Ode to Devendra!

apparently my ode to spring toootally worked in the positive thinking department: it's 60 degrees out in Somerville, the sun is shining, and the sunset roses mirror the weather's pleasant disposition.  see?

on days like today you need a decent soundtrack for skippin' down the sidewalk, and nothing hits the ear nicer than devendra banhart when it's brisk and beautiful out.  i know i'm tardy when it comes to joining devendra's fan club, but better late than never, right?  i've got banhart's two most recent albums, smokey rolls down thunder canyon and cripple crow, playing on repeat for the afternoon.  banhart was raised in venezuela and thus a hefty chunk of his discography includes some lovely spanish melodies, and coincidentally his spanish tracks happen to be my absolute favorites on both albums.  

songs i currently can't stop dancing to/listening to/lusting after courtesy of mr. db:

quedate luna.  the haunting minor chords of this mellow track off banhart's 2005 release is my favorite on the album and tugs at my heartstrings a little just because it reminds me of flamenco and impromptu jam sessions in the albaicín, granada's old arab neighborhood and my favorite barrio in a city that i miss being able to call home.  i learned how to play this on guitar last night and the callouses on my fingers are kind of beastly from practicing it too much.  love it.  major sexy time music, too, but then again half of cripple crow makes for excellent sexy time music as well. 

carmensita.  if you're not dancing to this song within 30 seconds of pressing play, you're either a) broken in the legs, b) deaf, or c) too cool for school.   this song can usually be heard blasting in my kitchen while i'm making food for people or when i'm getting psyched before leaving my house for a big night out.  this shit'll put you in fabulous mood, guaranteed.  it's auricular candy. 

bad girl.  ok so this one's in english but i love it anyway, mostly because i find it slightly touches on the melancholic nature of the dissolution of my last relationship.  ("i'm not waiting but i keep holding on" hit a little too close to home for me, i guess. erm, yeah. moving on!)  the consistent reverb and pulsing syncopations practically put you to sleep, and in a good way: this raw, lamenting lullaby of banhart's is comforting and heartbreaking at the same time with its crescendoes and perfect balance of resignation and refusal.  [for the record: i'm listening to it today NOT because of allllll the romantic bullshit that doesn't need to be drudged up yet again; i'm listening to it because it's a beautiful song, despite/because of its emotional undertones, and it sounds divine on a day like today when the heat of the afternoon starts to cool off and the wind starts reminding me that spring isn't quite upon us yet.]

also: thank you, devendra, for your quirky lil' cameo in "nick and norah's infinite playlist".  you are great.  and thank you for this photo, as well:

image courtesy of paste magazine.