brazilian

Lô Borges: Best of Playlist (1972-1981)

2014/07/10

Now this, this is an artist I wish more people would know of outside of Brazil. Lo Borges, if I would look for an English-speaking analog I would think he would be a combination of George Harrison and Neil Young. Most of his music has this distinctive hypermelodic sound, imagine someone basing their whole musical…
Tom Zé: Correio da Estação do Brás (1978)

2014/07/09

Another shot I’ve been holding off in my Brazilian month reviews is Tom Ze. Once, the most forgotten of Brazil’s first wave of Tropicalismo artists suddenly became one of the most exposed, or overexposed, due to David Byrne’s promotion of Tom’s work like Estudando o Samba and in various Tropicalia compilations. What you get from…
Gilberto Gil: Refavela (1977)

2014/07/08

I know I’ve been holding my Gilberto Gil shot for a while. If, anyone has some cursory knowledge of Brazilian music they’re bound to at least know or have heard of Gilberto. He was one of the original Tropicalismo artists, and creator of one of its most influential tracks like “Domingo no Parque” (which Os…
Joyce: Passarinho Urbano (1976)

2014/07/06

Now this is a personal favorite of mine. Joyce isn’t the perfect Brazilian artist to herald. Her career swung so back and forth from great to bland taste. When her taste is on point such as in her work with Nelson Angelo or Nana Vasconcelos its truly astounding to behold, but when she is too…
Burnier & Cartier: Fotos Para a Capa Do (1976)

2014/07/05

200 years after America’s independence, Burnier & Cartier released this jaw dropping brilliant piece of Brazilian acoustic guitar-based music. “Fotos Para a Capa Do” which translates to “Photos for the Cover” is such a nondescript title for such a massively intricate and dreamy album. This could be said was the first child of Clube da…
Tim Maia: Racional Vol. 1 (1975)

2014/07/02

Tim Maia Released in 1975, “Racional Vol. 1” by Tim Maia is just a banging album. Tim Maia, by then, had always been Brazil’s resident R&B and Funk master…a heady ball of James Brown, Barry White, and Curtis Mayfield. He was known as the most hard headed artist, picking fights with collaborators, or scrapping takes…
Marcos Valle: Previsao do Tempo (1973)

2014/06/30

Here’s another monument to joy, Marcos Valle’s “Previsao do Tempo”, released in 1973 at the height of military dictatorship’s grip on power it contained some of the most relaxed and groovy music ever to come out of Brazil. Marco Valle, in my eyes, will always seem like the mutant spawn of Stevie Wonder, Brian Wilson,…
Jorge Ben: A Tabua de Esmeralda (1974)

2014/06/29

Spiritualism, metaphysics, mysticism, inner/outer worlds, futbol and alchemy…all of the play a role during the world cup for a lot of fans…and for Jorge Ben’s “A Tabua de Esmeralda”, released in 1974, the basis for another Brazilian masterpiece. Personally, I have a strong affection for 1974 musically, it still is in my opinion the greatest…
Edu Lobo: Missa Breve (1973)

2014/06/28

Edu Lobo in the ’70s. I kind of hate that I’m posting this album by Edu Lobo, “Missa Breve” released in 1973, right now. Its secretly my favorite Brazilian album (and an album I would put in the worldwide top 10 without batting an eye). Its figuratively the Jaguar of albums. So effortlessly refined and…
Milton Nascimento: Milagre dos Peixes (1973)

2014/06/27

Words can’t describe how awesome it was that the US was able to advance to the next round of the World Cup, few people thought we could, but hey, we’re more than happy to prove them wrong. With this in mind, how about Milton Nascimento’s “Milagre dos Peixes”, released in 1973? Genuinely ahead of its…