Banda do Casaco - Red Box (2013) [5CD Box-Set]

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Banda do Casaco - Red Box (2013) [5CD Box-Set]

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BANDA DO CASACO's genesis comes from the reunion of jazz musician Nuno Rodrigues and FILARMÓNICA FRAUDE's men António Pinho and Luís Linhares, who made the decision to establish a new group who could wield some influence in the Portuguese music scene. Their first LP, "Dos Benefícios de um Vendido no Reino dos Bonifácios" is a real provocation to the estabilishment.
In 1976 they launched their second album, "Coisas do Arco da Velha", where the bands takes their satirical lyrics even further. The song "É triste não saber ler" ("A sad thing, not knowing how to read") is a good example.
BANDA DO CASACO's third and most renowned album, 1977's "Hoje há Conquilhas, Amanhã não Sabemos", features the inclusion in the band of António Pinheiro da Silva, as guitarist, as well as multi-instrumentalist Rão Kyao. This is the band's most experimental album. Launched in 1978, the album "Contos da Barbearia" is a culmination of styles previously explored by the group.

After three years without any recordings, the band returns with in 1981 with a new album, "No Jardim da Celeste". This album is the most rock-oriented of the band, a natural repercussion the growing trend in Portugal. It featured the inclusion in the band of female singer Né Ladeiras and Jerry Marotta, former drummer for Peter Gabriel.
In 1982, António Pinho leaves the group to write lyrics for pop-band "Doce", while the rest of the band present the album "Também Eu", which for the first time features vocals all done by one member, Né Ladeiras.

The final studio album by BANDA DO CASACO, 1984's "Com Ti Chitas", features the inclusion of a somewhat mystical figure in Portuguese music, old lady shepherd "Ti Chitas" (Catarina Sargenta), who sings and plays adufe on the album. It is the band's biggest approach to strict folk music and traditional themes. The group disbands shortly after, while the new pop-rock, punk-rock and synth-pop of the 80's slowly dominated the Portuguese musical scene.

Overall, the band had a very folkish sound, complemented by the use drums, keyboards and the occasional brass and strings, without really having a very strong focus on the "rock" part of "Progressive-Rock" or "Folk-Rock" (electric guitars, for instance, when in existence, were extremely subtle).

by João Cotrim, progarchives

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Banda do Casaco - Red Box (2013) [5CD Box-Set]

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Banda do Casaco - Red Box (2013) [5CD Box-Set]

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Typically when one see a Latin band listed as folk, particularly one whose genesis was in the seventies, the instant expectation is to hear either a lot of fat acoustic flamenco-like guitar and castanets; or yet another Santana clone. Well think more like the diversity and multi-disciplined artistic approach of Beggar’s Opera; a little bit of After Crying’s penchant for mixing chamber chorals with piano, ethnic instrumentation, and spoken-word passages; and Super Furry Animal’s sarcastic sense of humor, and you would be a bit closer to what these guys sound like.

It’s very difficult to assess an album when all the reference material about them is in Portuguese (unless you speak Portuguese of course), and when some thirty-two years have passed since the album had any kind of visibility beyond the band’s tight group of fans. But let’s try.

First, the album artwork here is more like something to be expected of Birth Control or even the Furries. Multimedia artist and band violinist Carlos Zíngaro provides the adult-underground like cartoon sketches on the cover, and while they’re kind of funny this is not what you’d expect of a folk band. Que sera.

The music here is an eclectic and haphazard mix of acoustic folk that borders on Wyrd at times, those chamber-like vocals supplied by just about everyone in the band but mostly the two female members Judi Brennan and Helena Afonso, the requisite acoustic guitars, Zíngaro’s violin, and all manner of brass, woodwinds and percussion. I even heard what sounded like a Jew’s harp on “Bonifacios “. The strings are mostly discordant and tense; the brass mostly improvisational and jazzy. There’s lots of delicate piano and even the occasional electric guitar. I’m not exactly sure how many instruments are employed among the nine band members, but there are about twenty listed in the liner notes.

So you get the picture: lots of instrumental sounds, plenty of vocals, and what seems to be a largely irreverent approach to composition that results in songs that require close attention to avoid missing anything.

