Stereogum » Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart Stars In Glasses Porn For Oliver Peoples

jessica — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:23:49 +0000

Devendra Banhart and his real-life girlfriend Rebecca Schwartz star in Lisa Eisner’s short film for Oliver Peoples. Eisner was inspired by French New Wave films, and that plus the beautiful L.A. light (she’s primarily a photographer) gives everything (the walls, their skin) a gossamer, intimate quality. What do Banhart and Schwartz do in the video? Share a bathtub, make out, wear sunglasses, lick toes. Typical Devendra. He and his pretty girlfriend are frolicking around the Rainbow, or Garcia House, an architectural masterpiece by John Lautner. You might also recognize it as the house from Lethal Weapon 2. The song is “Brindo,” from Banhart’s What Will We Be. Watch:

The 12 Most NSFW Videos Of 2010

jessica — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 18:51:47 +0000

A couple of Best Videos Of The Week ago I mentioned how nearly every good clip that week was too long, too nude, or too violent to make it on to MTV; one was even removed from YouTube, verification wall or not. But looking back on 2009′s picks, it’s easy to notice that this year’s videos feel different from last year’s too naked for work clips. Last year Flaming Lips, Matt & Kim, Girls, and Major Lazer all featured nudity and sexuality, but it was all playful, joyous, sorta innocent. That’s true of the videos at the highest numbers. But most of this year’s are darker, more violent, and make you more uncomfortable. You only need to take a look at the Flaming Lips’ video from the hippie celebration in “Watching The Planets,” to their series of videos starring single white females being bound, tortured, and bled out, to notice the trend. Yet with the exception of maybe the M.I.A. video, none of the clips this year were created to be particularly shocking. If you thought last year’s parade of nude videos was perhaps too beautiful, then maybe this year’s violence will be too pretty. Have a look, share them with your family, post your reaction videos, etc:

Devendra Banhart & Beck – “Life During Wartime”

jessica — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:00:04 +0000

“I did a song with Beck for Todd Solondz’ AMAZING new movie Life During Wartime!!! If ya haven’t seen his films check them all out, truly, one of the great luminaries,” Devendra Banhart said in an email about his collaboration with Beck. The song’s lyrics were written by Solondz, while the song itself was written by composer Marc Shaiman, who’s done a bunch of films and who also wrote Prop 8 – The Musical. Beck produced the track, and sang backup vocals. Oh, and while it’s called “Life During Wartime,” it isn’t a cover of the Talking Heads song. Listen:

Pegi Young – “Body Breaks” (Devendra Banhart Cover)

jessica — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:23:28 +0000

Pegi Young has been Neil Young’s wife and backing singer for the last thirty years. Foul Deeds is the follow-up to her debut album, which arrived in 2007. She includes a handful of covers of artists like Will Jennings, Lucinda Williams, and Devendra Banhart. The latter shows up in her simple, quiet version of “Body Breaks,” from Banhart’s 2004 album Rejoicing in the Hands of the Golden Empress. Xiu Xiu also covered it for a split 7″ with Banhart.

Devendra Banhart – “Foolin’” Video

amrit — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:45:05 +0000

In which Dev’s asscrack is amongst the least NSFW images rendered. “Foolin’”‘s beachy reggae hop doesn’t exactly scream S&M sequences and man-love spooning, but the Isaiah Seret-directed video succeeds admirably on those terms, and as a document of Banhart’s various head/facial follicular permutations: a mustache here, a voluminous coif there — but definitely no beard (literally, figuratively). There’s cutting and gambling, whips and chains, Hecuba and Lady Tigra. Sweet, sexy, and a reminder that a major label contact doesn’t mean Banhart can’t make a video on his own terms — in fact, he insisted on it. Blood, sex, tears:

Devendra Banhart – “Baby” Video (Feat. Fabrizio Moretti, Andrew VanWyngarden, GZA)

jessica — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:58:35 +0000

Devendra Banhart sports some serious Frank Zappa facial hair in this video, and gets friends like the Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti, MGMT’s Andrew VanWyngarden, and GZA to guest star. But the most surprising part of this clip must be where Banhart and his friends end up. I think half of this video takes place inside a magical anus. Or maybe it’s not an anus? If it is, it’s hard to imagine GZA getting any type of cell phone reception in there, so he should have left his iPhone at home. GZA is a Devendra fan, so Banhart’s most likely happier with this video than he has been with previous ones.

