Brazilian actor and musician Guilherme Lamounier recorded three albums in the 1970s – all self-titled. Apart from two singles in the early eighties, however, nothing more was heard from him after that until his death in 2018. Yet those three albums remain among the masterpieces of Brazilian psychedelic folk to this day. His second work, which of course has long since become a rarity, was created in 1973 together with composer Tibério Gaspar and recorded at Rádio Gazeta Studios in São Paulo, can now finally be rediscovered – and it’s worth it. Influenced equally by the U.S. hippie counterculture and the rich musical heritage of his homeland, these ten songs combine everything associated with that era and the musical genres that were in vogue at the time: Love songs for adored women with soft flutes and 12-string guitars (»Mini Neila«, »Patrícia«), unconditional urge for freedom with fat brass sections (»Freedom«), piano ballads with opulent strings and sprawling guitar solos (»Passam Anos, Passam Anas«), polyphonic vocals, sometimes a bit rougher passages and even synth gimmicks can be found in the almost 40 minutes. For the inclined retro-fan, who simply wants to dream himself back into a more optimistic time, no wishes should remain open here.
Cassandra Jenkins
My Light, My Destroyer
Dead Oceans