Reviews (page 6 of 8)
This and that
Completely average but, since this is the 1001 albums, I think that warrants a two.
Decent enough, high 2s.
я не знаю что тут оценивать лирику я не хочу оценивать кроме акустической гитары и не самого приятного вокала тут ничего нет 2 потому что это не самое худшее
Mid
Thank god this wasn’t super long because it was a slog. Very much the 2000s white guy with guitar but in the worst way. “Insect Eyes” was an okay song, but the rest was dreadfully dull. No idea how this ended up on here. Even for “freak folk” (a name the entire genre apparently detests) there is better.
Guitar work is fine. Occasionally it's pretty impressive. Production is a little overwhelming at times. Dude's voice is kinda not for me. "See Saw" is actively bad. Most of the rest is somewhat more tolerable. "Fall" is probably the closest it comes to something I'd enjoy.
4/10
Mostly boring. Sometimes annoying.
Have I listened to this album before? No How familiar am I with this album? I have never seen this before How do I feel about this artist? I have clue who this is Favorite song(s)? A Sight To Behold Overall Thoughts: The music was pretty but I found his voice kind of annoying and not in a way that I can tolerate like Bob Dylan
I’m not quite sure what time of day would be appropriate to listen to this record. As it is most definitely a folk record, I thought early morning might work. Nope. Not so much. The songs are short, except Insect Eyes at more than 5:00, the lyrics are for the most part positive hippy dippy shit that are somewhat clever. The guitar tone is terrific and the actual recording quality is excellent. The problem is Devandra’s vocals which are a bit whiny. We’re not talking Dylan level annoying, but annoying enough to distract. I’m sure for fans this is pleasing but for me, I quickly lost interest. Did I say the songs were short. That is the best I can say about this somewhat banal record. Unfortunate. 2/5
Very good guitar work. But can't get over my dislike of whiny American males that sound on the verge of crying. Apart from Conor Oberst.
-for a style of music associated with words like "weird" and "freak," this is pretty safe music. It's more "quirky" than anything; this is an album for a Zooey Deschanel character. Or, as a friend said to me, "this is Jason Mraz for people who go on ayahuasca retreats." -the instrumental track is my favorite by far, and my second favorite is the one where you can hear Vashti Bunyan -- I guess that says everything you need to know about what I think of DB's voice. Dude is practically a pioneer of "cursive singing."
Tit Smoking in the Temple of Artesan Mimicry? I hardly know her!
Solid c-
Alright but not for me
Album 1058 of 1089 Rejoicing In The Hands- Devendra Banhart (2004) Rating : 2.5 / 5 Very laid back. Very low key. It settles into a calm, intimate groove and never really strays from it. Nothing jumped out at me, and I’m not sure I’ll remember much of it in a few days but while it was playing, it was perfectly fine. Not every album has to shake the walls. This one just quietly occupied the space and moved on.
There are glimpses of something lovely here in the guitar work, however his voice overpowers everything and it is pretty unbearable and that’s all I ended up taking away from this. He has fabulous hair though so congrats for that I guess
Enjoyable parts but groans on and nothing that makes it stand out as exception for its genre not sure why it is here.
I've tried this guy before with similar results. I like moments and a few songs, but not enough to put up with the bullshit. I legitimately liked the first song and wondered if this album was going to be the moment I got him. Poughkeepsie definitely set me straight - that is an annoying and lazy song. It lets you know you are going to get a lot weirdness for no purpose. I also don't like that whenever he hits up bluegrass or legacy styles, etc. it's always delivered with a sneer.
Probably never gonna listen to this again.
I wasn't a fan of this. A few of the songs have some really cool instrumentals which kept this from getting a 1
I thought I was going to like this, but I just didn’t care for the guys voice. It ends up at two stars for me.
Not for me.
not my cup of tea
Very simple, minimalist and artsy folk rock that's almost entirely vocals and an acoustic guitar. It falls in the grey area between relaxing and boring. The twee accent he puts on for his singing voice is a bit off-putting, but overall it isn't a bad choice of background music while doing something else.
At first I was like, “Yes! Psych folk rock? Sign me up!” But then I turned it off halfway through and moved on. It was boring and I got the point. Sometimes I felt patronized, like he was being artsy and soft spoken for no reason. There’s plenty other better folk out there, both contemporary and classic.
I get why people would like it, but not my thing.
yksinkertaisen kuuloista kitara ja mies, tyylistä pimpottelua.
Meh, never clicked for me
In 2004, I was a part of a scene full of music people. I generally liked their tastes, and I went to their own performances with great frequency. Since they were all so plugged into the current music, they would bring things to me from out of the most esoteric corners of the internet. I learned about a lot of artists in that time period who I still listen to. Others, I’ve forgotten and I’ll never seek out again, but if I heard their song playing in the background, it might spark a distant memory. These musicy people all came at me hard with Devendra Banhart and this album in particular. It was first time I put my foot down and said, ‘guys, this is bad music.’ Still, the crew was so drawn in, that the singers began to warble with every freaking note in their own songs. It was not a good time. Once the fad was over, I never heard about or thought about Banhart again, until now. Revisiting Rejoicing in the Hands is weird because I knew every song inside and out. I’d never once put it on for myself, but my friends had played it so much, it’d leeched into my subconscious. Back then, the DB fans treated this album like religious doctrine, and they held an air about themselves, that they were supremely cool for being able to appreciate this, whereas all naysayers lost a little artsy fartsy cred. Today, like then, I can’t see how this was ever considered cool. I don’t, however, hate it as much as I did then. Perhaps I’ve moved on? I don’t know. I can see it more objectively? I know I’m only going to hear it once, and not a million more times after? I know that the scene has long-ended, and every album that makes waves isn’t the genre-defining masterpiece of my era. From this vantage, I know this album fades into the sands of time without changing much after it? Either way, DB still wobbles his voice too much to enjoy for too long. It makes one want to throw something out a window.
