Music Milestones, 1974: Tom Jobim & Elis Regina – Elis & Tom

Tom Jobim and Elis Regina were two towering figures of Brazilian popular music that crucially helped to advance and disseminate this musical genre. While Jobim played a pivotal role in the birth of bossa nova together with Vinícius de Moraes and João Gilberto, Regina was a performer whose excellent voice and emotional commitment to music rendered one of the most talented and cherished singers in Brazil. Elis & Tom fulfilled Regina’s old wish of recording some of Jobim’s most relevant songs with the composer, and the result is stunning. The record begins with perhaps the best rendition of “Águas de Março”, where Regina and Jobim engage in a playful and very entertaining call and response. In “Triste”, Regina sings about solitude and disillusion against a melancholy backdrop of piano, flutes and electric guitar. “Soneto da Separação” is a beautiful parting song where Jobim and Regina illustrate the separation between loved ones with witty metaphors. “Inútil Paisagem” concludes the record in low spirits and addresses the pain of loneliness, namely how it renders beauty useless. For a glimpse of Elis & Tom, I share “Chovendo na Roseira”, a hopeful tune that deals with life and renewal:

Music Milestones, 1973: João Gilberto – João Gilberto (Águas de Março)

Together with Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes, João Gilberto played a prominent role in the advancement and outreach of Brazilian popular music (MPB) from the 1950s onward. After careful study of the roots of Brazilian music and the songbooks of great jazz composers such as Duke Ellington, Gilberto devised a new style of singing and guitar playing that marked the birth of bossa nova. Although most of the relevant bossa nova songs were recorded in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, here I review a particularly meaningful record produced after the bossa nova craze. João Gilberto (Águas de Março) contains two original Gilberto compositions and eight interpretations of MPB classics, which were recorded in minimal fashion with Gilberto’s subdued voice and gentle guitar accompanied by Sonny Carr’s frugal percussion. All songs are delivered at a slow pace and display a repetitiveness that renders them somewhat hypnotic, yet not monotonous. Jobim’s “Águas de Março” opens the record with a relentless collage of apparently disconnected lyrics, which arguably recalls Rio de Janeiro’s heavy rains of March. The record includes three atmospheric instrumentals, namely the eerie “Undiú”; the relaxed “Na Baixa do Sapateiro”; and the nostalgic "Valsa (Como São Lindos os Youguis)". Geraldo Pereira’s “Falsa Baiana” lays out the proper rules to dance Bahian samba, while Roberto Roberti and Herivelto Martins’ closer “Izaura” addresses the conflicting coexistence of carefree love and work duty. For a sample of João Gilberto (Águas de Março), listen to Janet de Almeida and Haroldo Barbosa’s “Eu Quero um Samba”:

Music Milestones, 1972: David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Often disdainfully regarded as a sort of rock chameleon for delving into a wide range of music genres throughout his career, David Bowie has shown a remarkable ability to adapt to new circumstances that required thorough musical innovation. Starting as a folk singer in the mid 1960s, Bowie repeatedly changed his approach to music and his discography is as varied as to include adept takes on glam rock, soul, electronica, jungle and industrial music, to name a few distinct styles. My favorite period of Bowie’s discography is definitely the 1970s, from Hunky Dory to his Berlin trilogy with Brian Eno. Although Hunky Dory already features a signature of glam rock, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is the culmination of that kind of sound and shoulders with the best releases from glam acts such as T. Rex, Roxy Music and the New York Dolls. “Five Years” sets the stage and tells an apocalyptic tale of Earth five years before its destruction. “Moonage Daydream” is a key song in this conceptual record, where the hero Ziggy Stardust is born to save Earth from doom. The record finishes in style with three excellent tracks: “Ziggy Stardust” pays tribute to the hero and his guitar; “Suffragette City” is the most straightforward song in the record, with a piano line reminiscent of Little Richard’s compositions; and the closer “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” depicts the decay and collapse of Ziggy Stardust. For more insight into The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, listen to “Suffragette City”:

