Devendra Banhart – What Will We Be (2009)

Fans of Banhart's outré tendencies might be surprised that this is also his first major-label disc; after all, he doesn't really seem like the compromising sort. Yet, working alongside producer Paul Butler (from the U.K.'s A Band of Bees), Banhart actually flourishes with a little direction: In the catchy campfire singalongs "Angelika" and "Goin' Back to the Place," his appealing eccentricity gains potency when it's packed into more compact forms, while "Baby" and "16th & Valencia" shimmer with a newfound professionalism. What Will We Be sags toward the end with a handful of snoozy acoustic shuffles and a wack-ass impersonation of the Doors. But mostly, it clicks. Maybe wild boars can be broken.