Mutantes "Live - Barbican Theatre, London, 2006" 2007****

Another band I never expected to see live, I discovered Os Mutantes around the turn of the millennium, when Luaka Bop released a compilation of their 1960s material. It received rave reviews, and after hearing it myself I couldn’t help but agree: this eclectic, whimsical and experimental yet often poppy mix sounded as exciting and unique as anything from the era. The band disbanded in the early 1970s, having achieved little recognition outside their native Brazil until the Luaka Bop compilation introduced them to a new international audience. A few years later their albums were reissued on CD — and eventually vinyl as well — while a partially reunited lineup celebrated the band’s 40th anniversary with a major London concert, documented on the CD/DVD release reviewed here. The following years brought sporadic new albums and live appearances by a version of the band led by original guitarist Sergio Dias. They rarely venture into Europe, so last year’s Amsterdam performance — their first Dutch show since 2016 — felt unmissable. They no longer wear outlandish costumes onstage, and, at 75, Sergio Dias isn't in great shape physically, singing and playing seated for most of the show, but his guitar work remained superb, with echoes of Hendrix and Santana throughout. The band alternated between proggy psychedelia and pure pop (e.g. "Baby"). The harmonies were as strong as ever, while Esméria Bulgari handled the lead vocals admirably. Rita Lee, of course, who left the band in 1972 and died in 2023 remains irreplaceable. The other great absentee was Sergio’s brother, Arnaldo Baptista: he has often struggled with mental health issues linked to his past excessive LSD use, and took his leave from the band, long ago.

He nevertheless can be heard on this live CD, alongside Dias, original drummer Dinho Leme, and guest singer Zélia Duncan. Esméria Bulgari was also present on this occasion, albeit only as a backing singer. As I mentioned earlier, Os Mutantes have always been a very peculiar band, drawing on everything from Beatlesy pop and bossa nova to ballads and psychedelic rock, all filtered through a lens of whimsy and anarchic humor not unlike that of the Bonzo Dog Band—while sounding nothing like them in practice. Such eclecticism often left them difficult to categorize. For many years they were mentioned—if at all—only as part of the Tropicália movement, which also included more celebrated Brazilian artists like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Tom Zé. This was too restrictive, since all of those artists were closer to Brazilian musical traditions, whereas Os Mutantes explored a much wider range of styles. This live CD manages to encapsulate most of them, making it one of the best entry points into the band's music. The performances are uniformly strong, while the arrangements benefit from a fuller band and generally sound more polished than the original versions. Some listeners may miss the rough edges of the originals, but I believe very little is lost in the process. Opener "Don Quixote" is an impressive psychedelic mess, incorporating everything from an orchestral fanfare to the band's signature harmonies and Dias' electric-guitar outbursts. This is followed by "Virginia", a charming Beatlesque ballad. The pace then picks up with a pair of upbeat Latin rockers: "Cantor de Mambo"—reminiscent of Santana and featuring some first-rate electric guitar in this live rendition—and "El Justicero". Hilariously, Tony Blair and "Jorge" Bush are portrayed as Old West gunslingers in the song's intro. The mood changes once again with the exotic, chilled-out bossa nova of "Baby" and "I'm Sorry Baby", both sung in English. Later, "Dia 36" and "Ave Lucifer" drift by as stoned psychedelic ballads awash in vocal distortion and spaced-out effects, while "Fuga No. 11" and "Balada do Louco" evoke a dreamlike meeting point between Gilberto Gil and John Lennon. The acoustic "Le premier bonheur du jour" adds a Rennaissence flavor, while "I Feel a Little Spaced Out" (original Portuguese title was "Ando Meio Desligado") perfectly embodies the sound of The Summer of Love: Imagine throwing The Zombies, Jefferson Airplane, early Pink Floyd, and the soundtrack to Hair! into a blender and ending up with something surprisingly coherent. As the concert nears its end, Os Mutantes showcase their riotous carnivalesque side on "A Minha Menina" and "Bat Macumba" before bowing out with an ecstatic English-language rendition of "Panis et Circenses" that once again recalls The Beatles circa Sgt. Pepper. The above track listing corresponds to my own (UK) version of the album, which combines a single CD and DVD video. There is also a US double-CD edition that adds five songs but omits the visual content. Those tracks are reinstated on my DVD, which also includes a short documentary, video clips from the concert and rehearsals, and a photo gallery. The DVD offers both stereo and surround-sound audio options, as well as subtitles for the lyrics. To be honest, neither the video quality nor the surround mix is particularly impressive, which means I find myself returning to the CD far more often than the DVD. Now, I know that many fans may find Rita Lee's absence difficult to overlook, English translation of the lyrics somewhat incongruous, and the band's live sound a little too down-to-earth for their liking. For myself, I believe that Live In Barbican, 2006 successfully captures the eclecticism, humor, musicianship, and sense of adventure that made Os Mutantes so special in the first place. For newcomers, it serves as an ideal introduction; for existing fans, it's a rewarding celebration of this unique band. Having finally seen the band in concert, I can confirm that, sixty years on, the magic is still there.

