COISAS DO ARCO DA VELHA

"Coisas Do Arco Da Velha" is the second studio album of Banda Do Casaco and was released in 1976. It was released after their admirable debut studio album "Dos Benefícios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonfácios", in 1975. However, while that album was made in the format of a conceptual album, this time with "Coisas Do Arco Da Velha", Banda Do Casaco decided to divide the album into several individual songs without anything in common with each other, really.

"Coisas Do Arco Da Velha" has eleven tracks. The first track "Morgadinha Dos Canibais" is an adaptation of a traditional Portuguese song whith the usual criticism to the secular Portugal in its lyrics, which always was one of the trademarks of the band. By its musical arrangements and also by its lyrics so proverbial surrealistic, this track is really a must. The second track "Ai Mê André" is also an adaptation of another traditional Portuguese song. It joins nicely the pastoral lyricism of the strings, an exultant and decided piano and a beautiful female voice. The final result is another excellent track with enigmatic lyrics and without losing the touch of poetry. The third track "Romance De Branca Flor" is based on another Portuguese traditional song and their vocalist Cândida Soares wins her artistic name to Cândida Branca Flor with this track. It opens with anxious voices calling and a dazzling oboe. It's undoubtedly influenced by the British Folk of the 70's and where the strings and the keyboards accentuate the dramatic character and the sophistication given to this beautiful atmospheric piece of music. The fourth track "Rigolindo" is a very short piece of music. It's a small and fresh musical intrusion of a minute and a half by fifes and tambourines. These drums always sound to me manly and exciting. The lyrics say that "At least once every year, you know well from the piggy bank". But, unfortunately, in nowadays the banks replaced the piggy banks and brought us the problems that we all know. The fifth track "Olá Margarida" has the breath of a winter night with a fireplace in a wood house. A pale and a brooding eroticism of a string quartet and a guitar masterfully performed rises with a thousand strings for hope. With this track, the band can't be ashamed with this impeccable musical lesson of a passionate troubadour. The sixth track "Canto De Amor e Trabalho" lyrically is about the head of a family on the back of his donkey that yearns for homecoming after a fatigue day work to eat a hot meal and have time to give a kiss to his little girl. Musically, there is no instrument that doesn't participate in the ingrained smell of the Portuguese fields. The guitar the violin and above all the female chorus are the perfect proof of that. The seventh track "É Triste Não Saber Ler" lyrically is a song that reflects perfectly well the Portuguese traditional and telluric melancholy and it's very difficult not to feel a certain emotion with its lyrics that saying that is sad we don't know to read. Musically, it's a song that echoes with the jingle of chimes that alternates with deepest cello supported by the vocals. The final result is an excellent song with a superior musical arrangement. The eighth track "Virgolino Faz O Pino" is a song with a text full of nonsense supported by a female choir a church organ soon replaced by a single voice accompanied by strings. Despite being a nice song it's probably the less interesting track on the album. The ninth track "A Mulher Do Regedor" is a fantastic cornucopia of melodies framed in the social Portuguese context in those times. The violin plus the cello and the vocals will start us on the sofa in a drunken tone for a little foot dance. This song is perfectly at the same level in terms of what is bolder in the Portuguese popular music. The tenth track "Era Uma Vez Uma Velha" is a very humoristic song very well balanced with a little piano, violin, xylophones and where little by little "velha" (old woman) is exchanged for "ovelha" (sheep). Maybe it's not perceptive for those who don't know the Portuguese language, but as with on "Dos Benefícios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonifácios" we have again the Portuguese puns, so typical in this band. The eleventh and last track "Cantiga D'Embalar Avózinhas" is another adaptation of a traditional Portuguese song. It's also a very short song that opens with a jazz piano and a full strings orchestra. This is a simple and nice song that serves perfectly well to close this pleasant album.

Conclusion: After their previous very strong debut studio album "Dos Benefícios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonifácios", but which wasn't very well received by critics and public in Portugal, Banda Do Casaco decided to make a more conventional musical work in order to sell better than their previous debut. As was said by António Pinho in an interview made some time ago, Banda Do Casaco never was really a group with a continuity in their work and each album has a very own and distinctive sound. So, the final result of "Coisas Do Arco Da Velha" was a more musical conventional work nearest of the typical Portuguese traditional folk. "Coisas Do Arco Da Velha" is also an excellent album, even today, but is definitely less interesting than their previous album. Despite is has its merits, it turns out in comparison with "Dos Benefícios Dum Vendido No Reino Dos Bonifácios". Thus, I'm going to rate it with 4 solid stars.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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