(Vapor)

www.vaporrecords.com

If you thought Devendra Banhart already got his fun-loving, free-spirited, ambisexual side out in records like Cripple Crow and Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, you ain't seen nothin' yet. Megapuss, Banhart's guest-studded partnership with Priestbird's Greg Rogove, is a giggling, tickling, free-ranging orgy of musical styles, full of inside jokes and porno-aspiring imagery. This is, after all, the band that debuted in LA with Banhart in a penis skirt.

And yet, Banhart being Banhart, Surfing has as many moments of beauty as it does occasions for smirks. The title cut is particularly gorgeous, flurries of classical piano expanding into waves and rolls of 1960s psychedelia. "Mister Meat (Hot Rejection)" is as silly as can be, but it is sandwiched between the lo-fi, ukulele-and-tambourine hippie glories of "Lavender Blimp" and the strung-out, unshaven blues of "Hamman."  As always Banhart plunders the back catalogs of rock, blues, psych and soul. Sometimes he does this subtly, as on the 1960s driving "Adam and Steve." Other times, the lift is more blatant. "A Gun On His Hip And A Rose On His Chest" is a scantily disguised, reworded "Hey Bo Diddley" (which has some verses Bo would likely not approve of).

Banhart has gathered a typically motley crew to accompany him - frequent flyers like Andy Cabic and Rodrigo Amarante, alongside new tribe members like Fabrizio Moretti (yes, from the Strokes). They all seem to be having a hella good time... and if you can get past the naked cover art, you probably will as well.

Standout Tracks: "Surfing", "Older Lives" "Adam & Steve" JENNIFER KELLY