Devendra Banhart
“Cripple Crow”
King of the freaks and the furry face of the new folk movement, Devendra Banhart’s proudly eccentric, so much so that he probably thinks it’s the rest of the world that’s a little bit off. Coming after three solo discs, “Cripple Crow” marks a big leap forward in terms of accessibility and melody. Whether fans of his earlier work will appreciate the change in direction–or the more direct lyrics, many anti-war–is another matter, but who cares when Banhart comes up with songs as gorgeous as “Now That I Know” or “Hey Mama Wolf.”
Best track: “Chinese Children” sounds like a brilliantly tossed off song excavated from the archives of Big Pink.
Show stop
The Devendra
Banhart Band plays at 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave.
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Edited by Curt Wagner ([email protected])