Attached to many Western heroes is a manufactured sheen. In the 1960s, Caetano Veloso was no fan of Elvis and uninterested in Marilyn. Instead, he saw “the ridiculous aspirations of Americanophiles, the naive good intentions of the nationalists, traditional Brazilian “backwardness”, the Brazilian avant-garde” and aimed to redeem each with genuine creativity. Polemics ricocheted across borders in the years of dictatorship and American influence in South America; Veloso’s solo debut delineated the possibility of art within the horrible moment. The arrangements cover the bursting vibrance of collective action and the pensive quiet of the individual. It shows why art matters.
29/30
A favourite: ‘Clarice’
100 words music reviews 