With the release of major-label debut What Will We Be (Warner Bros.), Devendra Banhart proves once again he has the potential to be one of his generation’s major players. His voice, with its careening vibrato and fuse-blowing intensity, sounds something like Marc Bolan’s, but his repertoire may be more all over the map than anyone making records today. He combines a love of arcane folk music with hard-rocking psychedelia and an ability to sing beautifully in English or Spanish, a skill he learned growing up in Caracas, Venezuela. He refers to himself, jokingly, as a “fake hippie,” but he appears to be the real thing, a refreshing return to the revolutionary thinking that once seemed capable of changing the course of human events. Who’s to say it couldn’t happen again? Banhart will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with him.
Here We Go Magic
Robin Pecknold from the Fleet Foxes (another holy-moly favorite band) turned me on to Here We Go Magic (pictured). I couldn’t believe it was new; classic, immediately catchy in the most original way songs; amazing! Thanks, Robin!
“Fangela” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/Fangela.mp3
Glasser
Glasser is Cameron Mesirow (who built the Auerglass with Tauba Auerbach) and Matt Popieluch. This is one of those bands that commands and demands joy from us, the hypnotized listeners. So radically entrancing, futuristic and simultaneously atavistic, and their album’s art is aaaammmaaazzziiiinnnggg!! Dig it!
“Apply” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/Apply.mp3
Aminaz
Angeline and Adam from Cavern turned me on to Aminaz. Holy shamoley, did it mess me up in the most affable way! This is the only quote I can find about them, from the Lucid Media site: “Fuzzy rock by way mid-’70s Zambia. Chilled, stoned, sad and awesome: Check ‘Khala My Friend’ and ‘History Of Man.'” Video
