Albums to watch

Mala

Devendra Banhart

Mala

Album number eight and first on Nonesuch from the American alt.folk singer-songwriter

ADM rating[?]

7.0

Label
Nonesuch
UK Release date
11/03/2013
US Release date
12/03/2013
  1. 8.0 |   Q

    A beautiful album that counterpoints Banhart's boundless and surreal imagination against a newly-discovered depth and sincerity. Print edition only

  2. 8.0 |   Uncut

    A thrillingly inventive blend of alt.rock, fingerpicking folk, Latin flavours and electronic pop. Print edition only

  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    14 pocket-battleship songs which, fidelity notwithstanding, are among the most immediate he's recorded. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    Evokes non-specific nostalgia, alternating between breezy, sun-dappled 1960s folk-pop and chugging 1970s glam
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  5. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    It's a disservice to compare Banhart to anyone. He's a singularly idiosyncratic and brilliant songwriter, one hitting an arresting stride on this uniformly superb album
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  6. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Mala may not stand as the zenith of the man’s catalogue, but it’s a highlight worth exploring and a dreamy journey for the taking
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  7. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    His taste for bathos and anachronism ensures that even the tiniest songs have their character
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  8. 8.0 |   State

    This is definitely his best work since 2005’s Cripple Crow
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  9. 7.6 |   Pitchfork

    It's best to think of Mala as a new beginning for Banhart than a triumphant return to form
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  10. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    Like Banhart’s other albums, Mala loses focus
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  11. 7.3 |   Beats Per Minute

    Mala might then be best described with a lyric of Banhart’s own writing: “It’s not the end of the world/ But it’s not the start of a new one.”
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  12. 7.2 |   Paste Magazine

    For all its occasional backward glancing, Mala still feels beautifully in-the-moment
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  13. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Much more easily accessible than some of his previous efforts whilst still keeping its charm
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  14. 7.0 |   BBC

    Overall it’s the album’s sense of love and lightness that lingers: its buoyancy and sense of discovery
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  15. 7.0 |   Spin

    A more gratifying listen than the oft-grating Banhart had any right to deliver to non-believers in 2013
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  16. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    A satisfying, mystifying, well-imagined album that bears repeated listens in the grass under slowly passing clouds
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  17. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Mala attests to a discipline that was absent in Banhart's recent, loopier ventures, proving that his eccentric songwriting works best when harnessed in service of good storytelling
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  18. 7.0 |   The 405

    Devendra Banhart's eighth effort finds himself tapping into a particular sound particularly well, and coming out smelling of roses for it
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  19. 7.0 |   All Music

    Instead of the overreaching, overly long confusion of previous efforts, Mala streamlines Banhart's multifaceted muse, and the songs all fit together
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  20. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Banhart's first album since 2009 and his strongest set of songs since the earlier, freakier material
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  21. 6.0 |   NME

    A nightmarish listen, but in a good way
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  22. 6.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    There are moments to savour, but for each of these there’s at least one frustrating or disappointing moment to counteract it
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  23. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Sometimes tries so hard to tell clever, surreal stories that it forgets to be fun
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  24. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Almost everything here is pretty good when you sit down and concentrate on it, but there's little that jumps up and demands your attention
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  25. 6.0 |   Evening Standard

    Finds him in reflective and playful mood, although any golden rays come tinged with darkness
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  26. 5.0 |   PopMatters

    A spectacularly mediocre record, one that takes a few risks, but risks without a sense of adventure or destination
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  27. 4.0 |   The Independent

    It's not bad, just unnecessary
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Devendra Banhart: Mala

  • Download full album for just £10.49
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  • 5. Mi Negrita £0.99
  • 6. Your Fine Petting Duck £0.99
  • 7. The Ballad of Keenan Milton £0.99
  • 8. A Gain £0.99
  • 9. Won't You Come Over £0.99
  • 10. Cristobal Risquez £0.99
  • 11. Hatchet Wound £0.99
  • 12. Mala £0.99
  • 13. Won't You Come Home £0.99
  • 14. Taurobolium £0.99
  • 15. Digital Booklet - Mala N/A
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