MPB-4 "Millennium" (Polygram, 1998)
Incredibly awful pop vocals, loosely modeled on American groups such as The Four Freshmen or Manhattan Transfer. This best-of collection covers the span of the group's career, from 1967 to 1999, with goopy versions of songs written by artists such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Djavan. MPB-4 are a male version of the Quarteto Em Cy -- a band I detest -- but with glitzier musical backup and less gymnastic vocal arrangements. This stuff is very much not to my taste, but if you're curious, this disc is probably as good an overview of their career as you're likely to find.
MPB-4 "MPB-4" (Elenco, 1966)
The debut album by this Brazilian vocal quartet, the male equivalent of the much-vaunted Quarteto Em Cy. This is the first of several albums self titled "MPB-4" -- this one features several early compositions by Chico Buarque ("Ole Ola," "Juca," "Sonho De Um Carnaval" and "Tereza Tristeza," as well as songs by Vinicius de Moraes, Sergio Ricardo and others. I've never been able to get on the wavelength of these perky vocal groups -- the style seems fairly bland to me -- but if you wanted to check them out, I think these early albums would be the place to start.
MPB-4 "MPB-4" (Elenco, 1967)
MPB-4 "MPB-4" (Elenco, 1968)
MPB-4 "MPB-4" (Elenco, 1968)
MPB-4 "Deixa Estar" (Elenco, 1970)
(Produced by Eustaquio Sena; arrangements by MPB-4 & Roberto Menescal)
Although I'm not a huge fan of MPB-4, this album is pretty compelling. A rock-tinged, semi-psychedelic outing with debts to Rogerio Duprat and the tropicalia crowd, this features a mix of new songs, bossa evergreens and samba oldies by Noel Rosa, Donga, refashioned into swirling MPB pop tunes. The vocal acrobatics are kept to a minimum, while the trippy arrangements are brought to the fore, accentuating contemporary songs by Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, and even a couple of songs written by jazz guitarist Toninho Horta. There's an eclectic mix of instruments, with more emphasis on guitars and percussion, more in line with the music of the post-bossa experimentalists. True, after a while it gets to be a bit much, but overall this is a very strong album, and very unlike their earlier work. Definitely worth checking out.
Os Mugstones "Os Mugstones" (1967)
This kilt-clad combo crafted a kooky mix of frat rock, Viscounts-ish instrumental pop, and some genuine Brazilian freakbeat gems. The lackluster instrumentals outnumber the rock tunes, but they don't outweigh them: the handful of groovy rock songs definitely make this disc worth checking out.
Mundo Livre s/a "Samba Esquema Noise" (Banguele, 1994)
The debut album by one of the key bands in Pernambuco's explosive 1990s manguebeat scene... This is an exuberant, uninhibited mix of styles -- funky, guitar-based indie/alt rock, electronic noise and regional Brazilian styles... The tilt towards aggressive, electric rock makes this a little on the loud side for an old geezer like me -- or at least it's not the kind of loud, aggressive rock music that I'm normally into -- but there's still an wild, vibrant creativity at work here that'll make you sit up and pay attention, as well as some quieter moments that are a nice change of page. Percussionist (and future solo performer) Otto was part of the crew in this early edition of the band. Worth checking out!
Mundo Livre s/a "Guentando A Oia" (Excelente, 1996)
Mundo Livre s/a "Carnaval Na Obra" (Abril/Excelente, 1998)
Soulful, accomplished '90s alt-rock, with a heavy, funk-drenched approach and an interesting blend of traditional influences. Airy-voiced lead singer "Zero Quatro" bears a more than passing similarity to the great Caetano Veloso, not just in his nasal-yet-suave drawl, but also in his eclectic musical approach. Sometimes the band sits on a groove a little too long, letting things grow static, but overall this is a pretty impressive effort. The use of the cavaquinho next to a heavy soul snare drum is especially nice. Definitely worth checking out, if you're curious about the more modern-sounding Brazilian bands.
Mundo Livre s/a "Por Pouco" (Abril, 2000)
Mundo Livre s/a "Bebadogroove, v.1" (Tratore, 2006)
Mundo Livre s/a "Mundo Cao" (Som Livre, 2007)
Mundo Livre s/a "Combat Samba" (DeckDisc, 2008)
Mundo Livre s/a "Bit (Box Set)" (Deck Disc, 2004)
A 4-CD box set which includes reissues of their first four albums -- Samba Esquema Noise, Guentando A Oia, Carnaval Na Obra, and Por Pouco -- along with an added disc of video material. Unlike many Brazilian rock boxes, this isn't just a repackaging of regular jewel-box CDs, but rather a floppy fold-out cardboard thingie, with an additional booklet of liner notes and written material. Good introduction to the band!
Celso Murilo "Mr. Ritmo" (Pawal, 1961)
Celso Murilo "Isto E O Drink" (Remon, 1962)
Soul-samba pioneer Wilson Simonal sings on two tunes, making his debut alongside jazz organist Celso Murilo and his group, the rather zippy, upbeat house band from an old Rio nightclub known as Drink... He's one of several singers with the band, and he's definitely the best. Singing and swinging, Simonal is on top of the beat in a way that the others are not -- he's hep and full of charisma. The other singers have their charms as well, though: there are Luiz Bandeira and samba-cancao songbirds Lila and the ill-fated Sandra, who died in a car crash about the time this disc came out. Overall, it's quite a lively, enjoyable album, mixing a hefty dose of authentic samba with cheerful nightclub swing. Simonal, already under contract to Odeon, was clearly the star attraction, and devoted fans will definitely want to track this one down.
Celso Murilo "Tremendo Balanco" (EMI-Odeon, 1964)
Ramiro Musotto "Sudaka" (Fast Horse, 2003)
Modern electronic remix tracks, with samples drawn from ethomusical percussion albums, candomble rituals, the afro-samba band Ile Aiye, old cinema novo films, and from field recordings made in towns inside Brazil's Mato Grosso and in rural Argentina. The mixing and production concepts seem somewhat unidimensional, but it's still very nice, and the choices of source material are pretty creative... Although he was born in Argentina, percussionist Musotto is very much in the thick of the modern Brazilian pop scene, working with heavy-hitters such as Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte and Daniella Mercury, to name a few. There's a Sergio Ricardo credited on one track here, presumably it's the old 1960s bossa nova pioneer; yet another reason to check this disc out.
Ramiro Musotto "Civilizacao & Barbarye" (Circular Moves, 2006)
Os Mutantes - see artist discography