Complex structure of the album and I'm guessing that the style of playing means something to people who understand instruments. Wasn't grabbed by it, I found the style slightly annoying and trying to be more
Not really my thing. Just a little bit too weird, slow, and I'm not exactly obsessed with this guys voice or vocals. The song names also come off as a little pretentious and annoying which don't exactly help his case. The first time through I absolutely despised listening to this, but as with most other albums I initially despised, this album grew on me. Not a lot, but enough to save it easily from a 1 to at least a very high 2. “A Sight to Behold”, “Fall” and “Insect Eyes” are my favorite 3 songs on the album, and having 3 that I genuinely enjoyed are good indications of at the bare minimum a 2 star album. 1 stars are saved for albums where I just straight up did not enjoy a single song or aspect of. At least this one has those 3 songs, "Fall" being my favorite of the bunch. I still don't love his voice, but the western tempo and melody of that song do go kind of hard. I did that song enough to say that it's pretty good. Not great, but good enough. Other songs, however, and this is a prominent reason the album isn't going to get a 3, come off as so artsy and pretentious that it legitimately aggravates me into just immediately skipping them when they start. I'm sorry, and this might be going too far, but any artist that uses the gimmick of messing up and restarting a song, and then leaves the outtake of starting the song over from the top in the final product is just annoying as shit, looking at you "Todo los Dolores". Whether it's intentional or not is irrelevant, it's one of my least favorite gimmicks and I seldom have to hear it, for good reason. It's not artistic, it's just kind of annoying. When it happens live, it's hilarious. Big difference is that this isn't a Live album. Anyway, yeah. That's my review of Rejoicing In The Hands by Devendra Banhart. Why was this one included exactly?? Don't know. I don't think I had to hear this one before I died, but besides some annoying vocals on a good bit of the songs and the entirety of "Todo los Dolores" it wasn't offensively bad, and I did manage to listen to it for the entire day. Yet another album that goes in the "Grew on me" category. I'm starting to write that so often in these reviews that I need to start keeping track of them all. Ok, review over. I don't generally give a lot of 2's, but I feel this one earned it. Next album please.
Folk que no llena, al menos a mí, aunque dicen que es famoso y de culto
Look it's ok, but a bit beige really. His voice kind of annoys me, the lyrics are ok, but at times feel like he's just waffling with la did da das, ah ums, etc. When the tracks picks up with bass and drums it improves. The song in Spanish is a highlight, but too often it returns to acoustic guitar, annoying whiney voice and leads to disinterest for me This is the guy at parties sitting in the corner making up songs to try to impress girls. To be fair its an impressive skill and probably works .. but, I'm not a girl looking for a cute hippy bearded Californian, so I guess it's just not resonating with me, I'll choose to enjoy the party with rockin tunes and my friends instead.
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
5/10
Just boring after a while, the kind of style that should only be 1 song on an album
This was intriguing in its oddness but I found it quite a chore to work through this one. 2.25/5
Lovely guitar playing! It's not a genre I love but I liked the artistic vision, lyrics/title/cover wise it is great, I just can not stand his voice. 2.5/5
meh?
Songs sound more like demos. I can tolerate that gargle trilling voice from Marc Bolan but why anyone would imitate it decades later makes no sense.
unremarkable and oddly grating
Close to good
This album just wasn’t for me. I thought all the songs were okay, but they sounded the same. There were a couple of standout songs, but really nothing else.
Started promising and got steadily more bullshit
< the Beatles
not for me but good
Boring acoustic music isn't my thing.
Lyrics were okay but my god by the second song I was done.
Goid
Surprisingly, although this guy is big in the indie folk circles and I’m aware of him, his stuff doesnt connect with me
I've been getting an oddly high amount of folk music lately. It's a little exhausting to listen to in quick succession quite honestly. No personal slander to Mr. Banhart himself either, but I just can't really get into folk. The quirky vocal delivery certainly didn't help matters either, as it gets grating after a certain point. The soft melodies weren't enough to sway my mind.
not my cup of tea
2.5
Eh? Kinda went by without me noticing.
Overall: 3/10 I find this dude's voice incredibly annoying and it's destroying any good feelings I have about this album. To be fair, there really isn't much to like about it anyway. The guitar work is fine but doesn't really blow me away. Also, the melodies kind of get away from him at times. Fav Song: Rejoicing in the Hands
Not great. 2/5
Not quite
I really like the mood this album sets at the first song and sticks to throughout the entire album. Its not my favorite kind of music by a long shot though. It was a fun one of listen to but not something I will come back to in the future.
One of the weirdest entries on this list. There are some songs that I LOVE. And the rest of the album is unplayable Best Song: A Sight to Behold Rating: 4.5/10 Stars: 2
Ziemlich langeweilig. Klingt für mich alles gleich.
There's almost something good here, but it is mostly dross and filler.
2.1
Haha, good one. Ok, what's my actual album for today?
