Adventures in 'smooth'

The two acts today showcase the versatility of global music; the common element being how smooth they are in execution. The Temper Trap hails from Australia, and I was surprised with how many of the young people I mentioned the new CD to, knew of them and liked their music. As for Marcos Valle and Celso Fonseca, they are two of the brightest keeping alive the genre, Brazilian music, combining samba and bossa in an orchestral setting on the CD.

The Temper Trap — The Temper Trap (Universal Music). The band’s first critically-acclaimed album, Conditions, tagged it as an indie band, while the sophomore follow-up has more lush, synth-driven instrumentation. People refer to acts like The Smiths, The Cure and New Order, when they describe the band, and they’re all that and more. Anthemic, stadium-friendly music is its strength, and Need Your Love captures this in spades. Miracle is like a rock Erasure come to life, thanks to frontman Dougy Mandagi’s falsetto. The uptempo tunes like Where Do We Go From Here are great counterpoints to the introspective quality of songs like The Sea is Calling and Leaving Heartbreak Hotel, Diversity, coupled with quality, make for a smooth listen!

Marcos Valle and Celso Fonseca — Pagina Central (Discmedi Blau, available on Amazon France). Valle is something of an Ivan Lins, while Fonseca is like Caetano Veloso. Together, they make this concept of samba and orchestral arrangements, sound fresh and exciting. Too often, we have some outdated, one-dimensional aural picture of what a genre like Brazilian music sounds like. The CD shows just how fertile and evolved the music continues to be. Vim Dizer Que Sim is my favorite upbeat song with vocals, while Ela E Aquela is my choice ballad. There are strong instrumentals dotting the album’s playlist, and they showcase deft guitar-playing, plus tasteful use of string sections. Couldn’t care less if I don’t understand the lyrics, this is music that pleases — like vintage wine, or the feeling of silk on your skin.