Mala (studio album) by Devendra Banhart

From buzzdainer 07/19/2017 18:03

It's ironic that Devendra Banhart has gotten something of a reputation for being hyper-earnest and ponderous in a countercultural, hipsteresque kind of way, because I actually think it would be more accurate to say that he verges often into the realm of humorous, silly, and even goofy. While not nearly as ambitious as earlier efforts such as What Will We Be and Cripple Crow, Mala is a lot of fun, with track titles like the ridiculous "Your Fine Petting Duck" and " Für Hildegard Von Bingen." My favorite track here is "Golden Girls," with its simple directive, repeated at least eleven times, to "get on the dance floor." I'm not much of a dancer, but Devendra Banhart reminds me how not to take myself too seriously.

From RockyRaccoon 07/10/2013 00:41

Devendra Banhart has been one of my favorite artists that I’ve discovered over the past few years. The banner-man of the small folk-subgenre, freak folk, Banhart has an incredible ability to be heartfelt, but to also be funny and lighthearted. “Cripple Crow" and “Rejoicing In The Hands" are two of my favorite albums to listen to. Four years ago, we had Banhart’s most recent album, “What Will We Be" which didn’t receive the best of reviews. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it wasn’t his best. He’s moved away from his folk/acoustic sound, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the songs are good. This album seems to be a slight continuation of “What Will We Be", though it’s a bit better. You’ve got songs like “Won’t You Come Over" and “Cristobal Risquez" that are great, and you’ve got songs like “The Ballad Of Keenan Milton" that show he hasn’t completely given up on acoustic music, but then you have something like “Your Fine Petting Duck", which just does not sound good at all. Overall, it’s a decent album. I’m hoping to see more and better from Devendra Banhart because I love him, but this album is definitely an improvement. I’d recommend it.