Banga
Album ∙ Rock ∙ 2012
When Patti Smith returned to public and performing life in the mid-1990s, she gave interview after interview pointing out that she hadn’t stopped working—she just wasn’t executing work for public consumption. Her 11th studio album, 2012’s Banga, is solid proof of that assertion, because it has all the hallmarks of any classic Patti Smith record. Topically, it’s a delightful smörgåsbord of all things Smithian. And musically, it finds her working with a trusted band featuring compatriots both old (Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty) and new (Tony Shanahan and Jack Petruzzelli).
Banga features songs about far-flung places (“Fuji-san,” “Amerigo”) and tunes inspired by the obscure artists Smith loves, as on the tracks “Tarkovsky (The Second Stop is Jupiter)” and “Maria.” There’s even a pop song, “April Fool,” which connects thematically and lyrically with her acclaimed memoir Just Kids. And there’s a lengthy improvisation, “Constantine’s Dream,” which lasts for more than 10 minutes, and that features lyrics that were extemporized live in the studio.
Smith also uses the record to pay tribute to her musical loves. There’s a Neil Young cover (“After the Gold Rush”), as well as a literal torch ballad about the late Amy Winehouse (“This Is the Girl”). Meanwhile, “Tarkovsky” borrows so liberally from the experimental Sun Ra that he gets a co-writing credit.
And Banga is deeply personal, as well: There are appearances by Smith’s children, Jackson Smith and Jesse Smith, as well as pals Tom Verlaine and Johnny Depp. Verlaine contributes beautiful, insightful harmonic adornments to “April Fool,” while Depp—whose birthday gift was the song “Nine”—plays guitar and drums on the title track.
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