Devendra Banhart returns for another round of psychedelic fueled folk rhythms on seventh studio album What Will We Be.
The grizzled Hipster messiah is swept up by love’s punch drunk embrace (and quite possibly Natalie Portman’s a**) on first single “Baby”, whose breezy island groove and insipid lyrics recall every Jack Johnson song ever written, “Holy moley, you’re so funny/You crack me up.”
On the other hand, “Angelika” shines as the album’s stand out track, seamlessly blending soothing folk melodies with lush Latin orchestration, to create a mood worthy of a Pedro Almodovar movie or something equally as pretentious.
Despite my seething hatred for all people from Topanga Canyon, California, Banhart’s latest effort manages to differentiate itself enough from the rest of the pack to consider picking up.