Tried to give this a fair shake, and there are some songs that aren’t absolutely horrid to listen to, but at some point I hit a song that started grating on my nerves and hit stop. Just had enough. 1.5 / 5
Nostalgia for the simple times for random folk music stages at festivals - check. Do I also feel like I listened to 27 variations of the same song… like a working demo tape… also yes
Can't say I was familiar with Devendra Banhart and after listening to this album I can see why he wasn't on my radar. It's not that the music is bad, it just isn't my cup of tea. It's a pretty artsy fartsy modern folk album from what I can tell. It's hard to knock this album as it is objectively competent but doesn't do anything for me personally. Most of the songs are a little too slow for my liking. The best tracks are the ones that kick it up a notch with a little accompaniment (Fall). I can see how this would be an indie hit and be used various pop culture media. There's plenty worse than this on the list but I'll personally file this one away. 1.79 stars
Album #970 Mostly vocals and an acoustic guitar. That is strike one for me - boring. Strike two is how he pronounces some of his words - annoying. Only two strikes, so I suppose it's a 2/5. On a positive note, some of lyrics are interesting, and it's clean.
maybe there’s something here and I’m just not getting it. bored and kinda straining
Voice too much vibrato
I've never heard of this artist before and I am always excited when this happens. On paper, I should like this album. Acoustic and singer/songwriter tend to be right up my alley but I didn't find most songs interesting. However, I did like the song "Fall" and find the artist's work generally intriguing even if I wouldn't listen to it in my spare time. I discovered his other stuff, such as the album Mala, that I do find more enjoyable than this album.
Kann man hören!
Sleepy guitar music 😴
I didn't like it much, would not recommend this album to anyone
It's not bad....but it ain't good :/ A few above average songs, Autumn's Child is one of them...the only one I can remember...I swear there were 2 or 3 others I thought were good....maybe it was my imagination and that's the only good song lmao.
This album is very twee. I’ve heard worse but not much. Overall I was bored and waiting for it to end. There was no stand out here - it all sucked. 2
Don't know what to say
Devendra Banhart has largely passed me by for some reason, although on the evidence of this record, I don't feel like I've missed a great deal. The worst bits sound like songs that Donovan threw away, but the better moments put me in mind of Sufjan Stevens. It's an interesting enough record in places and I think if I'd paid attention to it at the time, it would have made a more positive impression. As it is, I find the vocal stylings overly-affected, and a bit annoying, and the whole thing just left me wondering if I could make my own Album You Must Hear Before You Die. (I couldn't).
I feel like I am missing something. Perfectly fine indie mumblings but what on earth is there to justify being on this list?
When I saw that this album was produced by Swans leader Michael Gira, it made me apprehensive. Swans music is noisy, weird, and often boring as hell. This album is just boring. After a couple of tunes, you know what this album is and it doesn't change up at all. I've met both Gira and Banhart and will be just fine if I don't encounter either one again. Banhart was polite, but not particularly engaging. Gira is just an asshole.
começou e eu achei que seria menos pior do que pensei que seria. na metade, vi que tava errado. é pior. só nao vo dar um porque o mano morou uma época na venezuela e tem uma música em espanhol.
Each track on its own is pleasant and enjoyable to listen to. Two tracks together are annoying. A whole album seriously grates. A shame
I just didn't find a song that I liked.
Mm
Not great.
Weird but I listened to the whole thing. Not sure what I thought about it, but I gave it 2 stars.
I found this quite boring. It started out ok but it finished flat.
My sphincter closes in upon itself any time I'm recommended an artist I've never heard of and see that the album contains 16 songs. Luckily, most are around the 2-3 minute mark, so relax down there. The whole thing reeks of New York Hipster. It's almost certain the guy has copious facial hair. It's sparse to the point of boredom, dull, repetitive, but without any hypnotic quality. This is America begging for another Dylan. But it's just some guy with a guitar, like you will find in any street on any town in the US. It's like if Woody Allen was a folk singer instead of a pedo.
I was optimistic because the album was listed as psychedelic folk music but there was nothing psychedelic about it. It was just a dude and a guitar. Just folk music. Quite boring
ugh
I know some people like this album. I for one care less for it.
If you pitch shift Devendra Banhart and his guitar up a couple of octaves you get Tiny Tim and his Ukulele. This is no where near the brilliance of TT's opus 'Rock' (1993), maybe Devendra need to focus his vibrato on 23 minutes versions of Rebel Yell.
Nevver heard of this dude but saw he was a folk singer and got excited. Then I listened. He is no John Prine or Woody Guthrie and that is all I can say about that. Pretty subpar.
I really enjoyed a few of the songs on this, however when it's bad it's really bad. It's a 2.5.
Truly difficult to get through this record. The pace is plodding, the guitar repetitive, his vocals irritating.
I didn't like this much and found some of it quite boring, but never quite reached the "reach for the skip button" to me.
Yeah, this album was really not a vibe. It reeks of that weird 2000s+ folk vibe where the singer tries to be as weird as possible with his vocals. It just didn't appeal. Some of the guitar work was nice and I probably would have enjoyed it a lot if it had not been for the vocals. But I digress.
Has some potential. I can see the eclectic few really enjoying this, but I found it a little unbearable after a few songs. Musically is alright, vocals are just not. 2.
Might have liked it a little more if it wasn’t so long. Also, what’s so special? Why did I have to listen to this before I died? I think I would have been ok had I not.
His name had me wanting to listen to Vashti Bunyan, and suddenly, there she is! Unfortunately, that just makes me want to quit listening to this and start listening to Just Another Diamond Day instead. Probably he was one of the first with this indie folk sound, but it still sounds like cliche college radio filler, I'm afraid.
This was the weirdest album ever. Lyrics and timing were all off, but it was the most gentle and beautiful acoustic guitar track ever. Nothing made sense it seemed like a weird freestyle thing ? Anyways it was very creative and beautiful sounding but some songs were just unbearable…
Another "why the hell is this album on the list?" selection. Decent guitar but this was tedious
Very little rejoicing from me here, whether in the hands or elsewhere.
Instantly forgettable.
Thinks he’s a cross between Donovan and Louden Wainwright III. Born forty years too late - they covered this back in the 60s and 70s so not sure he’s influencing. Awful album cover, just made me cringe.
