Even Still, the Subtitles Make No Sense
Devendra Banhart has some strikes against him. First he is linked to the Freak Folk/New Weird America movement--some of which is wildly imaginative and important but some of which grates like an endless meandering drum circle. There is the over-hyped album Oh Me, Oh My, that to my ears is nearly unlistenable--and I count myself as a fan. For the longest time I wasn't very excited about his music. Then I heard Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. It's one of those rare albums that seems disjointed until you really get to know it. It's a grower-on, a creeper of sorts. A few weeks ago I said it was one of the best albums to while away a Sunday afternoon to (see "Sea Side"). I did it again just yesterday.
Nearly a year after its release, the first video from that album has surfaced (thanks, Stereogum), borrowing Bollywood levity and featuring the terrific, sometimes gangsta Natalie Portman. Peep it. --Gabi Knight
David Montgomery on July 31, 2008 at 08:20 PM
Is that Ron Jeremy?