I usually retain respect for artists who have the guts to change the style of their music. There’s something special about an artist who feels compelled to explore different musical styles and genres.
However, in the case of Devendra Banhart’s newest album, “Ape in Pink Marble,” his choice to change styles feels wrong; it seems as if he is hanging his artistic jurisdiction up to dry.
Some of my favorite Banhart songs have been those that showcase his uniquely eerie vocals — each breath producing quivering, meaningful lyrics — in combination with his purely folky musical style. One of the best examples of this is “Cripple Crow,” an album from more than 10 years ago. The 2005 album not only exhibits his overtly romantic lyricism, but its approach to music has a strangely good feeling to it.
“Ape in Pink Marble” lacks precisely both of these qualities. Romanticism and any strangeness Banhart has previously exhaled into his music are completely drowned out by the desire to produce an album aligning with demands for modern indie music.
The album is consumed by an annoyingly listenable quality; there is no difficulty in playing this album while I get dressed in the morning, or while I vacuum my room. Yet there is no part of this album that forces me to sit down and listen to it; it lacks the compelling quality Banhart’s prior albums hold. It doesn’t demand listeners to pay attention.
The album as a whole sounds all too homogenous. Every song sounds indistinguishable from the one playing before and after it, to the point where they could all be played in the background of a high school reunion dinner party.
In short, this album screamed loud and clear that Banhart has had no issue selling his distinctive voice and folk soul to the devil. The lack of variety was worsened by the incorporation of electronic and disco sounds onto his tracks. And to be clear, it’s not that I’m necessarily against disco or dance music, it’s that 1) this isn’t Banhart’s style I’ve loved and admired for so many years, 2) he doesn’t incorporate these sounds in ways I enjoy or appreciate, and 3) listeners don’t get the sense that he felt inspired by or even particularly interested in these sounds.
He is a folk artist making a petty attempt to appeal to the mass movement toward dance music, and it shows in his album. On the track “Fig in Leather,” Banhart chooses to ditch his vocal talent for a whimsically boring approach to talking over basic pop synth leads. The tedious song possesses absolutely none of the classically deep and romantic lines Banhart had exemplified with his earlier albums, and he instead simply repeats simple lyrics like “you’re a lady,” detracting from the beauty I’ve so admired previously in Banhart’s work.
A break in the album’s uniformity finally comes with the eighth track, “Souvenirs,” which brings some of the classical Banhart vibes back onto the album. In an ocean of otherwise unvaried songs on the album, this one is satisfying and soothing; it follows a melodic wave listeners yearn to hear in the first seven tracks.
There is no denying the second half of the album produces a more dreamlike, intentional experience in the listener. However, the album unfortunately returns to the deluded experience from the early songs on the record.
Ultimately, the album refuses to redeem any qualities yearned for by long-time dedicated Banhart fans. Perhaps “Ape in Pink Marble” succeeds in attracting a new audience that may otherwise not have been reached, but it simultaneously fails to whole-heartedly rope in veteran Banhart fans.
As a veteran fan myself, I can’t repudiate the album as a whole. Something about it still tugs on heart strings and will keep me interested in further musical endeavors of his, but I can only hope he will not disappoint me the way this endeavor has.
The verdict: Veteran Banhart lovers will not love this album.
Key Tracks:
“Good Time Charlie” – Although not a particularly unique song, it succeeds in being pleasantly calming and catchy.
“Souvenirs” – This track maintains the closest sound to prior Banhart albums.
“Lucky” – Sweet, sappy, and romantic lyrics make listeners feel warm and fuzzy listening to this track.
Reach Opinion Editor Rebecca Gross at arts@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @becsgross
