Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter associated with early-2000s freak-folk / "pre-war" folk revival. First recordings issued in the early 2000s (including releases on Michael Gira's Young God Records). Known for a distinctive voice, lo-fi early records and later more produced, eclectic albums.

Born 1981; raised between the United States and Venezuela; early releases and profile helped define the early-2000s freak-folk scene; early records released on Young God Records; later albums explore broader, more produced arrangements.

DeBaser's reviews portray Devendra Banhart as a central figure of the early-2000s freak-folk / "pre-war folk" wave. Early, lo-fi records (Rejoicing In The Hands, The Black Babies) are widely praised for charm and intimacy. Later, more produced albums (Cripple Crow, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, What Will We Be) divide opinion: ambition and rich arrangements versus bloat and loss of intimacy. Overall reception ranges from enthusiastic praise to disappointment.

For:Listeners of indie/freak-folk, fans of lo-fi and psychedelic-tinged singer-songwriters, readers interested in early-2000s indie folk movements.

 Despite being very young and with only 3 albums to his name, Devendra Banhart is already a highly regarded musician in the indie circuits, and he is cited as the charismatic leader of the "new" genre called Prewar Folk Esplosion that is involving part of the American musical underground.

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 Devendra - Obi - (yes, from Obi-Wan Kenobi) Banhart is a SUPERFREAK!

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 The kid has become a man.

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 Listen to this album in the only possible way—by forgetting yourselves, giving in to the suggestions, and feeling free to get bored when a piece lasts too long or to be amazed when the magic calls you.

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 There's always been something disturbingly sad in Devendra Banhart's songs, and now it is clearer than ever.

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