Idols & Clowns with Devendra Banhart
Devendra is joined by Jenny Hval, Phil Elverum and Bedouine
Devendra Banhart, this week鈥檚 host, was born in Texas and raised between Venezuela and California, where he attended the San Francisco Art Institute. After dropping out in 2000, he started moving around different cities, experimenting with songwriting and busking as he went. It was when he released his second album, Oh Me Oh My, in 2002 that things really started happening 鈥� he signed to XL Recordings, and since then has released nine albums and collaborated with artists like Anohni, Beck and The Strokes鈥� Fabrizio Moretti. His new album Flying Wig has just come out and was recorded in a Topanga cabin once owned by Neil Young. He鈥檚 also a visual artist and has had pieces featured in galleries including San Francisco鈥檚 Museum of Modern Art, MOCA and Brussels鈥� Centre for Fine Arts.
This week, Music Life features four artists making honest, unique and evocative music that speaks to their artistry.
First up is a singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist from Washington state, America. Best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie, he almost exclusively uses analogue recording equipment to make music and tends to compose as he records. His output spans more than 40 albums. It鈥檚 Phil Elverum.
Next up, it鈥檚 a Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer and novelist whose avant-garde music has a heavy focus on sexuality and politics. Her debut EP Cigars was released in 2006 and was nominated for a Spellemannprisen (the Nowegian Grammy鈥檚). Since then, she has released music under her own name, Rocket To The Sky and collaboratively with Laura Jean as Lost Girls. It鈥檚 Jenny Hval.
And finally, a Syrian-American folk musician whose sound is beautifully reminiscent of 1960s North America. Born in Aleppo, Syria, she grew up between Saudi Arabia and Texas before settling in Savannah to study sound design. Since then, she鈥檚 released three studio albums and toured with the likes of Fleet Foxes, Michael Kiwanuka and Jose Gonzalez. It鈥檚 Bedouine.
Together they鈥檒l discuss eating on tour, how art is intimacy exposed, and what can be learned from terrible shows.
In part 2 of the show Phil Elverum takes us through a playlist he鈥檚 called Flames, a collection of songs inspired by fire, featuring tracks from Bjork, Chrysta Bell, Songs: Ohia, and more.
