freak-folk with which San Franciscan minstrel Devendra Banhart made his name. Cripple Crow dips its toes in Brazilian Tropicalia, 50s-tinged Spector-esque guitar pop, and ...
Cripple Crow - CD
Now That I Know Santa Maria De Feira Heard Somebody Say Long Haired Child Lazy Butterfly ... more
Quedate Luna Queen Bee I Feel Just Like A Child Some People Ride The Wave The Beatles Dragonflies When They Come Inaniel Hey Mama Wolf How's About Tellin' A Story ...
freak-folk with which San Franciscan minstrel Devendra Banhart made his name.Cripple Crowdips its toes in Brazilian Tropicalia, 50s-tinged Spector-esque guitar pop, and hi...
freak-folk with which San Franciscan minstrel Devendra Banhart made his name. Cripple Crow dips its toes in Brazilian Tropicalia, 50s-tinged Spector-esque guitar pop, and ...
freak-folk with which San Franciscan minstrel Devendra Banhart made his name.Cripple Crowdips its toes in Brazilian Tropicalia, 50s-tinged Spector-esque guitar pop, and hippy freak-out, and to its makers huge credit, comes out smelling of roses.It could have all gone so wrong, but three Spanish-language tracks--including a cover of "Luna De Margarita" by one of Banharts heroes, Simon Diaz--feel natural and unforced, and the full-band feel adds a pleasing weight to the likes of "Long-Haired Child", all retro R&B strut and pedal-distorted guitar soloing. Banharts fascination with animal imagery carries over here to tracks like "Lazy Butterfly" and "Queen Bee", but its rather been superceded by a fascination for youth and childhood: "I Feel Just Like A Child" is a hymn to eternal youth, Banhart proclaiming that "From suckin on my mothers breast, to when they lay my bones to rest, Im a child", while the bizarre "Little Boys" finds him identifying "so many little boys I wanna marry" over a classic Stax-style 50s rock backdrop. An unusual, sometimes uncomfortable record, then but a mischievous, adventurous, and essential one, too. --Louis Pattison
A review by jpearson772 on Cripple Crow - Devendra Banhart November 5th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Originality
Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics
Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks
A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Good
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Different, Good number of tracks
Disadvantages:
Can be inconsistant
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
OPINION
There are some really good songs on the album, and his style is unique and inspired. His style has been described as indie folk, psych, freak folk, naturalismo, and New weird America; his lyrics are often surreal and naturalistic. Surreal about sums his style up seen as though one of his songs "Little Boys" is sang from the perspective of a skitzophrenic hermaphrodite.
ARTIST
Devendra Banhart is a Venezuelan-american folf singer-songwriter and musician. He was born in Houston, Texas but moved to Venezuela when he was two until he was thirteen.
TRACK LISTING
1. "Now That I Know" - 4:53 2. "Santa Maria De Feira" - 4:35 3. "Heard Somebody Say" - 3:20 4. "Long Haired Child" - 3:45 5. "Lazy Butterfly" - 4:00 6. "Quedate Luna" - 3:07 7. "Queen Bee" - 2:44 8. "I Feel Just Like a Child" - 4:46 9. "Some People Ride the Wave" - 2:27 10. "The Beatles" - 1:44 11. "Dragonflys" - 0:59 12. "Cripple Crow" - 5:58 13. "Inaniel" - 3:43 14. "Hey Mama Wolf" - 3:52 15. "Hows About Tellin a Story" - 1:21 16. "Chinese Children" - 5:17 17. "Sawkill River" - 1:52 18. "I Love That Man" - 2:26 19. "Luna de Margarita" - 2:07 20. "Korean Dogwood" - 4:02 21. "Little Boys" - 5:20 22. "Canela" - 4:27
So its already obvious that you get a lot of music for the money, but whats the point of having this many tracks if they're mediocre. Happy to say they are not.
There are a couple of inconsistant tracks, but other than that the album is a keeper.
