Scene Report: Brazil March 2009 - Instrumental Music
By: Eduardo Curi
Instrumental music has never been a chart topping kind of sound in Brazil. But regardless of that, some artists in the indie scene are struggling hard to make their music with no lyrics and get it across to the public. Bands such as Macaco Bong, 4, O Garfo and Pata de Elefante have been standing out on national and their local scenes as marking a cultural shift in the public, who are coming to their gigs and buying (or downloading) their records in droves.
[MACACO BONG]
Macaco Bong is a power trio from Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, in the western central area of the country. They might not be the first to merge pop melodies with virtuosoisms in an instrumental outfit, but for sure, they are the best in their field. Their first album, Artista Igual Pedreiro ('artist like a bricklayer') was considered the best album of 2008 by several magazines and websites, including our Rolling Stone. You can download their record at the Trama Virtual website for free, here. Check it out!
Another band who went the instrumental way, but in a more transcendental mood is 4. Natives of Sabará, a colonial town in Minas Gerais, in the southwest, you can say their music is as colourful as a rainbow (and the Pink Floyd reference here is intentional) and at the same time hypnotic. Drops of heavy broken time bars, along with keyboard pads that won't let your eyes go away from them while they're on stage, they're well worth a listen on their MySpace.
Coming from the northeast, in Fortaleza, Ceará, O Garfo is a band that went the distorted way, but without losing clarity. Heavily cranked bass guitars along with clear melodies make them one of the best instrumental outfits in the country, simply because you could easily add lyrics to their songs. Also you can happily whistle their themes, making them as catchy as an Arctic Monkeys number (not that much maybe, but still, this is very good indeed). Have a listen.
[PATA DE ELEFANTE]
Coming from the southern city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the band Pata de Elefante is another one who went a very poppish way, but without losing their originality. Surf music, cabaret and saloon moods make them one of the most pleasant bands you can possibly listen to. Check them out here. .
It's a shame Brazil has never paid much attention to its instrumental artists. It would be no surprise if these bands made more success abroad than in their own country, as seems to happen with a lot of other Brazilian artists.