Artist Devendra Banhart

Alissa Anderson

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Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart has come to symbolize so many different things—good and bad—to so many people that it seems he’s verging on indie-rock superstardom. The cult of Devendra started earlier in the decade with Oh Me Oh My... and hasn’t really let up, reaching a fever pitch last year when he briefly dated Natalie Portman (who appeared in the video for “Carmensita” from 2007’s Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon). This year’s What Will We Be features musicians from Smokey, but marks a more laid-back and polished turn for His Hairiness. To his credit, Banhart really is the most interesting character associated with the freak-folk revolution that he helped usher in, and there’s no sign that this neo-hippie movement is going away anytime soon.

Updated 11/11/2009