Arthur Melo, a young Brazilian composer, guitarist and singer returns to releasing music after a 3 year break with new song Alvaro Almeida, a retro sounding synth-pop tune with a 1980’s Brazilian boogie and backed by his band O Ministério da Consciência.
Produced by Kassim (Erasmu Carlos, Caetano Veloso), the song is the first from new album coming in spring 2024, and like his previous post-tropicalia, psychedelic and percussive material, honours both Brazil’s divergent musical history and looks forward, and treads new paths.
Brazil’s wealth of young and contemporary artists channelling and reconfiguring the sound and flow of the original maestros of bossa nova and it’s younger rebelding brother tropicalia has blossomed in recent years, with the scene in Brazil dominated by protagonists like Sessa, Ana Frango Elétrico and Bala Desejo who have also found a global fanbase.
Arthur Melo, is another breakthrough act making waves. The 25 year old singer and guitarist from Belo Horizonte, the capital city and cultural centre of the sprawling state of Minas Gerais, released 3 albums between 2018 & 2020. All were dipped in the same magical and borderless MPB dust that his heroes like Milton Nascimento were touched by, with tropicalia stamped fuzz guitar, three-string bossa chord slides and 70’s psychedelic microphone effects all signature sounds of his. Fast forward to 2023, and Arthur Melo preps a new chapter, a
debut track called Álvaro Almeida and upon these new pastures laid are new roots, new inspirations.
There is a sense of introspection within his new album, of solitude, perhaps a product of forced solitude - covid hit Brazil hard. But this is in stark contrast to Arthur’s formative years, growing up ‘in the dance’ so to speak. His family are sambistas and to this day, performance and live samba circles are a regular theme in his family life. For two decades his father and uncle organised a bloco (sound system) each year at carnival in a northern town of Minas Gerais so whilst he was too young to be directly involved, he was immersed in the percussive music of forro and carimbo and used to spending a week on the streets celebrating each year.
The lyrics to Álvaro Almeida confirm a sense of disconnection, the contrasting idea of wanting to connect with other people and situations and at the same time needing your space:
“My other self said no
Interaction drains the heart
Anyone is intrusive”
Arthur Melo and his band O Ministério da Consciência will be supporting Ana Frango Elétrico Dec 8th @ A Autêntica
in Belo Horizonte
Mostly recorded during late nights, hence the title, this EP is full of whispery synthpop that is both beguiling and mysterious. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 12, 2022