Banhart isn't good at singing in tune, and it's very distracting. I wonder if people only enjoy his voice because it's different, rather than because it's technically strong. There's so much wobble and quaver, particularly in the opening track, that it feels like his neck could disintegrate at the slightest breeze. There are very few musical elements to key into other than Banhart's vocal. There's the acoustic guitar, plucked slowly (almost lazily) in pretty much every track. There's the occasional second vocalist harmonising with the first, creating some standout moments. Sometimes – rarely – you hear the odd string or percussion instrument. The trouble is, aside from those standout moments, the whole thing is a bit monotonous. The songs' melodies are varied, but they're doing the heavy lifting. Everything else is one strange yet bland flavour. Truth be told, I found myself enjoying more than half the tracks. The songs A Sight to Behold (good strings and fluttery, dynamic feel) and Fall (many instruments keep the texture interesting), in particular, are strong. But for something to make it onto the list of the 1001 most important albums of all time, I need more than that. It needs to be all killer and no filler. 2/5 Key tracks: A Sight to Behold, This Beard Is for Siobhan, Fall
Smooth album but I could’ve done without it tbh.
I associate this album with patchouli and bad times
I really wanted to like this, the guitar reminds me of so many artists that I really enjoy from this era. Unfortunately, this album is not one of them.
Slow tunes, good vocals, not my jam really but I respect it
Pleasant 2.5/5
I guess psychedelic folk is the best way to describe this... it's odd. I was fine with it but when I got to Poughkeepsie I really didn't want to listen to the album anymore. Some of the songs after were decent, but I just did not love this one. Glad it's over.
Why does bro sound like a geriatric jimmy stewart
2.5 - Meh
Unbearably twee af.
Meh
So it's all very pretty and boring. And the voice is reeeeally annoying.
“Doing” countries; American Spirit; photo booths; speakeasies; filters; berets; moustaches; Coachella; craft; small batch; selvedge; Michael Cera; turn ups; Ginsberg; bicycles; skateboards; whimsy; beards; daisies; bangs; whiskey; pensiveness; festivals; Zoey Deschanel; Maison Kitsune. It’s sounds from that specific cul-de-sac of culture where it’s always thin echoes, all the time. Rightly or wrongly, at the time it was ‘The Dead End of Western Civilisation(TM)’ … what a whimper we’d have been going out with had we not found a way past it.
Generated this: who is this? Listened to it: why is it here? It's just bang average bland hipster folk. I gave it another listen and his voice was even more annoying the second time around with the forced, over-the-top vibrato and just a total lack of variation.
some real white people shit
Never heard this one or the artist. Nice listening music. Would look for more from artist but not sure I’d listen to entire album again
Never heard this one or the artist. Nice listening music. Would look for more from artist but not sure I’d listen to entire album again
Nothing special about this listen whatsoever
I made it about halfway through the record. Not for me.
Don't quit your day job
2.5 its fine
His voice is extremely annoying at first, but once you get used to it works pretty well, wrapping itself around the melodies and heightening the strange affect of the songs. The guitar work and sparse string arrangements are really fantastic. It's cool when folk music is a living tradition with new iterations to articulate it with new musical contexts rather than a fossilized museum genre replaying the same stuff over and over, so respect to DH for that.
Hated it Fav song: Poughkeepsie
An interesting album that sounded familiar to me for some reason but none of the songs quite clicked with what I remembered. A decent album but don't think I'd go back and listen to it, as it was a weird kind of lo-fi ish that didn't really resonate with me
It's not for me. His voice doesn't hit my ear nicely, and the music is too sparse to speak to me at all.
Hadn’t heard of this guy before this. I lost patience for the pretty bland folk/americana quickly and stopped after 3 songs, maybe it got better after that.
2.0 If Tom Waits was a big time pussy, this is what he would sound like
A boring, sleepy album that really didn't go anywhere or do anything for me. 3/10
Every decade or so someone comes along to hearken back to an older age. I hear Tiny Tim and Redbone and The Raconteurs in here. A fun snack, but not a meal.
Nice, quiet, Sunday morning tunage.
A bit more indie than I care for
Started off ok but then it fizzled for me.
Not my jam.
4/10
"Rejoicing in the Hands" is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart. Acoustic and folk rock are the Wiki-listed genres. Yep. Banhart plays bass, guitars and piano and is the lead vocalist. Other contributors included Vashti Bunyan (vocals), Paul Cantelin (vocals), Thor Harris (percussion, vibraphone), Julia Kent (cello), Joe McGinty (organ, piano) and Steve Moses (percussion, drums). The album received universal acclaim. "This is the Way" opens the album. Acoustic guitar and a tenor voice. He chooses to rejoice. I don't know why I was expecting a baby Yoda reference. The folk guitar pervades "A Sight to Behold." Some nice finger-picking and a cello is added. The guitar reminded me of early Leonard Cohen. An eerie atmosphere. Banhart shows his ability to slow the song down in "The Body Breaks." Now he reminds me of Sufjan Steven's. The lone instrumental "Tit Smoking in the Temple of Artesan Mimicry" is essentially bluegrass. Is anyone editing his song titles? The self-titled "Rejoicing in the Hands" also gives a bluegrass vibe. This is slower with Bunyan on co-lead vocals. A song about simply being with someone. A spiritual feeling. The longest song at five minutes "Insect Eyes" has Banhart dreaming of a girl and comparing her body parts to various plants, insects and the sun. Yes, he's gone psychedelic. The music on this album is mostly stark with an acoustic guitar and selective added instruments. One of the highlights is his finger-picking and bluegrass ability. The lyrics are minimal and tend to be observational and somewhat spiritual and poetic. I had trouble with any sort of deeper meaning in them. The most trouble I had though was with Banhart's voice. He actually has a nice tenor or at least he did in the first song. But, he shapes it in a lot of these songs and it sounds like Adam Sandler singing the "Chanukah Song." Once I made that association, I could not get it out of my head and his voice became very irritating. Therefore, I had issues with the album overall. But, the album did received universal acclaim and he can play guitar. So, if you like a bluegrass or folk, you might like it if you can get over what I couldn't.
