Os Mutantes – Fool Metal Jack
Reviewed by Sadie O., 4/12/13
Brazil’s original psych-oddness-rock merry pranksters return for their 10th full studio album in 45 years. They’re still odd! And they’ve got the bass up front in the mix throughout, which makes me very happy. Let’s all drop acid and get mutanticated!
FCC on track 2 according to the liner, but it’s all in Brazilian Portuguese…
1. 4:06 **sitar and tabla intro, then big bass thumps, rather jazzy-Eastern glissandos, swingy beat, male vocals in English. Quite pretty, really. Psychedelic cosmic lyrics.
2. 3:04 FCC in Brazilian Portuguese ****strange harmonies between the strings – but they totally work. Female vocals in Brazilian Portuguese. Slinky, crawly and groovy. Slithery bass.
3. 5:21 ***ponderous, grunty bass, grotty male vocals in English. I think it’s all about the zombie apocalypse, but it’s almost perky in places. Ends in cacophony.
4. 3:32 ***groovy Reggae swing, pretty vocals, vocals in accented English, bass is way up front in the mix.
5. 3:36 **pretty flutes, gentle sway, pretty male vocals in English. Do the hippie dance to this!
6. 3:47 ****funky syncopation with grunty bass, gnarly guitars, very 60’s psych style vocals. Digging this the most, baby! Truly strange Tropicalia!
7. 3:59 ***electric funky uptempo waltz, awesome female vocal harmonies, in English. Freaky circus bits, lots of musical changes, some deeply weird electric standup bass…
8. 4:41 ****big heavy metal stomp – gnarly! Think early Sabbath… Except Mutanted. Ends with more than 30 seconds of random faint sitar bits.
9. 2:48 **pretty mellow jazz with slide bass, male vocals in English, very sad.
10. 3:56 ***sweet swirly waltz, male vocals with female chorus – very hippie psychedelic…
11. 3:24 ***relaxed and pretty, light, with tinkly piano, sweet male-female harmonies.
12. 3:12 **cosmic sounds and pretty guitar, light vocals over scary sounds.