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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. Indeed, Devendra has a bit of the captivating aura of a flower child guru/grandson, (long hair and velvet pants yes, but also a damn trendy t-shirt) his live shows are performed by candlelight (but a small fire would be even better) and both he and the audience are seated on the ground cross-legged (but he has big cushions).
Rejoicing In The Hands (Of The Golden Empress), released in June 2004, is delightfully naive, and Devendra is too. A pure person who knows no cynicism or sarcasm. Someone who truly is who they are without pretense. Or at least, that's how he's described, but I believe that, as usual, the press embellishes the story a lot. Anyway, beyond the character who may or may not be likable, this is a great album, more defined and complex compared to the previous two, more mature one might say, but still homemade, even though this time the "home" is no longer the squat in Manhattan but the house of M.Gira introduced to him by his friend Siobhan to whom Banhart has dedicated his beard and a song: "This Beard Is For Siobhan".
The tracks are no longer the surreal and somewhat sad nursery rhymes of "Black Babies UK" born from a difficult period (now he refuses to play them live) but happy pieces of folk and blues with a whimsical magic that evoke a natural and delicate beauty scented with green, resin, and starry skies.
The lyrics highlight a prolific and particular writing style, in the glass bubble where Devendra's world resides, plastic has never been invented, it returns to the origins, to the human relationship with the glory of mother nature: "In the dark we are without her empress light/ In the dark we are without a light/ Half asleep we are calmly waiting through her night/ We wait till she arrives/ Clouds of birds are covering her dark blue sky", violins and piano and simple percussion. Or he recounts his daily life "Will is my friend/ Will sings like John/ goin' back to California... Will is good friend of mine/ With whom I spend lot of my time" sung on Will's bass which also accompanies him live. Or again he praises the joys of physicality: "The body breaks/ and the body is fine/ I'm open to yours and you're open to mine/The body calls out it whispers at first.../Yeah the body burns strong/ and 'till mine is with yours/ mine will burn on/ My flesh sings out/ Honey come put me out... / The body sways like the wind on a swing/ a bridge through a hoop/ or a lake through a ring..." infinite sweetness of acoustic guitar.
New generation hippy music, more mystical and less political. Luminous.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 The Body Breaks (02:43)
The body breaks
And the body is fine
I'm open to yours
And i'm open to mine
The body aches
And that ache takes it time
But you'll get over yours
And i'll get over mine
And the sun will shine
And the moon will rise up
The body calls
Yeah, the body, it calls out
It whispers at first
But it ends with a shout
The body burns
Yeah, the body burns strong
Until mine is with yours
Then mine will burn on
My flash sings out
It sings, "come pour me out"
The body sways
Like the wind on a swing
A bridge through a hoop
Or a lake through a ring
The body stays
And then the body moves on
And i'd really rather not dwell on
When yours will be gone
But within the dark
There is a shine
One tiny spark
That's yours and mine
04 Poughkeepsie (02:17)
One, two, three, four
By the banks of old poughkeepsie
My love swam with me
Nature's tender bones are breathing
Lungs, each breaths, each breathes and
Have you felt it?
Have you?
I've felt it too
And so have you
Summer day, she stays by her window
Her saggy flesh it sweeps the floor
Down her steps and through her hallway
Coming out her door and
Have you seen it?
Have you?
I've seen that too
And so have you
Now man holds hands, head, neck, shaped cobweb
White oil fills each pore
Again down your steps and through your hallway
Jumping out your door and
Have you done it?
Have you?
I've done that too
And so have you
Well, love me tender
V-v-v-v-v-v-iva las vegas
And hounddog
All shook up
Heartbreak hotel
Lawdy, miss clawdy
Blue moon
Blue suede shoes and
Have you heard it?
Have you?
I've heard that too
And i know for sure that so have you
05 Dogs They Make Up the Dark (01:20)
Dogs they make up the dark surrounding
Mountains, they move towards the sea
Lie there, shine from your wound is blinding
Mountains still move towards the sea
06 Will Is My Friend (03:04)
One, two, three, four
Will is my friend
Will sings like John
Goin' back to california
Will is the west
Coast with me
Will is a pass
Is a plenty
Will is a good friend of mine
With whom i spend a whole lotta my time
The lemon tree
It laughs at me
It's growin' beautifully
The little vine
It won't unwind
And it'll wrap your whole in time
Now let's have a glass of wine
Now let's have another glass of wine
This is the water
In which we wade
This is our father
And this is how he strayed
This is the wind
And this is the breeze
I ooooo eeee
Will is my friend
Will sings like john
Goin' back to california
07 This Beard Is for Siobhán (02:36)
The daughter of a man
Was a mammal
She bore the mark of fire
And of flame
Though they're both the same
Born unto the age of the golden
Oh that golden age of endless loss and endless gain
Tra la la la !
Now because my lips have split
All the little children
They all hide in front
In the middle and in the behind
La, la, la, la !
And because my nose has froze
But i can keep on smellin'
I could smell my little day away
I could smell my whole day away
Na da da da !
Now because my teeth don't bite
I can take 'em out dancin'
I could take my little teeth out
And i could show them a real good time
Tra la la la
A good time a good time
A real good time...
10 Rejoicing in the Hands (01:41)
In the dark we are without her empress light
In the dark we are without a light
Half asleep we are calmly waiting through her night
Half asleep we wait till she arrives
Clouds of birds are covering her dark blue sky
Clouds of birds are covering her sky
A rush of wind is gently playing with their wings
and yellow stones are standing on her eyes
All rejoice is all we are when in her hands
All rejoice we are in her hands
Owl eyes her sun will rise and light the land
All rejoice we are in her hands
11 Fall (02:53)
Fallow casts and one's bone your bread
But when the night comes
Light of match
Will catch lay low leave
Or sing so long
Window spreads like cornfields in fall
She come by call
She leave no trace
She don't leave at all
Like cornfields in fall
So long finger new family
Would you lay with me?
And heard of a singer who wore ringlet hair
Won't you sing for me?
And so long snake'll stay low
And so long snake you stay low
So long snake you'll stay low
So long snake you stay low
12 Todo los Dolores (02:30)
Todos los Dolores ya se van
Y el grafitti dice Peter Pan
Y el zoologico de arcoiris
Arcoirá, arcoirá
En La mañana pienso en mi primo
Y todo lo español que desafino
Que dice cuando el sol sonrie
Sonreirá, sonreirá
Con tu cara de camello
Toma un bebé tan bello
Cada casa tiene llave
por no saber, por no saber
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