Devendra Banhart - Ape in Pink Marble album review: freak-folkie still charms

It’s surprising that Banhart, a pioneer of the freak-folk movement of the early noughties, is still around. What’s even more surprising is that nine albums in, the Texas-born musician’s output remains half-decent.

True, there is little in the way of innovation here, unless you include the bizarre-yet-utterly- enjoyable Studio 54 disco vibe of Fig in Leather, but there is real charm to Banhart's woozy bumble on songs such as Good Time Charlie and the dreamlike lullaby cadences of Jon Lends a Hand and Saturday Night.

The hiss and crackle of these recordings enhance the “found recording” feel, and the album is undeniably odd in parts. Still, if you’re willing to just go with the flow, the soft, quivering quirkiness of these acoustic folk numbers proves strangely alluring.

[ devendrabanhart.com ]