***** for Cantor de Mambo, Baby, I Feel a Little Spaced Out

**** for Virginia, El justiciero, I'm Sorry Baby,  Dia 36, Fuga Nº II, Ave Lucifer, Balada do Louco, A Minha Menina, Bat Macumba, Panis et Circenses

*** for Don Quixote, Le Premier Bonheur du Jour

Astrud Gilberto "The Essential Astrud Gilberto" 1963-1967(rec) 1984(comp)*****

Astrud Gilberto was probably the most well-known of the three great ladies of Brazilian song that we recently lost, and whose albums I presented here. She was also the least likely to become an international sensation, as she came to prominence by accident; the young housewife of guitarist João Gilberto just happened to be present at a recording session for a collaborative album by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian bossa nova stars Antonio Carlos Jobim (piano) and João Gilberto. To help the LP's commercial chances in the US, Getz's side had prepared some English lyrics, which João turned out to be unable to sing. Thankfully Astrud's English was remarkably better, so it was her who sang the English part in the two bilingual songs "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Corcovado". To the musicians involved she was still a nobody; she got a flat fee of $120 and wasn't mentioned in the album credits at all. But the public disagreed. "The Girl From Ipanema" single rose to No.5 in the charts, while the Getz/Gilberto LP (1964) gradually broke all sales records, starting off an international bossa nova craze. Everyone fell in love with Astrud's soft, naive vocals, and kept asking for more. Cue Getz Au Go Go (1964), credited to "the New Stan Getz Quartet featuring Astrud Gilberto". No Jobim or João but a great band nevertheless, including Gary Burton on vibraphone and Kenny Burrell on guitar. Purportedly a live album cut at New York's famous Cafe Au Go Go, it's actually a jumble of live and studio sessions. Some of Getz's sax and all of Astrud's vocals were recorded in studio and overdubbed after the fact; it nevertheless sounds fantastic. The Essential Astrud Gilberto, issued in Europe in 1984 to capitalize on a bossa nova revival going on at the time, includes two songs from Getz Au Go Go, Jobim's "One Note Samba" and "It Might as Well Be Spring", the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein composition that won the Oscar Award for Best Original Song in 1945. From there on, Verve Records took over Astrud's career, pairing her with some of their best musicians, arrangers and composers, trying to capitalize on the bossa nova fad. It didn't matter that her voice didn't have a lot of power, range, or versatility. They had other singers like that. Ella Fitzgerald. Sarah Vaughan. Nina Simone. That class of singers. Compared to them, Astrud was a one-trick pony. Her renditions of the great American songbook are absolutely charming in their own way but they don't stand comparison with those by the aforementioned artists. Her frail and nostalgic delivery, punctuated by soft scatting, works nevertheless fabulously on the bossa nova cuts, songs by Jobim, Luiz Bonfá and ex-husband João - soon after the Getz collaborations, their marriage collapsed with Astrud staying permanently in USA and João remarrying and returning to Brazil soon after. The compilers here rightfully put the emphasis in the Brazilian element, which takes up more than 80% of this compilation, while the parent albums whence these songs came were at best a 50/50 mix of bossa nova and easy listening jazz. The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965) is her first, and probably best, LP as it contains Jobim's songs and guitar alongside some great musicians and rich strings and reeds arrangements. "Meditation", "O Morro Nao Tem Vez", and the playful "Agua De Beber" are included here. The next one The Shadow Of Your Smile (1965) follows the 50/50 approach, featuring 5 selections written by Bonfá, including the wistful "Tristeza" and "Manha De Carnival" as well as mid tempo "O Ganso" featuring Astrud scatting over a tastefully arranged Latin piece. Upbeat "Take Me To Aruanda" and a version of Sinatra hit "Fly Me To The Moon" round up the selections from that album. The next one (Look to the Rainbow, 1966) was apparently arranged by the great Gil Evans. We only get one short Latin song from it, João's "Bim Bom". The same year's A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness is a collaboration with organist Walter Wanderley. Astrud's vocals here very good; Wanderley is likewise good but his organ playing roots this more to 60's lounge music than jazz. We get three selections from this album: "Goodbye Sadness (Tristeza)", "So Nice (Summer Samba)", and the short, bittersweet, "A Certain Smile". Last of the albums anthologized here is Beach Samba (1967). It contained a more-than-usual percentage of contemporary pop material, but at least "Beach Samba (Bossa Na Praia)" had all the marks of her best work. By this time, bossa nova had fallen out of fashion completely in the US. Verve backed the singer for a few more albums containing mostly covers of contemporary pop hits, but the compilers steer way from those. Which is just as well; I mean this LP is called The Essential Astrud Gilberto, and no-one would argue that her covers of songs by The Beatles, Nilsson, Lovin' Spoonful and The Doors (!) justify that title. But what we do have here is some of the most charming, irresistibly fresh, beautiful music made in the 60's. That's enough of a legacy for anyone!