It’s pleasant folk/alternative music. Do not feel like I can die now.
I've never wanted so much to like an album that I absolutely hated.
Mixed feelings. Not bad; not good. Overall, I’m going with not particularly good.
Day562 - i’m a fan of a lot of folk and i gave this a real shot. i might even try it again. down the road.
Easy folk listen. Really liked a lot of the lyricism and imagery throughout the album, but over all was pretty bored. Also ended up flipping from disliking Banhart’s particular vocal quality to wanted more by the end so that was cool. That being said I enjoyed the instrumental tracks a little more than the rest. Fav Track: Tit Smoking In The Temple Of Artesan Mimicry
Pretty boring, didn't enjoy...
The Good: We get to rejoice!!! The Bad: We were not told that it would be of the tree-hugging kind… The Ugly: Realizing the massive effect that parents choices have on their children’s future… Devendra Obi… really? Never heard of Devendra before, and by the amounts of listens he gets on Spotify, I am not the only one. Prior to listening to the album I started reading the Wiki page, and maybe I should stop doing this as it does color one’s initial reaction… My reaction was “okay, this isn’t half as bad as I’d have thought” But then song #2 starts, and #3, and I am getting ready to hit the skip button. I forget the song name, however, I was reminded about the album Grace by Mr Buckley, who also does that thing with his voice… the difference being that he doesn’t solely rely on this trick, where Obi does. So, I believe that a 2* rating is merrited, and I wish Devendra all the best with his future endeavors...
So I guess I've listened to "Freak Folk" now. It's fine. I don't think a single track grabbed me in any appreciable way.
Bland outside one or two songs. This sort of indie hipster exposure is noe extinct. RIP.
that was so twee that my hoodie turned into a cardigan while i listened
Well his guitar was pretty good and had some interesting sounds and concepts, but his voice drove me crazy. Pretty out there album, not for me
Tough one. Bad voice yet Nick Drake like guitar playing. It’s like a minimalist Lumineers
Not for me
Some tears ago I used to work at a hippie co-op grocery store type place. Lots of natural supplements and the smell of patchouli was around always. While I liked the people I worked with very much, we didn't share many of the same tastes in a lot of things. I suspect many employees of that store would have liked this. I didn't.
Some undeniably beautiful sounds and musicianship...but this was just too slow and repetitive for me.
Not really my thing.
too of a time for me, but i enjoyed some moments from it
let me guess: Pitchfork really loved this, didn't they
Taking a star off for the vocals, blech
I didn't like this and found it rather boring. It's not sonically bad, it just didn't make me feel anything besides bored. I would go easier on it if this album was from the 60s or 70s, which is where it would fit, but it's from the 2000s and could be better. I don't know why this album is on this list.
Like being locked in a library full of hipsters and an overabundance of facial hair.
I had it in my head that Devendra Banhart was kind of weird and out there. But the start of “Rejoicing in the Hands” was pretty standard modern folk. I was digging it. Then “Poughkeepsie” revealed the Banhart I had been expecting. Overall, just a little too weird for me.
Freak folk
Could have been 4 songs rather than 40 minutes, I do like some of the hippy earthiness of this album but I can’t recall any song I actually liked.
bit slow
Brooding, melancholic, and folksy. Very slow overall, but not a bad sound.
Volklorisches Album mit wenigen Lichtblicken. Ich werde es mir wohl nie wieder anhören.
A little strange, but it was all right.
Song 1: :-) Song 2: :-I Song 3: :-\ Song 4: zzzz ... Song 16: zzzz 1.5
Sooooooo same-y
The guitarwork is nice, but as an overall experience, this was a bit of a boring album. The singer is not very engaging to me.
I listened to this album first thing in the morning, so I was not fully awake. I think it plays better that way. It's kind of like when you fall asleep at night watching Tubi, and wake up to the next movie playing, and say to yourself through sleepy eyes, "What the hell am I watching!?" Notable efforts, Poughkeepsie, Fall, and Insect Eyes.
I listened to it, it was fine, but confident I'll never listen to it again.
Couple stinkers on here, Track 6 is solid, 7 pretty good too - dude is growing on me a little... yeah then 8 hits - not good. track 9... his guitar playing just isn't that interesting or technically impressive. Unless this thing has a strong finish I'm going to have to give him a 2 star for the sake of consistency
Fav: Fall Notes: Not for me.
Good for the genre, just didn't love his voice or get drawn into it personally.
Semi fun acoustic music for the most part, but nothing much to write home about. I don't absolutely hate it, though I'm definitely not fussed about anything on here. Best Tracks: - Todo Los Dolores Worst Tracks: - Dogs They Make Up The Dark Rating: 4/10
Not sure what I listened to but I know I don't want to hear it again. Not that it was inherently bad, but it was definitely not for me. 2/5
folk music is the music of the people. to me, it is either an interesting listen or it is boring. there is no middle ground. sad to say that this was the latter.
I can’t remember if I listened to this months ago when it showed up on this list. It started off slow and sorta nice but it wore thin pretty quick. I bailed halfway thru.
Really? This? This of the hundreds of thousands of albums. This is top 1000. Really? A patience straining 15 songs. All around the same musical ‘ideas’. As a guitarist I wasn’t blown away by the variety. Nor the interest keeping capability. He does try though. The third song changes things up. So there’s an extra point. One of my favourite writers, Andrew Hickey, has called for a moratorium on guitar penned songs. I wonder if this was the album that drove him to that? It’s boring and inessential. Also, looking at the Wikipedia article, this isn’t even his best album. Get lost. Seriously, dimery, dump your hipster friends and get some real music fans as friends. 2 stars.
