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It's a gently lilting message that beckons you in, places you on a cushion of sound, and leads you through adventures that never feel awkward. Pure pop, make no mistake, but always perky and never dull. Downtempo without falling down.
The presence of co-producer Ramiro Musotto on all but one of these tracks is unmistakable. He's a percussionist first, playing a freaky collection of pan-global instruments from Brazil (berimbau), the Middle East (darbuka), the Balkans (dumbek), North Africa (Moroccan bongo), Southern Africa (mbira), and so on. On top – or underneath, depending on your orientation – he superimposes purely electronic drum programming, samples, and effects. The acoustic/electric combination tends to be a dangerous mix in general, but not with this captain at the helm. And credit the artist (and co-producer) known as Jongui for squeezing tasty samples in here.
Musotto's rhythms serve as an underpinning for the rest of the group, which consists of a revolving cast of musicians playing acoustic and electric instruments from sax to guitar, keyboards, banjo, and beyond. Echoes of samba, fado, reggae, dub, drum-n-bass, Brazilian folkloric music, and capoeira inform each of these pieces in turn.
Certain combinations work better: “Pipoca Contemporânea” (”Contemporary Popcorn”) spoons out the honey in an oddly funky meter of seven alongside samples in English; the folk bounce of “Madrigal” heads right into the emotionally drenched Portuguese fado tradition; “Clareo” feels oddly like a collision between capoeira and samba, entering a trance state through paced repetition. But watch out for the awkward version of “Eleanor Rigby” at the end, which feels totally out of place.
None of this music would work without Mylene's relaxed, warm vocals or Musotto's detailed production. The ancient-future collision among the instruments, styles, and themes on _Mylene somehow feels natural, open, and joyous. The chemistry must be just right.