***** for The Girl From Ipanema, Meditation, O Morro Nao Tem Vez, Corcovado, Agua De Beber, Goodbye Sadness (Tristeza), Take Me To Aruanda, So Nice (Summer Samba), Tristeza

**** for A Certain Smile, Beach Samba (Bossa Na Praia), Bim-Bom, One Note Samba, O Ganso, Fly Me To The Moon, It Might As Well Be Spring, Manha De Carnival

Gal Costa "Índia" 1973*****

20-something years ago, I discovered Tropicália through a Luaka Bop compilation of songs by Os Mutantes. It was something of a revelation, since I've always been a fan of psychedelic 60's music but had never imagined a possible hybrid of psychedelia, jazz, folk, and exotic Latin rhythms. In the course of the years I collected some tropicalia-related CD's and LP's, and this is one of my favorites. Gal Costa had been one of the movement's figureheads and made some experimental LP's in that vein, but by 1973 she had left that mostly behind. It still is a very inventive album, combining jazz, folk, pop, bossa nova, and psychedelia - just softer and more mainstream than the challenging psychedelic LP's that preceded it. Which didn't stop it from getting in trouble with the Brazilian dictators who had previously imprisoned tropicalia leaders Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. This time the sensors took exception with the album cover: it presents a close up of Gal's bikini front, while on the back the singer is pictured half naked, wearing only a grass skirt and jewelry made from beads and feathers. IMO it wasn't the nakedness that offended them but the use of indigenous dress (after all, to the military regime, the Amazonian tribes were savages, rather than true Brazilians) and Gal's pose, which was insolent rather than seductive. The cover was then replaced with a simple blue one, until recent reissues like this reproduced the original in all its exotic glory. Musically, the album impresses from the beginning: the eponymous first track features gorgeous orchestral arrangements and nostalgic vocals which remind me of Portugese fados as much as they do of bossa nova. This is followed by "Milho Verde" a traditional Portugese folk song combining Afro Latin percussion with layers of vocals reminiscent of medieval European music - an innovative arrangement by Gilberto Gill who also plays guitar throughout this record. "Volta" is a melancholic early 20th Century composition with sparse piano backing, while side 2 opens with "Relance" a song with Argentinean bandoneon and a funky beat, and one of two contributions made by Caetano Veloso to this album. "Pontos De Luz"'s funky bass and horns riffs offer another detour from the so-called MPB (Brazilian Mainstream Pop) style dominating the rest of the LP, which closes with a great version of Tom Jobim's much-covered bossa nova classic "Desafinado". A perfect listening for warm summer nights, combining soft exotic vibes with those weird Tropicália touches. Gal Costa would go on to ever greater mainstream pop success to become a national idol while remaining a constant irritant to the country's extreme right; she alienated many of her compatriots with her ceaseless denunciation of former president Jair Bolsonaro, and lived just long enough to see him get ousted from office, as she died last November at the age of 77.