Quirky to the point of distraction. His voice occasionally verges into Tiny Tim territory, which is not good. Playing is tasteful, but unvarying. Inoffensive and positive in tone,but feels alight. This feels like a demo for a proper album. 2.5 stars, rounding down for "why is this on the list?"
Не могу сказать ничего плохого про этот альбом, как и хорошего. Просто немного не моё...
What kind of name is Devendra Banhart
Like the music, not keen on his voice - sounds a bit bleaty
I'm always up to hear a genre clash, as described in their write up, this is considered Psychadelic Folk. Its pretty lame, noodling an acoustic guitar with a bored sounding singer makes for a bad experience. I get it, its a vehicle for the powerful lyrics. As soon as something has a bit more of a positive spin (intro to The Body Breaks) they drag it back the fuck down to make you feel like shit. Also way too much vibrato and vocal fry. It was like an attempt to create something similar to Bright Eyes. Its just pretentious as fuck.
Bland annoying hippie shit
For whatever reason, Devendra Barnhart has just always given me the ick, I guess you could say. No idea why, so I’m just going to trust my guy and keep not listening to him. (Sorry if it turns out he’s a saint or something, but I’ll still not listen.)
Not feeling this one today. Boring and unremarkable.
Hey so, not my style. Boring
Alun kitaransoitto oli lupaavaa, mutta se loppuikin sitten lyhyeen. Kappaleet toistavat itseään, ja laulajan ääni ei ole erityisen miellyttävä.
Valitusvirsiä kuunnellessa. Mulla on sweet spot sellainen melankolinen dark country mikä uppoaa. Vaikka tässä nyt oli samoja vivahteita niin Devandran karismaton ja narisevaa ladon ovea muistuttava nasaali ”pyykkipoika”nenässä honottava ääni kyllä pilasi sen pienenkin mahdollisuuden säväyttää. Buu
Pretty boring, I definitely prefer his later work.
Meh. I liked This Beard is for Siobhan but not really any of the others. The instrumentation was quite nice though.
Sounds exactly like an album that someone called devendra Bernhardt would make. Can fully imagine Jess from new girl listening to it. Not for me though. Too folky and freaky. Fav song- this is the way Least fav - will is my friend Specific rating 2.4
Definitely not one of the best 1001 albums of all time
I dont enjoying it
Acoustic guitar plucking over kind of a dumb singing voice. I'm sure the lyrics were deep or whatever
Voice got annoying
This hasn’t held up well for me. Feels a bit kitschy
I really looked up to Devendra as a young teen as a fellow mixed culture/multiracial kid. But that was with his later album, Cripple Crow, which is soooo much better. I did not like his singing here - there were some flourishes of beautiful guitar work, but the vocals/lyrics/guitar/composition did not connect.
This is like a really bad Bombay Bicycle Club
Based on this, I can only assume folk music in the early-00s and mid-00s was a dark, dark time. I don't think I realized how much the *stomp, clap, "Hey!"* resuscitated the genre.
Maybe I'd appreciate this album another time but I don't think I was in the right head space for it. I found it to be a slog despite being on the short side (42 minutes).
Too self indulgent to ever be good
Favorite track: sight to behold other picks: this is the way, body breaks
I’m guessing this was Dimery’s midlife crisis era. Completely lost touch with what separates good and bad albums, and is just listening to what he perceives to be trendy with young people.
Gear: Moondrop Variations Artwork: 🦉🪵🕊️ Production: 😐🤔🤷 Music: 🎸🎤🥱 Rating: 👗👗/5
Quite a change from Fugazi! For those who would like to see Devendra, he'll be doing some concerts in the California area this Spring. I can't say this is the kind of music I generally enjoy, but I can't really rip it either. It was OK, but there were a few smiles that I found myself enjoying. Thought Todos Los Dolores was pretty good. Just got back from Puerto Rico and found myself trying to interpret the words, even going back and using the Spanish to English app to figure out what I was missing. Will is my Friend made me think of Luke and Will. Especially the line, "going to California." What's up Will! There Was Sun and Insect Eyes were decent as well. Overall, this was OK. The timing off Puerto Rico and Todos Los Dolores was perfect. I'll go right down the middle with a 2.5. 2.5
2.5 Coming off Fugazi, this felt a bit like whiplash - or maybe whatever the opposite of that is. But man, what a 2004 album - you can definitely tell this came from the indie folk, coffee shop kind of thing popular then (I think the kids call it “twee”?) In particular, this evoked thoughts of The Shins, Sufjan Stevens, and - dare I say even my precious Bright Eyes, at least at times? Unfortunately, this just feels like a mostly inferior product compared to those guys. The songs are mostly pleasant, but largely unmemorable, and man, was I bored by the end - which is a pretty bad sign if your album is only 42 minutes long and largely consists of songs that average around 2.5 minutes. Devendra at least has a voice that I kind of dug, but there wasn’t much about the music or songwriting that really interested me in particular. Songs that stuck out to me: This Is The Way - A pleasing opening to the album, though that may just be a result of fatigue having not set in yet. Tit Smoking in The Temple of Artesan Mimicry - Mostly for the title. Though, once that caught my eye, I couldn’t help but notice the backing guitar is one single note being played over and over the entire song which kind of ruined it for me. Also, I think he misspelled “artisan”? Todo Los Dolores - The restart and laughter made me think of the version of Elvis’ Pocketful of Rainbow from the Jerry Maguire soundtrack, my favorite song by the guy and arguably the superior version. This song - not that. I did kind of like the way he pronounced “Peter Pan” though. Will is My Friend - <3 I really don’t think anything here was actually that bad, and honestly, I would probably be apt to rate any one song here higher if I heard it on its own, but as an album, there was just a bit too much of this in succession. Sorry Devendra, think I’m going for my boys listed above instead when I’m feeling a twee mood. (Did I use that correctly?)