There’s not much point in my trying to decipher all that’s going on here – that must be left to someone who has a native mastery of the Portuguese tongue. But a few observations can be made: “Horas de ponta e mola” contains the most emotive and beautiful strings on the album, while “Aliciação - espirito imundo” blends Latin and Arab percussion and strings into a veritable stew pot of world music sound. Zíngaro shines on violin on the brief but beautiful “Henrique ser ou nao henriquecer”. And “Cocktail do braço de prata” seems to cover about a century of folk sounds in its four and a half short minutes.

There’s lots to absorb here, and nearly all of it is worth the time and effort. I’ve only had the chance to listen to this for a couple of weeks and already I know I’ll be revisiting this review some time down the road to flesh it out with more discoveries. In the meantime I hope other progressive fans discover these guys and their deep discography. If this debut is any example then Banda do Casaco has plenty to offer. Four stars and well recommended.

by ClemofNazareth, progarchives

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"Coisas do Arco da Velha" is a Portuguese idiom used to describe bizarre events, weird happenings or really far-fetched ideas. However, like a previous reviewer wrote, what you'll find here is mostly very old stuff. The band's debut album wasn't exactly well-received by the usual folk mob and fellow artists, and while the band fiercely defended their work on stage (there are several written reports of concerts of the time), in the studio they were preparing to take a step down by leaving their unconventional approach aside for a more typical Portuguese folk album. The result, while having its merits, turns out pale in comparison with the previous and especially the following works.

The first three tracks express this tendency clearly: they are arrangements (with the bands own lyrics) of traditional songs. Morgadinha dos Canibais features a very varied rhythm between faster and slower paced, with intertwining male and female vocals, with some great flute, harmonic and cello playing, among the usual paraphernalia of instruments at the band's disposition - an excellent opener, and one of the highlights of the album. Ai Mê André is an ethereal love ballad featuring great female vocals and a tasteful string arrangement. The middle section is driven by the piano as the vocals multiply. A bassline and acoustic guitar give it a bit more punch, before the phantasmagoria of the vocals and strings return for the ending. Romance de Branca Flor begins with some very traditional vocals and percussion. What we ear is a sung dialogue between man and woman, the story of a woman cheating her husband, who soon discovers the betrayal (Matty Groves, anyone?). Hints of the band's early album are then heard as the traditional sounds give way to organ, wind instruments and cellos - a lovely piece. Rigolindo is a short track mostly percussion and flute driven, with a full band choir - a typical traditional folk song. Olá Margarida is another calm love ballad, almost a male version of Ai Mê André. The acoustic guitar (complemented by the eerie female chant in the background) is the motor of the song, showcasing some excellent playing. Canto de Amor e Trabalho is one of the more upbeat songs on the album (but not in a jiggy kind of way - Portuguese folk is much more melancholic than Spanish, French or even English or Irish folk). The violin makes its first clear appearance in this song, which once more features some great mix of male and female vocals, as it tells the story of a farmer returning home after a hard day's work and his wife's wait - a celebration of rural life. É Triste Não Saber Ler brings the melancholia back, being as it is a long lament about not knowing how to read (which metamorphs into one's inability to imagine and have ambitions). The arrangements in this song are superb, with excellent strings and even what seems to be a didgeridoo, making any kind of percussion completely unnecessary. Virgolino Faz o Pino begins with a female choir backed by church organ, soon replaced by a single voice accompanied by strings. The whole first and second section repeat throughout the song. A Mulher do Regedor is another upbeat and this time funny song (about the less appropriate adventures of a lady in a village while her husband, a national assemblyman, is away in Lisbon), more jiggy than the others, dominated by the cello, violin and acoustic guitar. Era Uma Vez Uma Velha is another song starting as a ballad with sudden changes in rhythm and punch. The quieter parts are, as usual, female sung accompanied by strings, before the rest of the band jumps from behind a rock displaying all their instruments and different vocals for the chorus. Cantiga d'Embalar Avozinhas is another take on a traditional song, a really different take, as it is opened by a jazz piano and a full strings orchestra, and featuring a child singing a lullaby to his granny - an amusing display of the world upside-down that the band seem to love so much. This last songs brings the album to a closing.

