Devendra Banhart: What Will We Be
Label: Warner Bros.
With the help of his increasingly close-knit band of buddies (including Megapuss’ Greg Rogove and Little Joy’s Rodrigo Amarante), freak folk icon Devendra Banhart hones and distills all his playful, wandering, sing-along inclinations into this winning collection of grooving folk-rock ditties. While his more recent albums tested the listener’s tolerance for dippy lyrics and bland songwriting, the gentler of these tunes (which is most of them) sound like the coffee mug warming your hands and the sun hugging the horizon on the first fresh-ass morning of a weekend mountain cabin retreat with your best friends. And, when he hits a heavier stride (as on atypically indie-rocking “16th & Valencia” or acid jam “Rats”), the effect is just as agreeable. (Abby)
