Ape in Pink Marble is the ninth studio album by folk rock musician Devendra Banhart, released on September 23, 2016 on Nonesuch Records.[1] The album was written, produced, arranged, and recorded in Los Angeles by the singer/songwriter/guitarist with his longtime collaborators Noah Georgeson and Josiah Steinbrick, both of whom also worked on Banhart's previous album, Mala (2013).[2]

Ape in Pink Marble
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2016
GenreIndie folk
Length43:46
LabelNonesuch/Warner Bros.
ProducerDevendra Banhart, Noah Georgeson, Josiah Steinbrick
Devendra Banhart chronology
Mala
(2013)
Ape in Pink Marble
(2016)
Ma
(2019)
Singles from Ape in Pink Marble
  1. "Middle Names"
    Released: June 24, 2016
  2. "Saturday Night"
    Released: August 29, 2016

Background

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The record was finished, as was stated in a recent interview, in early May 2016.[3] A couple of weeks after that, Banhart posted on Instagram that the album's recording and mixing was done.[4] The album was announced on June 24, 2016, along with the first track, 'Middle Names', the opening track of the album.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
Pitchfork6.6/10

Ape in Pink Marble received a generally positive reception from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a "weighted average" score to ratings and reviews from selected mainstream critics, the Metascore is 78, which is based on 14 critical reviews.[7]

Marcy Donelson from AllMusic stated, "The album's overall effect is one of strolling along a seaside path, maybe with a stray dog and a straw hat, in a less-frequented village somewhere far from home, and it's one of Banhart's most satisfying."[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Middle Names"3:28
2."Good Time Charlie"2:06
3."Jon Lends a Hand"2:33
4."Mara"3:13
5."Fancy Man"2:29
6."Fig in Leather"3:13
7."Theme for a Taiwanese Woman in Lime Green"4:23
8."Souvenirs"2:59
9."Mourner's Dance"3:18
10."Saturday Night"4:23
11."Linda"5:56
12."Lucky"2:49
13."Celebration"2:56
Total length:43:46

Charts

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Chart (2016) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[8] 73
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] 43
French Albums (SNEP)[10] 22
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[11] 31
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[12] 20
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[13] 18

References

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  1. ^ Lozano, Kevin. "Devendra Banhart Announces New Album Ape in Pink Marble, Shares New Track Middle Names: Listen", Pitchfork, June 24, 2016. Retrieved on June 26, 2016.
  2. ^ Nonesuch Records. "Devendra Banhart's New Album, "Ape in Pink Marble," Due September 23 on Nonesuch Records", Nonesuch Records, June 24, 2016. Retrieved on June 26, 2016.
  3. ^ Johnston, Rachel. "Devendra Banhart talks plans for Walker Art Center concert series ", The Current, May 12, 2016, Retrieved on June 26, 2016.
  4. ^ "Instagram". Instagram. 2016-06-01. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  5. ^ "Devendra Banhart - Middle Names [Official Audio". YouTube. 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  6. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy (September 23, 2016). "Ape in Pink Marble - Devendra Banhart : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  7. ^ Metacritic (September 23, 2016). "Critic Reviews for Ape in Pink Marble by Devendra Banhart". CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  8. ^ "Ultratop.be – Devendra Banhart – Ape in Pink Marble" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  9. ^ "Ultratop.be – Devendra Banhart – Ape in Pink Marble" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  10. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 39, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 10 June 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  11. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Devendra Banhart – Ape in Pink Marble". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  12. ^ "Devendra Banhart Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  13. ^ "Devendra Banhart Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2016.