Musically, it's a more conservative effort, but still featuring some glimpses of brilliance. As in the first album, the singing, playing, composition and songwriting are among the best one will ever hear coming out of the Iberian Peninsula - but it's the musical approach that fails, due to its lack of experimentalism. As all the albums of the band, it requires a lot of attention to fully grasp it and therefore appreciate it. Lyrically it's still a strong album, filled with rich wording and political or humorous themes - while the first album was a critical take on the corruption of city life, this second album is a praise of the rural lifestyle. But I am not a lyrics man, not even in my mother tongue, and so the writing, no matter how good it is, is not enough to rate this album highly, especially when doing so from a progressive rock or folk point of view, and to an audience that probably wouldn't understand them anyway. Like the first album, it is an easy personal five stars for the beauty and quality of the compositions and songwriting, but for the purposes of a prog-oriented review I can only give three stars (perhaps four if you're a real folk lover), due to its more traditional and less adventurous approach to folk. But don't take my word for it - judge for yourself.

by Kotro, progarchives

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Hoje Há Conquilhas, Amanhã Não Sabemos is an extremely difficult album for me to review properly. It deserves a thorough analysis by someone clearly more competent to judge than me - still, I will try to do my best. To begin with, it's difficult to review because there is so much to analyse: vocals, instruments, song structure, History, similarities with other bands, originality, etc, and my own knowledge (whether of music theory or just music in general) is simply not enough to do it justice. So I will adopt my usual approach to reviews by trying to describe in the simplest, most honest way what I'm hearing. But boy, it won't be easy.

Like in previous albums, the band took 800 years of Portuguese folk and refurbished them in modern sounds, courtesy of electricity, while at the same time maintaining the use of archaic and traditional instruments. On Hoje Há Conquilhas, Amanhã Não Sabemos, their experimentalism took a step further, following the footsteps of their debut instead of their more conventional second album. There is still room in this album for some of the melancholic folk of Coisas do Arco da Velha, but it offers so much more, in fewer songs than previous efforts. Acalanto opens the album with the typical eerieness of the band. A delicate flute is heard, accompanied by dissonant strings, before the dominant cello steps into the picture, paving the way to a languid male chorus. A sudden change of pace as the full band comes in. The acoustic guitar, flute and violin take the lead. A short violin solo makes the transition for the band's first attempt at rock, featuring a drum kit and an electric guitar - still, it's the violin and cello that have prominence, along with one of several instruments unknown to me. The track then returns to its opening eeriness and languid chorus. The next track, Despique, is another take on traditional themes. It begins with the delicate sound of tuning, before another unusual instrument opens the song (Stylophone?). It features the funny vocals of António Pinho accompanied by the violin. The drums are once more modern sounding, adding flavour to this amusing folk rant. The delicate voice of Gabriela Schaaf opens the next track, País: Portugal accompanied only by the acoustic guitar. The drums soon kick in, as well as the wild saxophone solo by Rão Kyao. In a strategy so common to Banda do Casaco, the famale vocals give way to the male, and vice-versa. The fast pace of this song is complemented by the drums, violin and a subtle electric guitar. Alvorada, Tio Lérias! begins in a spacey mood, clearly dominated by bass, that quickly turns into a thrilling strings track, very similar to chamber music, with the cello and violin dominating, subtly complemented by the electric guitar. A sudden change in pace in rhythm give way into an almost martial beat, with the adufes, drums and wild flutes being heard. A paraphernalia of small traditional percussion instruments then bring this excellent track to a close. Geringonça is the first track by the band to features that ultimate prog instrument, the mellotron. The celestial choir of the keyboard open this spacey song, soon enriched by a sweet flute, delicate electric guitar chords and the lovely voice of Gabriela Schaaf. After the first sung section, the drums, strings and unidentified electric instrument make their appearance. A delicate, yet powerful track, spacey in sound and theme (an alien sighting), featuring, as usual, great arrangements and an unusual (but highly welcome) mellotron and electric guitar. Dez-Onze-Doze is another take on the sounds of Portuguese folk, featuring an impressive array of traditional instruments, in a very celtic sounding track, whose percussion and strings provide it with a very fast pace, here and there broken by the melancholic chorus. The guitars introduce the vigorous lead male vocals, complemented by a full band chorus. Of special relevance in this track are the guitar and harmonica solos. A spacey female chorus brings the song to its end. Ont'à Noite is a traditional ballad, with a piano, harp and violin driven opening, dominated by the stunning angelical vocals of Mena Amaro and the soothing tone of Nuno Rodrigues. The piano, harp and violin are replaced, in a second section, by acoustic and jazzy electric guitars, flute and bass, before the delicate, jazzy fade-out. Água de Rosas is an instrumental closer - a short, bucolic track, driven almost exclusively by the string instruments (violins, cello, guitars), also featuring flute and another unusual appearance, the oboe. A delicate finish to an exciting album. Overall, it is an extremely varied record in terms in musicality, even if folk is the dominant trend. Here and there you can hear hints of chamber music, the space-rock of bands like Eloy, jazz- fusion in the vein of Miles, and the kind of ethnic music and chorus one could find among Oldfield's finest works, all delivered with a technical proficiency hard to find these days in a rock band. The female vocals reach the heights of Maddy Prior and Annie Haslam (sometimes surpassing them), while the male vocals vary from soothing to vibrant. It is truly an orgy of sounds, with plenty to explore.

