Let’s get one thing straight, before I attempt to wax poetic about Devendra Banhart. I’m not going to refer to his music as a branch of some made up label “freak-folk”just because it makes it easier to classify Banhart’s music. The truth is Banhart takes influences from everywhere, from 50′s doo-wop to good ol’ fashion 70s rock to samba (he does seem to have a good deal of Latino roots in his music).Banhart’s newest release into his already rather large catalog is Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, a 16-track long player that characteristically hits many highs and only suffers from mild lows. Banhart never really writes bad songs–it’s really his prolific nature that gets in the way. When his great songs are put up against the simply mediocre, it starts to detract from the overall package. That said, there’s enough material on this album that could have been easily cut down to a more modest-sized, masterfully-crafted album.

Banhart flexes his rock prowess with his CSNY-like “Seahorse”, where towards the end he starts belting out like Graham Nash leading into a bridge that seems 35 years displaced. But even the comical “Shabop Shalom” is witty and entertaining, as he sings, “When I’m in a foul mood, I want to see you in your Talmud”. It’s that subtly appealing semi-sacrilege that Banhart carries throughout his music that makes him so gosh-darn appealing and yet grants him the “avant-gardeness” that has made him famous. Songs with the lollipop samba of “Carmensita” or the funked-out soulful “Lover” just seem to continue to make Banhart as laudable as ever.

Go and buy Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon.

Listen to “Lover” (5/5)

Listen to “Tonada Yanomaminista” (4.8/5)

Here’s a look at what’s been burning up the blogosphere over the past few days:

1. Devendra Banhart – Seahorse
Indie rock’s oddest prodigy has released a single “Seahorse” that begins with Banhart’s soft murmurings and then gradually develops into a fantastic piano driven track that is worth the 8 minutes in length.

2. Rogue Wave – Lake Michigan
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds meets Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.

3. Hard-Fi – Suburban Knights
Can the sophomore effort match the band’s debut success? We’ll see.

4. Imperial – Shim-Sham
Who says summer is over?