Review: Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be
Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be (2009) [Warner/Reprise] // Grade: C-
It took six releases and seven years, but freak folk darling Devendra Banhart is all grown up on his newest, and seventh full-length album, What Will We Be. I’ve always been a fan of Banhart at his weirdest moments and it’s difficult to get used to the kinder, gentler shadow of his former self.
Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon is my personal favorite of Banhart’s releases. His catalog is largely hit or miss for me, but this album is the exception. I can say with confidence that its play count is staggering and I will never retire the warm spot it occupies in the center of my chest. In comparison, What Will We Be, Banhart’s first tryst with a major label, feels safe. His instrumentation is sincere and his vocals are introspective, but there are few, if any, moments of unabashed abandon. “16th & Valencia” might just land Banhart on mainstream radio and the latter half of the album drags from one boring dirge, “Meet Me At The Lookout” to the the next, “Wiliamdzi”. All of What Will We Be‘s 14 tracks are polished and expertly thought-out, but only “Baby” and the album’s closer, “Foolin’” relay that innocent, eccentric spark that I’ve come to expect and love from Banhart.
There’s nothing wrong with What Will We Be as a standalone album. Banhart sounds great and his compositions are sophisticated, but it lacks the spirit of it’s creator, a man who revels in nonsensical mindgames and takes the road less traveled. What Will We Be is an uncharacteristically restrained release from a musician who has never had a problem standing out and letting his freak flag fly.