Liars – “The Overachievers” (Devendra Banhart & The Grogs Redo) (Stereogum Premiere)

brandon — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:13:53 +0000

One of my favorite Sisterworld songs is the sweetly sarcastic urban cynic vs. L.A. hippie love song “The Overachievers.” What better way to invert the frequency (and bio-cars, woodsy walks, etc.) than to have longtime Hairy Faerie Devendra Banhart offer a mellowed-out, dew-dripped campfire version? DB & The Grogs’ sleepy, somewhat eerie take is part of the deluxe Sisterworld‘s Reinterpretations CD, the one that finds Thom Yorke, Bradford Cox, Melvins, Alan Vega, Tunde Adebimpe, and Chris & Cosey, among others, making like Angus & Co. An intriguing tracklist, definitely, and this is clearly the Liars moment Banhart was born to make his own.

10 Years Of ATP In Photos

amrit — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:03:45 +0000

When the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival first launched, the idea of canonizing an iconic album with a track-for-track live performance was still a novel concept. A decade later the album-recreation bit has become another salable gimmick for non-ATP acts trading on nostalgia to line their post-prime coffers, and even ATP has on occasion conferred the honor of total replication on LPs of questionably classic status. But still, as their hailed (if underattended) New York installments have proven time and again, All Tomorrow’s Parties is the single most immersive, unique, and satisfying party corporate-sponsor-free money can buy. And to that we tip our caps, and were glad to send photographers Elena Morelli and Andrea DiCenzo to capture the proceedings at the Ten Years Of ATP blowout at the Butlins resort in Minehead. The lineup was typically spectacular, instead of Steve Albini schooling you in poker Kelley Deal was on hand to school you in crocheting, and Crispin Glover was on hand for some readings and film sessions. Magic. Congrats ATP. Enjoy the spread of photos, and if you’re interested in a DVD memorializing all yesterday’s parties — 10 years worth via 50 minutes of full-length performances, a 40 page booklet, and etc. — head to warpfilmstore.com.

Stream Devendra Banhart’s What Will We Be

amrit — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:40:14 +0000

One week from today, Devendra Banhart will release his seventh album (and first as a Warner Bro), What Will We Be. He’s taking a co-production credit, along with Band Of Bees’ Paul Butler, and reprising the crew that backed Banhart on 2007′s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon: Noah Georgeson, Megapuss Greg Rogove on drums, bassist Luckey Remington and guitarist Rodrigo Amarante. We’ve brought you what we could so far — “Chin Chin & Muck Muck” live in San Francisco, the choo-choo train breeze of lead single “Baby,” the 14-song set’s penultimate sleeper “Walilamdzi” — but today in conjunction with our friends at imeem we co-present you with an advance listen of the entire record. Time to prematurely evaluate:

New Devendra Banhart – “Walilamdzi” (Stereogum Premiere)

brandon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:22:56 +0000

We’ve heard bits and pieces of Devendra Banhart’s 14-song major label debut, What Will We Be. First it was a couple of songs live in San Francisco. Then we got the studio take of “Baby” (though we’ve since been promised a new Wu-Tanged version). Now we can dig a bit deeper into the collection via the sleepy penultimate track “Walilamdzi.” What you’re about to see is not an official video. It’s footage of Banhart and band recording What in Northern California that’s been set to the song. So, yeah, you can close your eyes if you want, and chill.