***** for Índia, Desafinado 

**** for Milho Verde, Presente Cotidiano, Volta, Relance, Da Maior Importância, Passarinho, Pontos De Luz

Devendra Banhart "Ma" 2019****

I recently saw Devendra play in Rotterdam's Annabel stage. In some respects he was quite different from the youth I remembered seeing at the AN Club in Athens, 15 years ago: the salt-and-pepper beard, the way he acted as the leader of his band instead of "just one of the guys". In other ways, he was the same: his openness and sweetly awkward demeanor, for example. An air of Peter Pan-ness and unworldliness that I guess only artists can afford. He mostly played songs from his last 3 albums (the ones I didn't own, though I fixed that deficiency on the spot). My girlfriend remarked that he was "more pop" this time while I was thinking "jazzier". I guess we were both right and that the songs, like the man, have evolved while retaining something singular.

Case in point, his latest album "Ma". Its luscious laid-back sound and judicious arrangements are certainly more mainstream than the psychedelic lo-fi folk of his early records. Where the Latin touches once seemed idiosyncratic, now they seem to be integrated in an easy listening approach. "Love Song" for example has that lounge feel, while "Ami"s mellow sax is pure 70's yacht rock. Thankfully the arrangements are always tasteful and clever, never overtly sentimental, while the laid-back guitar sound throughout the album is also quite enjoyable. It opens with him asking in his trembly Donovan/Bolan-esque voice "Is This Nice? Do You Like it?" as if he's really eager to please. Not what you expect from an "indie" artist, but it's true that the quirkiness of the music here never gets in the way of its listenability, making it one of his most accessible albums. "Kantori Ongaku" for example manages to mingle Latin and Japanese influences to produce a pleasantly light and breezy tune. Incredibly the album is at once pretty consistent in mood but also very varied in style: "Memorial" is reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, "Carolina" of Gilberto Gil, and "Abre las Manos" of Manu Chao. The latter expresses his concern and support for the people of his native Venezuela in the difficult times they are facing, always from a human perspective and without politicizing. "Now All Gone" is strange, featuring a slow trip-hop rhythm with a chorus reminiscent of Indian tribal chanting. "Taking a Page" has some trippy Asian parts, and "October 12" is another hushed bossanova ballad. "My Boyfriend's in the Band" is the closest he gets to his late '00's California rock style, while "The Lost Coast" is a hazy atmospheric piece. Closing ballad "Will I See You Tonight?" pairs him with 60's folk chanteuse Vashti Bunyan for a result that reminds me of certain Tindersticks duets from the 90's. Just like the music, the cover artwork (surely by Devendra himself as usual) makes a break with the past, replacing the intricate penwork of his previous albums (which I quite liked) with a striking and somewhat primitive oil painting of flowers. As for the album title, I've read two different explanations: one maintains that the album is a celebration of motherhood and the nurturing spirit, the other one suggests that it comes from the Japanese word "Ma" (間) which translates as "negative space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts". I'm inclined to go with the latter explanation, seeing as there is a strong Japanese air in the record (among the most obvious: "Kantori Ongaku" is a tribute to Yellow Magic Orchestra leader Haruomi Hosono and features a Japanese chorus). More probably the singer knew of both meanings and chose a term that is open for interpretation. Final thought: seeing as Devendra's manchild voice is a bit too cute anyway, wrapping it in a cloud of warm woodwinds and strings risks sounding too polished, as in missing an edge. Which this album doesn't always avoid, but that's not too important when it contains some of the most charming music I've heard this year. Even if you're a snubby intelectual who likes edgier stuff, you can't deny it makes for delicious ear candy.

**** for Is This Nice?, Kantori Ongaku, Ami, Memorial, Carolina, Love Song, Abre las Manos, My Boyfriend's in the Band, Will I See You Tonight?

