Brazilian Girls – Brazilian Girls
Verve, 2005
1. Home
2. Don’t Stop
3. Lazy Lover
4. Sirè Nes de la Fête
5. Corner Store
6. Long
7. Pussy
8. Die Gedken Sind Frei (Thougts Are Free)
9. All We Have
10. Dance Till the Morning Sun
11. Me Gustas Cuando Callas
12. Ships in the Night
It’s a mood, it’s a feeling, daddy-o.
And it’s also painfully obvious that the Brazilian Girls hail from New York City.
Upon first glance at the song titles, it’s a question of whether the Brazilian Girls are authentically multicultural, or if they’re using it as a schtick. Regardless of what may be true, vocalist Sabina Scuibba works best when dealing in a foreign tongue; with lyrics in Spanish, German, French, Italian, as well as English, it would seem schizophrenic if not delivered with such brazen mastery of the power of each tongue. Gimmick or not, they use this to their advantage, creating a vibe that is both unique and pleasing to the ear.
In fact, that last bit may embody most of the album’s feeling. While most of the album is in a laid back Portishead type vein, hints of latin rhythms, reggae, lounge, and house dart throughout songs. One almost gets the feeling that this could be a bizarre Quentin Tarantino soundtrack, all performed by one artist.
As pleasant and inoffensive as the music itself may be, the lyrics are another story. Songs heavily tinged with sex and drug references make up the majority of the Brazilian Girls’ output. Within these lyrics — the English ones, at least — it’s easy to see where the band falls short. While the music itself is classy and sultry, the lyrics are predictable and even cliché at times. It also seems rather strange to hear such highbrow composition paired with “Pussy pussy pussy marijuana.”
Kicking off the album with “Homme,” one instantly falls into the jazz club vibe reminiscent of old Morcheeba albums. “Don’t Stop” adds a little house and a little quirk, this is when the cracks in their lyrics start to show; remedied by the time the band returns to a foreign language with “Sirè Nes de la Fête,” one can appreciate the more articulate and compositional highlights that the Brazilian Girls so excel at creating. “Corner Store” is a lazy reggae anthem of sorts, and “Die Gedanken Sind Frei” is full of stops and starts that separate them from being merely another ambient jazz band.
Unfortunately, the truly good and memorable tracks are spread between some rather empty-hearted attempts to create already overdone sounds. “Lazy Lover” and “Long” both suffer from extreme stretches of blandness. In fact, by the time one reaches the last few tracks on the album, the novelty of the album starts to wear thin. Even with styles bouncing around like a crazed monkey, and even with none of them sticking out like a sore thumb, they still somehow manage to blend together just a little too much. By the time one hits the plodding “Me Gustas Cuando Callas,” it’s nearly impossible to concentrate on the music.
Truly though, the Brazilian Girls have a very iconoclastic sound and vibe. It may be a question of lyrics that don’t seem to draw in the listener. It may be an issue of too many facets done too many different ways. In the end, hearing each song individually yields a more than pleasurable experience. Taken as a whole, however, one wonders how one band can have so many different ideas that still end up sounding similar, with nothing catching the ear and sticking. Well, aside from that “pussy pussy pussy marijuana” refrain.