Music Milestones, 1971: Chico Buarque – Construção

A close follower of the bossa nova movement and dedicated apprentice of earlier composers such as Tom Jobim and João Gilberto, Chico Buarque had a flying start in his musical career with the release of four stellar eponymous records in the late 1960s. These records blended bossa nova and samba to great effect, and cemented Buarque’s position among the MPB giants. However, the best of Buarque was yet to come. Construção, released upon Buarque’s return to Brazil after exile, is arguably his most accomplished effort to date and undoubtedly one of the best records of Brazilian music. Here, Buarque broaches darker topics than those in his previous discography, while his lyrics are more politically engaged. “Deus lhe Pague” constitutes the most biting political comment in the record, where Buarque openly criticizes the Brazilian dictatorial regime and its social aftermath. “Cotidiano” and “Construção” are also socially concerned, and address the boredom of daily routine and the debasement of the workingman, respectively. “Valsinha” is a sad love song about a couple that experiences a brief moment of joy after a long period of dullness. “Minha História” imaginatively retells the story of Jesus Christ as the son of a sailor and a prostitute. My favorite song in Construção is “Samba de Orly”, a tribute to the exiles during the military dictatorship that was composed by Buarque, Toquinho and Vinícius de Moraes:

Zap the World, Episode 1: 2012 Music in Review

Below you can find the first episode of my podcast Zap the World! In this first episode, I play some of the tunes that caught my attention in 2012. The playlist for the first episode of Zap the World is the following:

Spiritualized - "Hey Jane" (from Sweet Heart Sweet Light, out on Double Six Records)

Neneh Cherry & The Thing - "Dream Baby Dream" (from The Cherry Thing, out on Smalltown Supersound)

Six Organs of Admittance - "Close to the Sky" (from Ascent, out on Drag City)

Tame Impala - "Mind Mischief" (from Lonerism, out on Modular Recordings)

Cat Power - "Ruin" (from Sun, out on Matador)

Lee Ranaldo - "Angles" (from Between the Times and Tides, out on Matador)

Redd Kross - "Stay Away From Downtown" (from Researching the Blues, out on Merge Records)

Sic Alps - "Glyphs" (from Sic Alps, out on Drag City)

Ty Segall - "Thank God for Sinners" (from Twins, out on Drag City)

Thee Oh Sees - "Lupine Dominus" (from Putrifiers II, out on In the Red Records)

While I intend to post new episodes of Zap the World as regularly as possible, they will come out less frequently than the posts of my retrospective Music Milestones. So, please bear with my slow pace and enjoy the music!

(To download this episode, right-click here and choose to save link.)

Music Milestones, 1970: José Afonso – Traz Outro Amigo Também

Heavily influenced by his tenure at the University of Coimbra, José Afonso began his musical career playing fado typical of that Portuguese city. The fado from Coimbra informed Afonso’s early guitar playing and singing style, as well as some of the topics that he addressed in his songs. However, Afonso eventually emancipated from the rather strict conventions of the fado from Coimbra, and developed into a folk singer in his own right that would become one of the most vehement voices against the Portuguese dictatorial regime. Afonso has a vast body of work and my favorite period of his discography ranges from 1970 to 1974, starting with Traz Outro Amigo Também. While this record still displays many characteristics of the fado from Coimbra, there are already hints of a break from that music genre. The record starts with “Traz Outro Amigo Também” and “Maria Faia”, both fine examples of the fado from Coimbra. “Canto Moço” appears to be a call to arms mobilizing youth against the regime. Afonso’s lyrics are most caustic in “Os Eunucos (No Reino da Etiópia)”, a harsh denouncement of those who betray freedom and other fundamental values. “Carta a Miguel Djeje” is a tribute to a former servant of Afonso’s during his stay in Africa, and constitutes the most accentuated departure from traditional fado in the record. “Epígrafe para a Arte de Furtar”, a harrowing piece about humanity and identity based on a poem by the oft-neglected Portuguese writer Jorge de Sena, is for me the best track in Traz Outro Amigo Também:

Music Milestones, 1969: Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left

A singer/songwriter prodigy from the British folk scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nick Drake failed to find a significant audience such as that of his peers Sandy Denny and Bert Jansch. Drake’s reclusive persona and his aversion to the stage certainly contributed to his commercial failure, which in turn drove him through a downward spiral that may have been the cause of his untimely death. Although Drake’s musical career was short and unsuccessful, he managed to release three landmark records that aged remarkably well and influenced many artists after his demise. Five Leaves Left is the first record released by Drake, and sets the stage for the dramatic and melancholy sound present throughout his scant discography. “Way to Blue” is a song that deals with uncertainty and hope, where Robert Kirby’s string arrangement renders Drake’s voice all the more poignant. In “’Cello Song”, Claire Lowther’s cello and Rocki Dzidzornu’s congas provide a laudatory atmosphere to Drake’s eulogy for a girl. “Fruit Tree” addresses the elusive nature of fame, a subject that would ironically concern Drake’s own path until the end of his short career. “Man in a Shed” is perhaps my favorite track in Five Leaves Left, a bittersweet love song with fine piano and bass accompaniment:

