Onda Híbrida Ressonante

Chronique

Onda Híbrida Ressonante is the 2004 debut album of Cérebro Eletrônico -- undoubtedly one of the most creative, exciting and innovative bands to emerge on the Brazilian music scene during this decade. Transcending traditional genre boundaries, the music of Cérebro Eletrônico defies simple definitions as it floats between electronica, rock, pop, and MPB. One of the explicit goals of bandleader Tatá Aeroplano is to always surprise the listener, avoiding clichés and predictability. And boy does he succeed on Onda Híbrida Ressonante! The soundscape and style of the album are indeed unique. The opening track "Menina em Transe" is a dreamy, smooth drum'n'bass with a beautiful melody. The soft electronic pop of the romantic "Atirei a Primeira Pedra" is another album highlight, and bears a slight resemblance to some of French electronica duo Air's output. The slightly quirky "Ar Condicionado" has a very captivating semi-acoustic and half electronic beat. "O Dragão da Minha Garagem" is partially sung in English and draws much of its sound from American indie rock, although there it has an unmistakable touch of electronic groove to it too. "Marcel Duchamp x Coffin Joe" mixes 60s psychedelics, white rap, sharp guitar rock, and humor in a way that gives the listener the impression that these disparate styles were always meant to be glued together into a unit. "Antropofagia" is another little gem, starting off sounding like an old samba-canção from the 1940s and then developing into modern disco, submerged in thick carpets of ominous stringed music. Due to the excellent, perfectionist production and the distinct and unmistakable São Paulo sound, the music is at no point on the verge of sounding forced, too eclectic, or too "smart" for its own good. There is no doubt that with Onda Híbrida Ressonante, Cérebro Eletrônico has managed to create not only a truly unique sound, which of course is quite an achievement in itself, but more importantly, a fantastic album.

© Philip Jandovský /TiVo