Creepy
Interesting album cover. Was enjoying it in the beginning but got bored of the guitar strumming. Read on Wikipedia that he was romantically linked to Natalie Portman.
4/10 - It was kind of boring and pretty weird. I thought it was interesting that there was a song about poughkeepsie. Also See Saw was a crazy song.
Not offensive but also not good at all
#493. Generic hipster folk 2/5: uninteresting
This has the lyrical fun that Vampire Weekend or Alt-J has, but the guitar that Simon and Garfunkel have. Just kind of a mismatch and a slog. God they need a drummer.
I just don’t know who likes this much folk music or what’s so special about this particular album.
Depressing af
The longer I listened to this the less I liked it.
Ihan ok, kivoja sanoituksia välillä. Kaikki biisit on turhan samanlaisia, melodioissa ei oo kauheesti variaatiota. Eli paljon menee ohi korvien, kun tuntuu että sama biisi jatkuu. Pidän äänimaailmasta kyllä, lempee.
This sucks.... It drones and the voice is annoying and it's that really annoying kinda folk but then I think he might be singing in a different language but I can't tell because his voice is so droney and it's shit and I hate it
Wasn't the worst thing I have heard but far from the best.
This is so awful. What on earth is it doing in this lost? It makes no sense.
"no, he's really good, but we can leave after the first half if you like"
I can appreciate the technical ability but folk music just aint my thing. Found it to be very repetitive after a while. Thnk it would have benefited from a trim and being a lot tighter, as i felt it lacked focus.
First listen. Ok.
Clearly a gifted musician but he needs to find a friend to fix his garbage lyrics
This is a good record. I should love it based on a lot of things I love. BUT I HATE IT. I think it's the vocals. IDK. Too much vibrato for me?
Eh
Nice enough, little bit different from your average acoustic album
Nothing against good Folk music, but this is just dull music with cringey lyrics. 2/5
Fairly boring. Nothing really notable in the album. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Sounds like a lamb, bit more gratuitous use of voice vibrato than Jeff Buckley or alt J, but if you can get past the voice, there is nice guitar picking in the album. 2 stars for that.
This was an investing take on the indie folk genre.
I first checked out Devendra Banhart when he was dating Natalie Portman because I figured he must be very cool to score with her. He’s okay, I don’t really enjoy his voice. Not that cool.
The album is pretty one note. Nice guitar work, rough vocals, not much else...
Just a bloke with a guitar 2/5
Sounds like I'm sitting in a coffee shop. And I don't like coffee. This is poetic folk that only has one beat and I don't really love his goat-ey voice and the acoustic guitar really gets irritating after a while. Parts are interesting, I liked the Body Breaks, that's a pretty heartbreaking song. I also liked Insect Eyes. But overall, not really my jam.
Just modern coffee shop folky nonsense. "Poughkeepsie" was one of the worst songs ever (vavavavavavivalasvegas...) like what even was that. Just another whatever kind of album. 3/10.
AA Bondy does this same thing much better. I struggle to believe the weight of these vocals and the songs themselves are missing the melodies needed for the mood he is going for.
Whiny folk music. Wasn’t a fan.
Pretty for a single song but gets repetitive
I liked the beginning and end. Cool cover art and a diverse range of influences. It is pretty forgettable tho. Doubt I ever return to this one Rating: 2.5
Listened to it 3 times, each with a few days inbetween each session. Kept forgetting to rate it after each time. I really really enjoyed listening to Tit Smoking in the Temple of Artesan Mimicry. Been on repeat for hours Shame about the rest of the album
Juvenile sounding recording style. Ok voice poorly backed by few primitive instruments.
For real though, lord save me from these dudes and these albums of just the m and the guitar. For only 40 minutes I checked if I was close to the end a whole lot.
Overall, I'm kinda like 💤💤💤 but I liked Insect Eyes and Will Is My Friend. I like maybe this slice of folk is not for me and that's ok, Devandra has a couple great songs and I'm onboard to listen to more, just after I take a lil snoooooze... Love the album art, has a sort of tribal occult vibe a la midsommar
Relaxing listen, but would not listen again 2/5
This genre is not up my alley at all. Weird creepy hippy vibes. Lots of plucking semi-tunelessly at an acoustic guitar while singing weird poetry over the top in a voice that sounds like a creaky door
Rejoicing In The Hands is pretty lo-fi folk. It’s a bit all over the place. Lyrically bazar but nice, that kinda sums it all up. This Beard is for Siobhan is the highlight for me 5.6/10
Cheesy, sleepy and very very forgettable folk music.
Rejoicing in the ears when this record finally ended.
A few I liked, but mostly a lot I did not like.
This sounds like that album that that guy wrote while locked in a cabin in Minnesota recovering from a bad breakup. While sadder and more depressing than this album, that other album is a better example of what should be on the list than this. 2.5/5
A pleasant album but not one to revisit
Well, folk is like folk, and a love story, and the struggle with loneliness, and boring images, and the difficulty of listening to it on a regular basis, everything is as usual.
Kinda serial killer vibes..
