Call me a reactionary, but as a young punk rocker schooled in Malcolm McLaren's "never trust a hippy" philosophy, my natural instincts are always to go on the defensive when confronted by the full-pelt stoner ramblings offered up as a peace pipe by the likes of DEVENDRA BANHART.
Actually, having been major league underwhelmed by my previous crossings of his path, I still obviously don't 'get it' where Devendra is concerned. I've read a host of stunning notices about him in the recent past and there's no denying the glowing appraisal he receives from ex-Swans frontman Michael Gira in his online biog either, but - suitably built up - he still sounds like the purveyor of whiffy hippy toss when the moment of truth arrives and you hear his new EP revelling in the title of (strewth) "Here Are Four Songs From Rejoicing In The Hands Of The Golden Empress."
To be fair, it opens with the best song I've yet heard from Devendra in "The Body Breaks", which - in isolation - could be a bit of a mind-changer because its' lilting tune and sweet'n'gentle comment on (I think) mortality is attractively unadorned and undeniably moving. Surprisingly good start.
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Predictably it doesn't last, though, and horrifically quickly the rot sets in. Both "Insect Eyes" and "Rejoicing In The Hands" are bad enough, but for all the annoying stoner wisdom they are at least partially saved by some pretty acoustic guitar figures and ( at least in the latter's case) are mercifully short.
The real nadir, however, comes with "This Beard Is For Siobhan", which features Devendra unleashing all kinds of embarrassing hippy dippy claptrap like "My nose is froze but I can keep on smellin'." Sheesh. At this point the urge to shout "get a shave, you bugger!" is almost too much to bear.
I dunno. Maybe it's wrong with me or it's in my genes or something, but for all the guff about how 'authentic' and 'real' Devendra Banhart supposedly is, I still feel I'm being confronted by an empty vessel, who (worse) doesn't have any decent tunes. Swizz.
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