The best songs on the album in my opinion are "Long Haired Child", "Lazy Butterfly", "I feel just like a child", "Chinese children", "I love that man" and "Little Boys".
PRICE GUIDE
Amazon put a price tag of £6.98 on it brand new.
HMV £6.99 Free delivery.
Its £10.00 at Zavvi.co.uk or instore.
At cduniverse.com its $12.49
There are others I'm sure you can pick it up at, but amazon and hmv seem to be the best prices. The larger the company the cheaper products seem to be, its a trend.
I recommend "Cripple Crow" to thos who like something a bit different, with a surreal bite to it. And the cover art is pretty good too, it represents how Banhart sees his musical friends as his family. Enjoy.
Album Notes: Personnel: Devendra Banhart. Recording information: 2005. This diverse, engaging album finds the pied piper of the neo-psych-folk movement finally emerging--dirty and barefoot--from the lo-fi forest and into Woodstock's famed Bear Mountain Studio, backed by a loose conglomerate of musicians dubbed Hairy Fairy. The production polish doesn't clean the songs up so much as make them warmer and more relaxed. "Santa Maria De Feira," with its vocal harmonies, shaker, flute, and Spanish lyrics, follows a mournful, cello-backed opener that recalls Nick Drake. "Heard Somebody Say" combines timeless anti-war lyrics and Brasil '66-style vocals with a lurching piano-and-drums groove, while "When they Come" stands out as a beautiful work of hushed melancholy, with a vibe strung-out enough for a Mazzy Star record. With 22 tracks, this is no wild, shirtless shout in the moonlight but a sophisticated work of countercultural art that would be right at home as a mind-bending double LP from 1968. The electric-guitar freak-out in "Long Haired Child," the sing-along of "Some People Ride the Wave," and the mumbling and growling in "The Beatles" all serve to demonstrate just how goofy Banhart's songs can be while still aching with intense profundity.
Album Reviews: Rolling Stone (No. 983, p.107) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[J]oyful melodies on charming, fully realized tunes...the soundof a talented space cadet finding his bearings." Entertainment Weekly (No. 840, p.86) - "...[T]he singer tackles tropicalia and '60s soul with aplomb, his boundless talents in full flight." - Grade: A- Mojo (p.60) - Ranked #28 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2005" - "An eclectic hippy opus with glitter on its face..." Mojo (p.110) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Veering between Spanish folk, strutting blues and campfire incantations, Banhart thins out the clotted intensity of his early work....CRIPPLE CROW is a mature work from a fascinating man." Uncut (p.96) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[H]e further fleshes out the quavering song-sketches that appeared on his earlier releases. Drawing on harmony-laden '60s pop, Indian-tinged psychedelia and Brazilian Tropicalia for light and shade." Magnet (p.53) - Ranked #17 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2005" - "[The] album encompasses the sort of breadth - from psychedelia to tropicalia to baroque pop - you thought died in the early '70s." Magnet (p.87) - "[L]aced with splashy ballads, one of them sung in impeccable Spanish....Enthralling music that embraces you..." The Wire (p.51) - "This is a lovely, beautifully recorded disc. The guitars are rich and clear....CRIPPLE CROW is a masterly record, and Banhart has a beautiful voice, full of teasing, warbling microtones."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Now That I Know
2.: Santa Maria Da Feira
3.: Heard Somebody Say
4.: Long Haired Child
5.: Lazy Butterfly
6.: Quedate Luna
7.: Queen Bee
8.: I Feel Just Like A Child
9.: Some People Ride The Wave
10.: Beatles
11.: Dragonflys
12.: Cripple Crow
13.: Inaniel
14.: Hey Mama Wolf
15.: Hows About Tellin' A Story
16.: Chinese Children
17.: Sawkill River
18.: I Love That Man
19.: Luna De Margarita
20.: Korean Dogwood
21.: Little Boys
22.: Canela
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 10/11/2005
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