Having previously played on three 2st century albums by Tropicalia kingpin Caetano Veloso, the Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter Ricardo Dias Gomes released his debut solo album in 2015. He’s remained productive since, with his latest Muito Sol scheduled for release June 9 on vinyl (500 copies, black) and digital through Hive Mind Records. Recorded in New York, Lisbon, and Rio de Janeiro with an impressive group of players, the LP’s 10 tracks strengthen Gomes’ rep as an auteur on the contemporary Brazilian scene.
The Caetano Veloso albums featuring Ricardo Dias Gomes’ input are Cê from 2006, Zii and Zie from 2009, and Abraçaço from 2012. If not ranked amongst Veloso’s strongest works, this trifecta was largely well received by critics and fans alike. By the time of Abraçaço, Gomes and his cohorts Pedro Sá (guitar) and Marcelo Callado (drums) had been given the name Banda Cê, a tag that reinforced their importance to Veloso’s overall thing at this stage.
That Gomes branched out on his own is no surprise. His 2015 solo debut -11 is a stirring blend of elements, including aspects of Musica Popular Brasileira and Tropicalia but infused with a 21st century thrust that integrates robust experimentation and an impulse to branch out stylistically. The 2018 mini-LP Aa is even better; featuring guest Arto Lindsay, it pairs well with Thiago Nassif’s 2020 LP for Gearbox, Mente (on which Lindsay also plays) in solidifying New Directions in Brazilian musicmaking.
In 2019, This Whole Emptiness, another strong LP co-credited to Gomes and the duo Star Rover, was released. Having recorded two albums of their own plus a collab with singer-songwriter Jesse Harris, Star Rover is guitarist Will Graefe and drummer Jeremy Gustin, both of whom contribute to Muito Sol, along with guitarists Ryan Dugre, Julian Desprez, and Pedro Sá, percussionist Gil Oliveira, trumpeter Alex Toth, saxophonist-flautist Tiago Queiroz, and synthesizer players Jonas Sá and Shahzad Ismaily.
Muito Sol opens with the title track, anchored by an unwavering bassline as the atmosphere is thick with hovering keyboard tones and the calmness of Gomes’ voice. Later comes a wave of grizzled distortion followed by a short outburst of guitar squall. Contrasting, “Morrerei Por Isso” is clearly indebted to the samba style, opening crisply but with a handful of curveballs, including some crackling-amp guitar scuzz, regal keyboards, and an increasingly echo-laden saxophone solo.
Hive Mind’s one-sheet explains that a move to Lisbon from Rio inspired Gomes to tap into his homeland’s rich musical heritage in a manner unheard on his prior recordings, though the textured riff throb of “Fllux” makes clear that Muito Sol resists tidy encapsulation. To illustrate, “Um Dia” swings back into the song sphere with some beautiful fingerpicking, but with a tense undercurrent. “Com 6 Anos” extends this mode as the layered precision suggests a post-rock state of affairs.
In “Menos,” a sturdy melody gets enveloped in all sorts of unusual goings-on, a tactic that can be traced back to the days of Tropicalia. But the strangeness is very much Gomes’ own. “Não ver onde se vê” is a showcase for shifting tones and structures while maintaining a handle on the tune, and then the brief “Transição” embraces the experimental, its fuzzed-out reverberations overtaken by swirling synth cascades.
From there, “Invernão Astral” hits upon an appealing mix of post-rock and psychedelia as a prelude to “Coração Sulamericano,” where oozing fuzz, a little sax skronk, and then galloping rhythms bring the album to a close. Altogether, Muito Sol reinforces Ricardo Dias Gomes’ position at the forefront of contemporary Brazilian music.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
