DEVENDRA BANHART Vinyl & CDs

Review: Although it was reportedly recorded in a "cabin in the woods" and fuelled by "nights listening to the Grateful Dead", Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart's latest album is a far more drowsy, dreamy and immersive affair than you might expect. Produced by label-mate Cate Le Bon (who also contributed instrumentation), Flying Wig somehow sounds contemporary despite being rooted in a mix of the woozy sound-worlds of Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel's more downbeat mid-80s moments, classic sixties folk-rock and the kind of heart-aching, country-tinged AOR ballads that were once a feature of late-night AM radio. It's beautiful and beguiling, basically, and never wavers from its distinct sonic blueprint.

Review: Where would we be without our mothers? Literally nowhere, of course, given the medical facts of life. But psychologically and spiritually somewhere very different, too. Just ask Devendra Banhart, whose latest, heartbreaking and poignant LP packs intimidating strength and thoughtful themes by the birth-giving load. Here the synths that dominated more recent albums are replaced by instruments best described as "a bit earthier", with strings and woodwinds joining brass and keys. Despite its title, this album is less a dedication to motherhood itself and more a meditation on emotional ties and links in general. "Memorial", for example, is about the death of Banhart's father, while elsewhere we are told love is like "crowd surfing in an empty club". As per usual, Banhart's songwriting verges on mania, recalling the late-Daniel Johnston's razor sharp observations wrapped in innocent imagery, while the instrumentation conjures Burt Bacharach and the like.