Did you know that most scholars consider Brazil a "Western" country? I might have stopped my list once I got to Europe + places the speak English. From a cultural standpoint, the rock music of the 60's and 70's provides some evidence in that direction, with the noisy end of Tropicalia mirroring American garage rock, Bossa Nova paralleling prettier, experimental British 60's pop rock, and moves into electronic sounds in the 70's lining up with similar moves towards funk and soul in the Northern Western world.
This is a great example of the latter, a funky 1973 album, to use the word so oft-applied to it. The hitched, sultry delivery, the crisp beats, the flicking licks of guitar, the sound is smooth, but undulating, sailing on rougher seas than your average Brazillian croonfest.
The key, though, are those keyboards, the warm Rhodes, the ethereal mini-moog, sending the entire endeavor skyward*, with Valle keeping the tempo brisk and keeping it from getting too lazy in the sun. The effect is sunny, cool, relaxing, exciting, and as good as anything the English-speaking world was ginning up around the same time 4.5/5
* is this where Air got the idea? The title track in particular sounds stunningly like something off of Moon Safari, an album that holds a special, mellowed-out place in my heart
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