Gilberto Gil

Gilberto Gil (Cérebro Eletrónico) [Philips]

Considering Gilberto Gil alongside abettors Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, and Os Mutantes, the Brazilian Tropicália movement and its immediate aftermath spawned at least 13 self-titled albums, plus the genre-establishing compilation called Tropicália ou Panis et Circenses (that is, Tropicália or Bread and Circuses). Despite growing interest in this sonic revolution of the late 1960s, there are certainly masterpieces which remain rare and un-reissued in the U.S. market. One of these gems is Gilberto Gil’s most experimental album, recorded in 1969.

The album spawned Gil’s first hit single with “Aquele Abraço,” a relatively straightforward if ironically bittersweet samba-pop hit. The rest of the record captures that which defined Tropicália, if it can be defined: traditional Brazilian rhythms meet psychedelic guitar fuzz, musique concrete, avant-garde poetry, and political activism. Remaining tunes range from popular music with noise elements (the catchiest being “Volks-Volkswagen Blue” and “Cérebro Eletrónico”) to noise music with pop elements (see the tape effects and spoken word of “2001” and “Objecto Semi-Identificado”).

Because of its boundary-pushing ambition, Cérebro Eletrónico remains less consistently accessible than its 1968 predecessor, Gilberto Gil (Frevo Rasgado). It also doesn’t feature the symphonic arrangements of Rogério Duprat, or Os Mutantes, Brazil’s answer to the Beatles, as a back-up band. By the same token, Gil’s 1969 self-titled offering traffics in a different aesthetic, one more dedicated to pushing the aural envelope. It’s some of the edgiest music in Gil’s catalog; that said, it’s still Gilberto Gil’s catalog: Cérebro Eletrónico grooves pretty hard too.

–Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR Music