Music Milestones, 1968: The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat

The Velvet Underground were way ahead of the curve in the late 1960s, which helps explain the modest commercial success during their lifetime. However, the Velvets’ following grew over time and they were hugely influential after their demise, becoming a central reference for all the bands that emerged during the punk and post-punk eras. As Brian Eno famously said, their debut record The Velvet Underground and Nico may have only sold 30,000 copies in its early years, but "everyone who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band". Indeed, their approach to music, which consisted of adding avant-garde elements to abrasive rock and roll songs, while an oddity in their time, proved truly groundbreaking. Although my favorite record by the Velvets is their debut, I choose White Light/White Heat to review because here they take the experimentation displayed in their first record to new heights. “White Light/White Heat” starts off the record at fervent pace, with a piano line reminiscent of the earlier “I’m Waiting for the Man”. “The Gift” combines Lou Reed’s spoken word piece told in a blank voice by John Cale on the left speaker, with an entertaining instrumental on the right speaker. In “Lady Godiva’s Operation”, the British myth is perverted by a tale of a botched surgery of said legend, accompanied by a very hummable guitar tune. “I Heard Her Call My Name” heralds the arrival of punk and heavy metal music, where Reed’s rabid singing is surrounded by a copious amount of distortion. The record closes with “Sister Ray”, a one-take full-on jam named after Ray Davies of the Kinks. “Here She Comes Now” stands quietly amidst the frenzy in White Light/White Heat:

Music Milestones, 1967: Leonard Cohen – Songs of Leonard Cohen

In my view, Leonard Cohen is first and foremost an accomplished poet and novelist. Indeed, Cohen garnered critical acclaim for his literary work well before delving into music, and was a late bloomer in the 1960’s folk scene. Cohen’s musical path is therefore quite distinct from other singers/songwriters such as Bob Dylan or Simon & Garfunkel, who quickly rose to pop stardom early in their lives. Despite his late musical debut, I think that Cohen made good use of his experience to write songs with greater depth and lyrical quality than those by his peers. Songs of Leonard Cohen is my favorite Cohen record. Here, Cohen’s singing and guitar playing are harmoniously complemented by a string section and backing vocals, which help create a musical environment that perfectly accommodates his masterful lyrics. “Suzanne”, an awe-inspiring song filled with symbolism, opens the record with a mystical tale about an acquaintance of Cohen. “Sisters of Mercy” tells about the so named muses and the wonders that they work upon their subjects. “So Long, Marianne” is perhaps the most upbeat song in the record, albeit in a bittersweet way. In “Teachers”, Cohen seeks teachers of the heart, who turn out to teach love in somewhat cruel ways. “Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye”, a beautiful parting song, should be a fine introduction to Songs of Leonard Cohen:

Music Milestones, 1966: The Beatles – Revolver

Pop/rock reached its maturity in 1966, and strong releases such as Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, Aftermath by the Rolling Stones and Face to Face by the Kinks would easily contend for the best record of this year if the Beatles were not around. However, the Fab Four managed to outshine their peers with the brilliant Revolver, the experimental nature of which crucially ushered in the psychedelic era.

Despite all the experimentation that underlies Revolver, the record is a surprisingly cohesive blend of a wide range of tunes. George Harrison contributed a significant share to the songwriting, penning three indelible songs: the caustic “Taxman”; the Indian-tinged “Love You To”; and the lovelorn “I Want to Tell You”. Elsewhere, the Lennon/McCartney powerhouse was at its finest and yielded several nuggets. Highlights of the songwriting duo include the mellow “Here, There and Everywhere”, the cathartic “She Said She Said” and the comforting “And Your Bird Can Sing”. “Tomorrow Never Knows” closes the record, pushing the boundaries of pop/rock music to a whole new territory.

I leave you with “Eleanor Rigby”, which I think is the saddest and most moving song in Revolver: