A Song For Friday: Boogarins
Brazil's finest psych-rock band makes a stunning return with their fifth album
"Boogarins...Slayed!!!! I feel bad for the headliners. These kids ain't playing!!" So wrote Duane Harriott on the message board for his late, lamented WFMU show the day after the Brazilian band played at Glasslands (also late and lamented!) for their second NYC appearance in March 2014. I had seen them the day before when they nearly blew the plate glass out of Other Music (jeez…again late and lamented).
Duane introduced me to the band, playing tracks from their 2013 debut, As Plantas Que Curam, on his show, but the live experience sealed the deal and made me a forever fan. Since then I’ve lapped up the delirious goodness of all their releases and praised them highly, including when I recently named 2017’s Desvio Onirico #4 in my list of top ten live albums.
While they’ve kept up a steady stream of odds and sods and live material, they just released Bacuri, their first full-length studio album since 2019’s Sombrou Duvida. Currently only available on Spotify and YouTube, the album is a true gem and must be sought out no matter what ideological objections you have to music-streaming services.
Get your feet wet with Poeira (Dust), which comes in on a cloud of tape effects before entering into a stop-start rhythm underpinning guitars both strummed and picked with synth textures burbling away in the background. Fernando "Dinho" Almeida sings an engaging tale in Portuguese (although I have no idea what he’s singing about!) and the band (Benke Ferraz, lead guitar; Raphael Vaz, bass; and Ynaiã Benthroldo, drums) follows every twist and turn like a rapt audience. At about the halfway mark, Ferraz and Almeida hit on a slashing riff and the song begins to hit a new stride, nearly exploding before settling back down. After another verse, Ferraz plays a melodic solo that is soon overtaken by the band in full flight - and they don’t come back down until the very last second. What a ride!
While Boogarins goes platinum and plays at huge festivals in their home country, they are still a cult band in the U.S. But you can be the change I want to see in the world by listening to this smashing album today.
Find most of the songs for Friday in this playlist or below.
Also Out This Week
Kill Symbols - Gonzo Activism Recording under this moniker since 2021, Jake Triola has sent nine albums and five EPs into the universe from his homebase in Glasgow, Scotland. But you can start with the latest one - I did - to find supremely smart synth pop with the dark edge of Manchester circa 1980. Great lyrics, too - take this from Tea & Oranges: “When everything is upside down/Take the ones below you and elevate, don’t let’em drown/Half the world is burning, America is gone/But really was she even there at all?” I’m going to be sitting that one for a while.
Xzavier Stone - Rainfall There’s an almost sculptural presence to the four elegant tracks on the latest EP by this Zurich-based composer and producer. Crossing paths with R&B and drum’n’bass, each piece - but especially the two featuring electronic music magus Loraine James - creates a sleek space for dreaming while you move or moving while you dream.
Vines - come thou fount of every blessing Yet another wondrous track of ambient song-smithing from Cassie Wieland. You will lose yourself completely and when you open your eyes, you will hardly believe only 3:51 has passed.
From the archives:
Best Of 2019: The Top 25
Best Of 2017 (So Far)
Boogarins: Pure Love From Brazil
Note: The graphic above is based on a photo by Gabriel Rolim.