit" was conceived from bits and pieces sung on a friend's answering machine and produced on a four-track recorder, has many critics touting his penchant for simple yet sensuous imagery and deceptively skillful guitar work as the marked emergence of yet another subgenre that has been recently sought out by indie media, called "neo-folk." Trilling lines about split lips and crab cake, Banhart's delicate voice harkens back to the high-tension ululating of Tim Buckley and the gentle murmuring of Nick Drake that made them indelible, albeit modest, impressions on the music scene in the early 70s.

Highlights from the album include the lyrically understated but dulcet tracks "Will is My Friend" and "This Beard is for Siobhán." On "Todo Los Dolores," Banhart shakily starts to coo in passable Spanish before giggling into a second, and much smoother, attempt. "Rejoice in the Hands" reminds us that the gimmick of lo-fi, in the right hands, can be one not only of simplicity but of sincerity.

Of course, as with his look of mistaken identity, that nixed first try may seem a little too coincidental, almost as though he planned this familiar blunder just to see how pandering his fans would be to his faux pas. But does that even matter? That Banhart can so completely disarm his listeners with some finespun words and by treating them as his intimate companions with whom every song is a privately shared joke is testament to the comforting notion that an up-and-coming musician need not be defined by a massively overstated image in order to be relevant to the iPod generation.

The fact that a voice as honest and pure as Devendra Banhart can acquire success in today's musical climate offers some hope for the music industry, overall. Whether or not you doubt Banhart's authenticity--whether he really was a homeless wandering street singer, or if you you think he is the product of clever marketing, is beside the point. What is essential to know is that Banhart is a fascinating musician. His songwriting style and his voice are transcendendental. Banhart's musings on life, love, art, and whatever else he feels like singing about, are always listenable, and you need this record. "Sight to Behold" is worth the price of admission on its own merits.

To label Devendra as an eccentric might be a bit of an understatement. He's truly a hippie of our time, and like the best hippie's of yore he's managed to carve out a unique sound in music, even amongst the countless neo-folk artists that seem to be popping up these days. So when I say that "Rejoicing in the Hands" is my favorite album from Devendra, you can bet that it's going to be one of the best folk albums to have come out in recent years.

It just seems like he managed to really hit his stride here. Even the moments that appear to be the most gimmicky and "weird" (such as Poughkeepsie) seem to play perfectly into the record as a whole, adding a sort of playful, tongue-in-cheek quality as a contrast to the more honest, tender moments. And there are some pretty moving numbers interspersed throughout the album, whether it's (what seems to be) the nostalgia-tinged "Will is my Friend," the gentle harmonies of the title track, or the bittersweet closer, "Autumn's Child." It all seems to coalesce into an album that harkins back to the "Golden Age" of the hippie movement, but manages to sound new and fresh at the same time.

It's a truly great, modern folk album. I can't recommend it enough.

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.

If you found Oh Me, Oh My a bit out there/creepy/wierd you will probably find this album much more accessible. More melodic and easier to listen to. Excellent overall.