Search - Various Artists :: Sexual Life of the Savages

Great comp from Soul Jazz!

marios p. | Lefkosia, Cyprus | 09/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this about a month ago, never expecting to be too impressed by it. I just wanted to have a taste of something that seemed like a bizarre concept to me, initially. I mean Brazilian post-punk?! C'mon! I love Brazilian music (60s/70s) and bands like Os Mutantes were as good as most psychedelic bands in the US and Europe in the 60s, but i couldn't imagine a post-punk movement doing something significant in a country like Brazil.



Those late 60s/70s artists, heavily influenced by rock music, created a wonderful mix of sounds, they called 'tropicalia'. In the US and the UK (Europe), the mid-late 70s brought with them a new movement in life and music: punk. The thing is, i have no idea if punk ever 'happened' in Brazil. I'm sure Soul Jazz will surprise me with a wonderful Brazilian punk comp sometime in the near future (!), but this ignorance of mine made it harder to grasp the concept of a POST-punk scene in this country.



This compilation is sublime! It is easily one of the best V/A comps i've purchased in a long long time! Sure, these bands borrowed a lot from their UK/US heroes (Joy Division, NY No Wave scene, Gang Of 4, Pop Group etc), but they manage to make those sounds entirely their own. I think the fact that it's in a language most people can't speak helps in that department. It adds a certain exotic quality to these recordings, that's for sure.



This collection consists entirely of songs from the Sap Paulo post-punk scene. As the compilers note, cities like Rio De Janeiro also had an equally vibrant scene at the time, but this set focuses only on SP.



In conclusion i'll just say this: if you love post-punk and are looking to discover some 'new' sounds then you're in for a treat! I hope i'm not overhyping it, but if you're into this sort of music then this is an essential CD!

"

Amazing Brazilian Post-Punk from the 80's

Andre Seibel | San Francisco, CA USA | 09/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The vibrant and energetic Brazilian Post-Punk movement from the 80's went by without anyone, outside of Brazil, taking notice. Finally, Soul Jazz (thank you!) decided to put out this awesome compilation. Now the world can listen to how Brazilians reacted to American and European Punk music. "The Sexual Life of the Savages" covers a lot of ground from the guitar-heavy music of As Mercenarias and Smack to the moody and sophisticated ambiance of Chance (one of my favorite bands to this day), from the experimental and rich rhythms of Patife and Akira S to the tropical goth of Cabine C and NAU, and from the low-tech samba of Fellini (the best Brazilian band EVER) to the spooky 80's tecno-pop of Harry. This is experimental Post-Punk music like you never imagined.



The CD kicks off with two songs from As Mercenarias, an all-girls Punk band who delivers their hard (and melodic) music and political lyrics with amazing confidence. The guitars in "Inimigo" sound like a crazed video game that is ready to Tilt. Hot.



Patife, who appears around the middle of the CD, is another great band. They sound like a mix between a tropical A Certain Ratio and, in a sarcastic way, a greedy business man. Their vocals and rhythms are great.



Fellini is my favorite band of all times. They have recorded 5 excellent albums. The most recent one, "Amanha e Tarde," came out a couple of years ago, and I highly recommend it. It is a bit different from what you hear from them in this compilation.



Gang 90, A.K.A. Gang 90 & Absurdettes, has only one song in the CD, but they are some of the pioneers of this Brazilian 80's scene. Their album "Essa Tal de Gang 90 & Absurdettes" is a Brazilian classic and it is available on Amazon (another album I recommend). It has more of a New Wave feel to it; if you like Talking Heads, Blondie, and the B-52's, you will love it.



Chance is just so sexy. Unfortunately, I think they recorded only the two songs that are in "The Sexual Life of the Savages." With lots of pianos, subtle rhythms, whispered and spoken vocals, they exude tons of sexuality and moodiness.



Although not all tracks in "The Sexual Life of the Savages" are great, most of them are of unexpected and amazing quality - classics. Check this CD out, and, if you like what you hear, check out some of my recommendations above. I think you will be very surprised by this Brazilian Post-Punk scene that no one has heard of until now."

São Paulo Scene You Never Knew Existed... Brasil

Arthur Byrd | Everywhere | 06/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow ! Track 3@4 are ok and take some getting use to, but all 18 tracks are wow ! Punk there is, but it seems to me it is 80's all the way. A must and get ready. Check out the liners.



Arturo, NYC"