*** for Now All Gone, Taking a Page, October 12

** for The Lost Coast

Beck "Mutations" 1998****

My initial impression of Beck was that he was another smart lo-fi studio artist, updating folk and rock's past with electro and hip hop influences. His "Loser" was an anthem for the slacker generation, but his nonchalant singing style wouldn't take him far. Indeed his vocals remain his biggest weakness, but over time he's proved a master of assimilating influences from various sources and creating something idiosyncratically modern. Though not devoid of studio wizardry, "Mutations" is definitely a song-based collection. Opener "Cold Brains" is a druggy folk song embellished by electronic sounds, chiming glockenspiel and a desolate harmonica solo. "Nobody's Fault But My Own" is an acid folk ballad with a prominent sitar giving it a strong 60's feel - one of his best. Radiohead producer  Nigel Godrich proves once again a master of atmospherics and Beck's vocal, however understated, conveys emotion well. The Kinks-like "Lazy Flies" is followed by the countrified "Canceled Check" with old-timey pedal steel guitar and New Orleans horns. "We Live Again", "Dead Melodies" and "Sing It Again" are more country-tinged ballads. "Bottle of Blues" is a relatively upbeat whimsical 60's number, once again reminiscent of the Kinks, while "Static" and "O Maria" sound like the work of a jazzier Syd Barrett. Bonus tracks "Diamond Bollocks" and "Runners Dial Zero" aren't bad but kinda don't really belong here, the former being a loud fuzzy piece and latter a drunken lo-fi ballad. That leaves us with "Tropicalia", the album's lead single. It's got an infectious bossa nova beat, playful trombone and funny electronic bleeps, inviting us not to take it too seriously and join in the fun. Which we can't help but do...

***** for Tropicalia

**** for Nobody's Fault But My Own, Canceled Check,  Dead Melodies, Bottle of Blues,

*** for Cold Brains, Lazy Flies, We Live Again, O Maria, Sing It Again, Static

** for Diamond Bollocks, Runners Dial Zero

Nouvelle Vague "Bande A Part" 2006***

Rarely is one band's name so indicative of their intentions. "Nouvelle Vague" is of course French for "New Wave" but the very act of its translation makes it sound different, somehow lighter and more cultivated. Likewise what NV did was take familiar New Wave/Post Punk hits (and some cult favorites) and transform them by using a different musical language. The singers here seem to derive inspiration from the French 60's ye-ye and pop girl singers like Francoise Hardy.  Gentle electronica, light 60's pop and bossa nova replace the angular guitars and brooding dispositions of some post-punk originals. And at the same time that punk-rock becomes more palatable with the addition of gentle electronic beats, the synth-heavy new wave hits (e.g. Yazoo's "Don't Go", Heaven 17's "Let Me Go") are given a more organic, bluesy treatment, resulting in a homogenized mix where Yazoo can sit comfortably next to The Cramps. As this is NV's second CD milking the same idea, some songs seem to have been chosen not because the band was inspired by them but based on a "who haven't we done yet?" mentality. Including a New Order or Blondie song in such a project becomes obligatory in this respect and NV go for the obvious choices "Blue Monday" and "Heart of Glass". The former works well in latin dance mode, while the latter is taken back to its rocksteady roots. Neither is transformed as in previous examples - I'm thinking especially of previous album's "Guns of Brixton" which was my introduction to the band. It was placed in a Clash tribute CD given out with Uncut magazine and immediately caught my attention. "Killing Moon" opens the album with a carnival intro that remind me of Nick Cave's "The Carny" and continues with a sultry sweet Lolita singing "So soon you'll take me/Up in your arms/Too late to beg you/Or cancel it...". With the addition of some eerie background noises, we've got a winner very early in the race. "Ever Fallen in Love" is a close second, an immortal pop song given a bouncy bossa treatment. The Fine Young Cannibals were the first to liberate it from its punk wrapping, so this new version isn't as groundbreaking as it'd otherwise be. Stiv Bators' Lords of the New Church are often unfairly forgotten when it comes to discussing 80's post punk, so it's cool that NV chose to include one of their songs here. Billy Idol's "Dancing with Myself" is the exact opposite, a loud catchy number that never completely left the airways. The NV version is likewise the album's most unsubtle and populist moment. The Wake's "O Pamela" was completely unknown to me, so I should thank Nouvelle Vague for turning me on to that post-punk gem. The Cramps' "Human Fly" is an absolute favorite of mine and it's sung here in a drunk stripper voice. Unpolished and rude, it goes well with lyrics like "I'm an unzipped fly". I like what they've done with the song. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" begins with spooky sound effects as the Bride of Dracula spouts lines like "The bats have left the bell tower/The victims have been bled". Though only half as scary as the original, it's still disquieting listening. The only NV track guaranteed to chase (all but the most perverse) customers away from the bar. Their jazz, happy-go-lucky version of The Sound's "(I Can't) Escape Myself" would be enough to make Adrian Borland commit suicide all over again. Shame on you, people! Visage's "Fade toGrey" is given a uncommercial dark, accordeon-heavy sound. They must have figured that, by this point, no-one but the most dedicated fan is still listening. Which is a pity, because their nostalgic, rainy take on Blancmange's "Waves" is a late highlight - probably the only track that works even if you don't know the original - I confess I didn't!