"This is the soup that I believe in" In terms of albums that don't sound horrible - but also don't make it clear why they should have a place of any kind on a list of 1001 essential albums; this one might just take the cake. The album feels like an unrefined demo tape, a proof-of-concept taped in a makeshift home studio rather than a professional recording. It sounds like it's missing a couple of additional layers, effects, instruments, as well as a general polishing of the songs. And did the outtake really need to be included in Todo los Dolores? The unfinished nature is one thing. But what else? Any particular quality in songwriting, instrumentation, singing? Any innovation? Any new social or cultural movements spawned? Inspiring or relevant lyrics? Nope. Just a collection of amateurish recording.
Never heard a song from this album, but I enjoyed it. This is a good example of why I wanted to listen to each of these albums- for discovery. That said, the instrument tracks sound better than the vocals, in terms of clean recording. I'm not sure if this was a design decision or faults in the studio. The more I listened, the more I wanted to listen to just the instruments while filtering vocals out. The warble/vibrato on such chill songs drives me crazy.
His vibrato is annoying to such an extent that it drowns anything else. The music, when recognizable, is merely a support for the singer, not much more.
I'm really not into the tiny Tim vibratos
Total snoozefest imo
I like the songs. I like the guitar playing. It's the constant vibrato in his voice I find insufferable. Mark Bolan did it better. It comes across as quite arch and pretentious. "Insect eyes" probably my favourite.
1001 albums that make you long for listening to anything else. Never heard of this guy, can’t believe the size of his catalog. I’ll assume they are similarly dull and amateurish, no way I’m gonna dig deeper.
Mixed feelings; there are some very beautiful songs on this album (e.g. The Body Breaks, Autumn's Child), but also super annoying stuff (e.g. This Beard is for Siobhan, Todo los Dolores).
He might be a fellow compatriota, but his music is really not my thing...
Listened Before? N I don't know, man. All these early-2000's hipster lo-fi bands are just kinda meh. I don't think I needed to hear this one before I die, but it didn't hurt me. Totally unmemorable. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: The Body Breaks
Some kind of folk album but not worth another listen
It's kind of interesting, but to me it just sounds like he's trying to be weird but is actually extremely conventional. This is not Claypool or Coyne, a guy who's actually from Mars. He's just got a nasally mannered voice. Part of what I don't like is that the sound is actually quite conventional. He's using only a small set of instruments, basically all acoustic. And he doesn't do much to alter that sound. It's fine. I would've never picked it out of a lineup.
Laimea ja tylsä levy joka menettää vähäisenkin kiinnostuksen useammalla soittokerralla.
Short polished moody folk tunes. A little too sad feeling for me.
I found the music quite interesting at first. From the middle of the album onwards, it got on my nerves, so I stopped listening. I'll probably never listen to it again and won't miss anything. 2/5
Na
Maybe 2 stars isn’t fair but that’s all I could give it after a single listen. It wasn’t overly bad just didn’t do much for me.
Sounds like a goat sometimes
If I wanted something that sounds like folk era T Rex, I'd probably just go for folk era T Rex.
Whiny Psychedelic Folk.
I kind of understand the appeal for people trying to rebel against over-produced perfectionist music. But it's not for me.
Just really could not get into it.
Not for me
Kind of annoying, but not bad enough for 1 star. Almost bad enough though, like really, really close.
Parts were okay and parts were just weird
Started out ok. Got tiresome the more I listened.
I really liked track one, This Is The Way. Track four lost me a bit with a two-note melody and poetry-reading like lyrical cadence that included gibberish. Not sure what all that had to do with Poughkeepsie. By track eight, See Saw, I just wanted his vocals to stop. The guitar isn't unpleasant, but not skillful by any stretch. Todo Los Dolores is nice but also feels very amateur, like someone recorded your big brother playing guitar and making up words that sound Spanish. Not going to listen again.
1. dårlig, 2. meh, 3. dårlig, 4. dårlig, 5. dårlig, 6. dårlig/meh, 7. dårlig/meh Klarte ikke høre resten. Kjedelig album. Overall: 4/10
This dude is purposely annoying. He could use his unique voice for good but clearly chooses violence. Lousy writing, performance, and production.
Occasionally interesting but not consistently so. Definitely can hear how snippets are better suited for soundtrack fodder than full on sustained listening as a collective album.
Similar to Tyrannosaurus Rex before they went electric, but with worse lyrics, a less interesting voice, more samey and not released in the 60s. Not great, just background noise
Didn't do much for me.
Okay
Ugh, 2 stars
Aggressively Millennial folk. Not much beneath the surface. A lot of talk of beards.
he's a talented guitar player but otherwise I really did not enjoy this.
ehh this just didn't hit for me. it felt like any number of acoustic indie folk types, y'know, your irons & wines or bon ivers or sufjan stevenses or whatever but without that indie je ne sais quois that makes them interesting or passionate or fun to listen to. i tried with this one, but the only song i enjoyed as more than a "hmm that's nice enough i guess" was Poughkeepsie, because it had a kind of B.Y.O.B. by System of a Down vibe to its melody (though not any other part of its sound). anyway, in summary, meh. favorites: Poughkeepsie, tit smoking...
Nice
not terrible but doesn't strike me as an album worthy of being included
Weird hippy shit. I’ve heard worse. I’ve heard way better No choice cut
Worthless. I will never listen to this again, and there’s no reason for this to be on this list. Unnecessary to a serious degree. I’m only rating it two because it is music.
Rejoicing in the Hands presents raw songcraft reminiscent of a lost 60s gem. The album opens and closes with beautiful tracks that capture Banhart's unique style and storytelling ability. There's a noticeable nod to Spanish guitar throughout, adding depth to the sound. However, the middle section of the album starts to feel a bit repetitive after a while. While each track maintains a certain charm, there's a lack of variation that makes it lose some of its initial allure. Overall, it's a solid effort showcasing Banhart's talent, but it falls short of delivering a consistently engaging experience throughout. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 2 STAND OUT TRACK - This is the Way