After the one-two punch of last year’s Rejoicing in the Hands and Ni?o Rojo, Devendra Banhart could have crawled back into the thicket from whence he came, knowing full well that he had a spot waiting for him in folk nirvana. Defying the lure of complacency, Banhart will release his latest album, Cripple Crow, next Tuesday. Like Iron & Wine, Devendra Banhart has given his bare singer-songwriter sound the studio treatment, resulting in a more expansive album that provides an accessible entry point for a new audience.
Banhart teamed up with Joanna Newsom producer Noah Georgeson and back-up band The Hairy Fairies to make Cripple Crow his longest and most ambitious record to date. The album introduces new elements to Devendra’s music, from the heavy rhythm guitar in “Long Haired Child” to the sitar and bongos in “Lazy Butterfly.” The album’s finest moments are often subtle, though, in the sparse “Inaniel” and the instrumental “Sawkill River.”
Overall, however, the album suffers because it loses sight of one of Devendra’s biggest strengths-brevity. The title track is six minutes of musical stagnation, and the drowsy Americana ballad “Korean Dogwood” overstays its welcome. A mid-song ‘50s doo-wop breakdown barely saves “Little Boys” from the same fate. Furthermore, most of the songs lack the impromptu quality that made his earlier work so intimate, and he occasionally strays from his usual animal-centric lyrics into the precarious realm of political diatribe.
While Cripple Crow is certainly one of this year’s most enjoyable listens, Banhart is at his best when the band is smoking backstage. Many budding hipsters will surely discover Devendra Banhart this year through this album, but the uninitiated should first pick up Rejoicing in the Hands and Ni?o Rojo to better understand the man behind the beard.
