DOS BENEFÍCIOS DUM VENDIDO NO REINO DOS BONIFÁCIOS

Typically when one see a Latin band listed as folk, particularly one whose genesis was in the seventies, the instant expectation is to hear either a lot of fat acoustic flamenco-like guitar and castanets; or yet another Santana clone. Well think more like the diversity and multi-disciplined artistic approach of Beggar’s Opera; a little bit of After Crying’s penchant for mixing chamber chorals with piano, ethnic instrumentation, and spoken-word passages; and Super Furry Animal’s sarcastic sense of humor, and you would be a bit closer to what these guys sound like.

It’s very difficult to assess an album when all the reference material about them is in Portuguese (unless you speak Portuguese of course), and when some thirty-two years have passed since the album had any kind of visibility beyond the band’s tight group of fans. But let’s try.

First, the album artwork here is more like something to be expected of Birth Control or even the Furries. Multimedia artist and band violinist Carlos Zíngaro provides the adult-underground like cartoon sketches on the cover, and while they’re kind of funny this is not what you’d expect of a folk band. Que sera.

The music here is an eclectic and haphazard mix of acoustic folk that borders on Wyrd at times, those chamber-like vocals supplied by just about everyone in the band but mostly the two female members Judi Brennan and Helena Afonso, the requisite acoustic guitars, Zíngaro’s violin, and all manner of brass, woodwinds and percussion. I even heard what sounded like a Jew’s harp on “Bonifacios “. The strings are mostly discordant and tense; the brass mostly improvisational and jazzy. There’s lots of delicate piano and even the occasional electric guitar. I’m not exactly sure how many instruments are employed among the nine band members, but there are about twenty listed in the liner notes.

So you get the picture: lots of instrumental sounds, plenty of vocals, and what seems to be a largely irreverent approach to composition that results in songs that require close attention to avoid missing anything.

There’s not much point in my trying to decipher all that’s going on here – that must be left to someone who has a native mastery of the Portuguese tongue. But a few observations can be made: “Horas de ponta e mola” contains the most emotive and beautiful strings on the album, while “Aliciação - espirito imundo” blends Latin and Arab percussion and strings into a veritable stew pot of world music sound. Zíngaro shines on violin on the brief but beautiful “Henrique ser ou nao henriquecer”. And “Cocktail do braço de prata” seems to cover about a century of folk sounds in its four and a half short minutes.

There’s lots to absorb here, and nearly all of it is worth the time and effort. I’ve only had the chance to listen to this for a couple of weeks and already I know I’ll be revisiting this review some time down the road to flesh it out with more discoveries. In the meantime I hope other progressive fans discover these guys and their deep discography. If this debut is any example then Banda do Casaco has plenty to offer. Four stars and well recommended.

peace