**** for The Killing Moon (Echo & the Bunnymen), Ever Fallen in Love (Buzzcocks), Waves (Blancmange)

*** for Dance with Me (The Lords of the New Church) Don't Go (Yazoo), O Pamela (The Wake), Blue Monday (New Order), Human Fly (The Cramps), Bela Lugosi's Dead (Bauhaus), Let Me Go (Heaven 17), Fade to Grey (Visage)

** for Heart of Glass (Blondie), Dancing with Myself (Billy Idol), I Can't Escape Myself (The Sound)

Marcos Valle "Garra" 1971****

Marcos Valle was born and bred in Rio de Janeiro, but the young man on his record covers is a blond Californian dude and not my idea of a Brazilian musician (which just shows how little I know about Brazil). He must have come from a rich family, having had piano and music theory lessons as a young child. The sounds of his native country soon won him over and he developed his own very successful mix of bossa-nova, samba, jazz and pop. His stay in U.S. (1965-68) must have influenced him because further albums saw him adding soul and psychedelic rock in the mix. Recorded in 1970, "Garra" is considered his best album of the period, an adventurous affair marrying jazz, samba, soul and psychedelic rock. It's impressively produced, utilizing session musicians, male and female backing vocalists, flutes and harpsichords, mellotron and orchestras. The lyrics, co-written with his brother Sergio Paulo, all convey a hidden meaning in order to get past the dictatorship's censors. Thankfully the recent Light In The Attic reissue contains not only English translations but also commentary by the songwriter. So we learn, for example, that psychedelic pop ballad "Jesus meu rei" is not really about Jesus. Initially it was called "Pobre Do Rei"(My Poor King) and is about a king, isolated from his people, making laws in contrast to the world around him. "Com Mais De 30 (Over Thirty)" and "Garra (Grab)" are two happy, upbeat songs about losing your dreams when growing up and chasing after money and success while life passes you by. The successful businessman's laugh in "Gatra" is not happy but bitter: "I run after money ha ha/'Til my whole body/Collapses to the ground,ha ha/ I'm gonna live downtown, ha ha/ I don't even know my city that well,ha ha/ But I'm gonna win (if I don't die)". Yet the casual listener is left with the impression of having listened to a careless dance song. The title also means "Claw", which explains the hawk on the album's cover. "Black is Beautiful" is a soul ballad addressing Brazil's racial problem. He sings "I Want a Goddess  from the Congo, or from here, to integrate with my European blood". Initial version ("to improve my European blood") must have almost given the censors a heart attack. "Paz E Futebol", "Wanda Vidal", "Vinte e Seis Anos de Vida Normal" and "O Cafona" are all light samba soul and "Minha Voz Vire Do Sol da America" a beautiful symphonic piece. The album is a must for fans of brazilian pop and tropicalia.

**** for Jesus Meu Rei, Com Mais De 30, Garra, Wanda Vidal

*** for Paz E Futebol, Que Bandeira, Minha Voz Vira Do Sol Da America, Vinte E Seis Anos Anos De Vida Normal, O Cafona

** for Black is Beautiful, Ao Amigo