Mala
by Devendra Banhart
  • Record Label: Nonesuch
  • Release Date: Mar 12, 2013
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. normankant
    Jun 13, 2015
    6
    Whispered vocals open Mala and this stillness will last throughout the whole record. Devendra Banhart was known for making great psych folk songs and this album is a cheat sheet of who he is. It's just a soft journey into a surreal world coming from a Marc Chagall's piece of art. There are the usual elements of the songwriter: hypnotic mood, freak attitude and a tolerable songwriting.Whispered vocals open Mala and this stillness will last throughout the whole record. Devendra Banhart was known for making great psych folk songs and this album is a cheat sheet of who he is. It's just a soft journey into a surreal world coming from a Marc Chagall's piece of art. There are the usual elements of the songwriter: hypnotic mood, freak attitude and a tolerable songwriting.
    Banhart's style is very similar to Vincent Gallo's "When", a record released by Warp Records in 2001.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Record Collector
    Jun 4, 2013
    100
    This is Banhart’s best work because it functions as a unit.
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  2. Magnet
    Apr 16, 2013
    75
    Mala is his finest attempt at not killing momentum by diving down a rabbit hole. [No. 97, p.52]
  3. No Ripcord
    Apr 9, 2013
    70
    The widening of Banhart’s previously contained and signature sound continues to pay off here, the funky and inviting rubber basslines that are scattered throughout the album particularly memorable.
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