An Aspiring Nerd Guide to Tropicália
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Generally unknown outside of its native Brazil, Tropicalia ran parallel to the international psych scene, meshing far-out acid aesthetics with samba and other traditional Brazilian forms. The scene has since become a cited inspiration for everyone from Kurt Cobain and Beck to David Byrne, Devendra Banhart, and the Flaming Lips. Thanks to a series of recent reissues, the scene has finally made its way into the American public’s imagination. It’s a good thing since some of the records below rank among the most innovative, interesting, and downright danceable of all time.
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VA – Tropicália: A Brazilian Revolution in Sound
While several obscure cuts are absent, this David-Byrne endorsed Soul Jazz comp offers an inspired if level, primer for the otherwise uninitiated.
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Gal Costa – S/T (1969)
Tropicalia’s most stunning siren, Gal Costa is a bossa-nova queen, a heart-wrenching ballad singer, and a psychedelic superstar.
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Gilberto Gil – S/T (1969)
Tropicalia’s most celebrated solo star, the future Brazilian mister of culture solidifies the genre with the equally essential Os Mutantes as his backing band.
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VA – Ou Panis et Circenses
Released in 1968, this self-made manifesto wasn’t just a representation of what was to come, it was a bizarre, far-out series of collaborations by future superstars.
