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Devendra Banhart
What Will We Be
Campus Correspondent review by Stephen Capps,
Union University
Rejoice, beard lovers! We haven’t heard new songs from Iron & Wine or Fleet Foxes in a while, but this does not mean the beard-folk genre has gone extinct or MIA. Devendra Banhart’s new album, What Will We Be, will quench one’s thirst for acoustic-based, follicle-enhanced music.
The majority of this album doesn’t contain much more than Devendra’s voice and guitar. It starts off on a rather happy note with the song “Can’t Help But Smiling.” The drums, horns and other instruments mainly serve as support for his acoustic plucking and slightly raspy singing. Anti-folk fans will find much to enjoy here with songs that are simple but not overly simplistic.
There are a couple tracks in particular that stand out quite a bit on this generally mellow disc– “16th & Valencia, Roxy Music” and the album’s closer “Foolin’.” It sounds like MGMT and Sam Beam had a love child and convinced Devendra to put it on his album. The electronic parts should not be too much to ruin the mellowness the album produces, but it does provide a nice break to let out some of the happiness the album possesses. Overall this disc is enjoyable, chill, and optimistic. Don’t be too indie to be happy about something; this album would do well in any collection.
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