The Walrus - Music With Big Fuckin' Teeth!

12/17/2007

Top 10 Albums Of 2007: No.10, Devendra Banhart- Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Well, it's that time of year again when music blogs and music critics role out their top albums of 2007. Since we are a new blog, we thought we would stay humble and keep it simple. We have produced a collaborative and comprehensive "top 10 albums of the year" list. These are the albums that we feel were the most relevant, and provided the best listening experiences of the past year. Each day, we will post selections, starting with number 10 and ending with our choice for best album of the year. So without further ado...

Good acid goes a long way

Following the immense success of last year's Cripple Crow, Freak-Folk flagship captain Devendra Banhart takes us on yet another successful voyage. This year's 16-song album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon takes us on an arduous (but rewarding) journey, as we swim through the two main moods of many diverse themes:

A musically multi-cultural journey: the soft Tropicalismo breezes of "Samba Vexillographica", and the Doo-Wop tale of a Jewish babe in "Shabop Shalom."

The subdued underwater journey: "Seahorse" quietly wishes for a modest lifestyle, echoing Banhart's thesis statement of the album, "I'm high and I'm happy and I'm free."

Devendra gently offers us some sanity on the standout track, "Freely." This is first of three sleepy songs to end the adventurous album in a safe place full of lyrical hippie-wisdom.

Buy Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon from XL Recordings.