0020. Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes

It begins with a fanfare. The same song ends in what sounds like a high society party gone a bit overboard with people wading through broken glass (in a good way) to the tones of An Der Schönen Blauen Donau (fact check: appearently it's just tea-time in the studio).

The brazilian trio Os Mutantes thought it might be a good idea to bring psychedelic pop to South America and well, so do I. However: as I'm not as fluent in portugese as I'd like this is yet anoter album I don't understand a word of, but just like with Djam Leelii I find it fascinating. (Well, actually there's one song I partly understand and it's Baby, but that's only because the chorus is sung in english, albeit heavily accented.)

The album can be condensed into these characteristics: sugary vocals, fuzzed-out guitars, random brakes, random tempo-changing, random sounds and general psychedelia. Or to be blunt: like a Brazilian Beatles circa Sgt Pepper's but with more bossanova (and a tad more insanity).

The songs are pretty diverse in style as well as allure and none of them are sub-par. But if I'd have to recommend just two songs it would be Panis Et Circenses and their two minute version of Tempo No Tempo which both are equal parts joy to the ears and confusion for the mind.

With music like this it's a trip just trying to figure out what's going on, and I think that was one of the factors behind Os Mutantes being threatened by the military regime at the time. Another reason was of course their involvment in the avant garde-type Tropicália movement and collaborations with Gilberto Gil (who also co-wrote a couple of songs on this album).

As a piece of music (and political) history this is one of the must-hears, but it's not everyone who can handle to have this in their collection.