Search - Macaco :: Ingravitto

Macaco, the culture-clashing monkey!

BEEMO | New York, NY | 03/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The culture-clasher, Macaco does it up real nice with their fourth album "Ingravitto." I always imagined Macaco like a giant walking the Earth--one foot in Spain, the other in Brazil. With each step leaving an imprint while taking a bit of everything with him as he travels. On Ingravitto, you'll discover lyrics sung, spoken, rapped, and whispered in french, portuguese, english, italian, spanish, and catalan. If you wanted to tie them down to a genre in the record store, good luck--there's reggae, hip hop, rock, funk, flamenco, folk, and who knows what else. One would think it impossible to mix so many elements into one thing and still be able to get a nice song out of it. Macaco does just that, always true to their own sound, defying the constraints of the average packaged cd.



There's plenty of special guests on the album as well. Muchachito Bombo Infierno, Naz from Nação Zumbi, former Planet Hemp vocalist BNegão, Italian rapper Caparezza, Ms. Maiko, and La Mari from Chambao.



"Mama Tierra" has a bassline that'll make it impossible not to bump your head back and forth--"Brasil 3000" has a similar effect but with the heavy drums from Brazil. "Crece La Voz" is frenetic, like speeding through traffic way too fast. "Somos Luz" is a dreamy breather.



"...La claridad me dice ya voy. La sombra me mató mi voz, sin ella estoy muda, se enfria, se enfria, se enfria el calor..."



"Hilo y Aguja" is similarly dreamy, but in a more melancholic tone--like a dying flower that comes back in spring.



Ingravitto isn't an album to play in it's entirety at a house party OR if you're feeling like the walls of your tiny apartment are caving in on you. Instead, Macaco cuts through all the ups and downs of your day-to-day with a stroke of genius and lust for life."