This album was one of the most pleasant surprises of the last new music binge. Devendra Banhart, once a homeless nomad, also turned out to be a gifted musician and songwriter. For now I only have his album “Cripple Crow” which is excellent. A good sample of the brilliance is in his song ‘Queen Bee’:

Well I do like a certain girl
She moves like a dancing dream
I saw everything I’ve seen
And I meant everything I mean
Oh queen bee you’re always happy and free
Oh queen bee land by me, by me
She’s kissed everyone I’ve kissed
She’s missed everyone I’ve missed
And her guess is always as good as mine
And I’m blessed, she treats me so damn kind
She’s grown every seed I’ve grown
She’s known everything I’ve known
And my dreams they always coincide
And bows always float in time
And oh queen bee, I’m always happy to see

This surreal psychedelic trip takes us into the head of a drone who finds himself in love with the queen bee along with thousands of others. Through the queen bee all drones think the same thoughts, dream the same dreams, etc. Like a lot of other Devendra’s tunes this one includes communistic undertones. It reminds me of what Preston said about how much people in mainland China (where he spent the last two weeks) love Chairman Mao even though he’s a murdering dictator.

Anyway regardless of Devendra’s political sympathies, I still love his poetic abilities and seriously authentic psychedelic folk. I read a little about him at Young God records. He is the real deal homeless SF child of a child of child of a hippie.

He also is a split personality. About 40% of the time he sings and plays seriously authentic Latin/Spanish ballads and folk songs. His song entitled “The Beatles” goes:

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are the only Beatles in the world
Do you feel like dancing are you getting hung
Do you wanna be my girl
rrrigui-digui-digui, canta trubador!…

…as the music turns into a latino folk tune. The Cripple Crow album cover also looks curiously like the Sgt. Pepper cover only with a jungle theme.

Anyway, very interesting stuff. Apparently he is already very popular so I’m sure this post isn’t much news to you. I like this picture of him; kind of reminds me of wayne coyne of the Flaming Lips only more intense.