Local
Grooves
Bat
Makumba
Bat Makumba (self-released)
Bat Makumba have been holding court at some seriously sweaty
shows at local venues for some time, and now they've finally gotten
into the studio to capture their take on Música Popular Brasileira
(MPB). The band's debut release, Bat Makumba, serves as
a sharp calling card.
In contrast to other outfits reaping the fruits of Brazilian music,
Alex Koberle, Carl Remde, and Emiliano Benevides chiefly perform original
compositions. The payoff is in the obvious passion with which the songs
are played. They also allow Bat Makumba more leeway in their particular
flavor of MPB, which includes the strong ska elements of "Que nada
é peixe." On songs like "Uma gota," bandleader
Koberle adds catchy, sing-along segments, ideal for pulling in a live
audience.
The self-produced, self-released Bat Makumba is unusually consistent
in its sound quality – it's evident the album is more than a recording
of a live performance. There are occasional technical lapses: the high
hats are overly loud on the opening track, and Koberle's guitar tends
to overwhelm when he kicks in the fuzz. But there's real promise on
the more sparsely arranged tracks, like the dubbed-out "Cantiga,"
featuring gorgeous vocals from Aurea Onorato, and the salsa-tinged "Quiero
(Cuba rum, cachaça Brasil)," which leave me hoping Bat Makumba
continue to distill more of their sound in the studio. Bat Makumba
perform Fri/22, StudioZ, S.F. (415) 252-7666. (Peter Nicholson)
Swell
Bastards and
Rarities 1989-1994 (Badman)
Not only did I not appreciate San Francisco's Swell in their '90s prime,
but I also almost completely forgot about their existence. Whoa, how
did that happen? I don't know, because, listening to Bastards
and Rarities 1989-1994, I'm sure I would have adored 1997's Too
Many Days Without Thinking (Beggars Banquet) – had I only woken
up and sniffed out Swell at the time. Bastards and Rarities is
enough to whet one's appetite for those recordings as well as the group's
upcoming fall studio album. A ragtag compendium of tunes plucked
from out-of-print EPs and singles, the record nonetheless comes
across as an ultralistenable, quietly intense, even thoughtfully constructed
unit – unifying meandering indie folk-psych fests like the opening
track, "Come Tomorrow," and meditative, throbbing instrumentals
such as "Just Get Well." Spectral sample-delic lullabies such
as "Forget about You" hint at a rich inner life worth poking
around in. I don't exactly hear the Tenderloin, its stained sidewalks,
one-legged pigeons, and down-and-out bastards and badasses, which many
have associated with Swell and their 41 Turk St. recording space during
this era, nor do I necessarily get the Pavement connection apart from
both bands' affinity for languid beats. Swell have little of those ex-Stocktonites'
bite or bizarre tendencies, which might explain their persistent low
profile. (Kimberly Chun)