Hoje Há Conquilhas, Amanhã Não Sabemos is an extremely influential work. Few albums have been quoted as an influence by groups and artists so diverse in musical background - it is featured in the preferences of contemporary jazz, rock, pop, folk, punk, classic and minimalist composers in Portugal. It is also a common presence in every list of greatest Portuguese albums regardless of genre. I am no exception to that - the album is placed high on my all-time favourites list. The degree of experimentation, technical ability, and quality of composition in terms of progressiveness is still high, even if it's already 1977. So, while late, it is indeed a masterpiece of progressive-folk, well-deserving of the five eggs. Stars, I mean.

by Kotro, progarchives

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Looks like there’d been a few lineup changes in the band since their first album a few years prior, the most noticeable being the absence of female vocalists Judi Brennan and Helena Afonso. There’s still a woman singing (Rita Rodrigues) but she’s listed as a guest musician.

The sound is mostly the same, although there are several ethnic inflections that are more prominent than on the band’s debut. There is what appears to be a bit of a Moroccan or Algerian leaning with some of the acoustic percussion, particularly on the opening track and the oddly-formed rhythms of “A Noite Passada em Caminha”. The Celtic influence is quite strong throughout with multiple flautists, and the alternating irregular tempos and chanting that is often heard in ethnic Asturian music of the Iberian peninsula’s folk musicians. Not sure if that’s where these guys hail from, but the indications are there in the music. The more notable representative works of this sound include the idyllic “La Pastorica”; the more upbeat “O Enterro do Tostão”; and the surprisingly peppy “Zás Pás”, which could have passed for a pop tune in the early eighties.

The almost lumbering cadences of heavier folk bands like Jethro Tull and even Amazing Blondel surface at times, especially in the almost martial beat of “O Diabo da Velha”, and on the medieval-sounding “Godofredo Cheio de Medo”. That last one also has the only overt use of horns, although they can be heard faintly on several other tracks.

The only time this really manages to sound like a Latin album is with the intricate and beautiful Spanish guitar solo on “Amo Tracinho te”, a short that also makes great use of the cello to cement the mournful and languid mood of the piece.

This is clearly a folk work of the highest order, and frankly could be considered a world music piece for all the ethnic influences it showcases. The vocals are pretty much all Portuguese, so the meaning of most of the songs is left to the imagination of non native speakers. But overall this is a very pleasant albeit rather short album (barely over half an hour). I can’t say that it is essential, and perhaps it doesn’t quite qualify as excellent either. But there are no filler tracks and the musicianship is top-notch. So as a prog-folk work I think four stars is a fair assessment. Well recommended to prog-folk fans as well as those who are interested in Celtic flavored music of the Iberian variety.

by ClemofNazareth, progarchives

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