In 2016, the adventurous Brazilian singer/songwriter
Ceu delivered her global club phenomenon
Tropix. The album has since developed a reputation far beyond the confines of the dancefloor, as sophisticated pop audiences embrace her integration of pulsing electro, spaced-out samba, and elastic, sci-fi disco. Her earlier catalog paved the way with bold but sultry expositions of Brazil's melodic song tradition and her own preference for rhythmic and harmonic exploration.
APKA!'s title translates as a metalinguistic cry of unrestrained joy by
Ceu's youngest son. Though a more minimally produced effort than
Tropix, the euphoric effect remains, given
Ceu's treatment of the material. She employs the same crew as last time -- guitarist
Pedro Sa, co-producer keyboardist
Herve Salters, bassist Lucas
Martins, and drummer/co-producer
Pupilo -- though the set's final track was produced by hot Brazilian production duo
Tropikillaz (
DJ Zegon and
Laudz).
Ceu wrote eight of the set's ten tracks.
Opener "Off (Sad Siri)" is a dreamy, sensual ballad that drifts between the bardos of saudade and erotic love song. Immediately following, "Coreto" directs her love to both a paramour and her band. Its warm, minor-key electro frame greets the expectant possibilities of night with a hooky, passionate
Holland-Dozier-Holland-esque chorus that expands its dimensions. "Forcar O Verao" emerges as a shock, with synths and vamping guitars (courtesy of guest
Marc Ribot alongside
Sa) weaves a new wave aesthetic (a la
Ze Records) and also references
Fear of Music-era
Talking Heads with the lithe salaciousness in
Ceu's vocal. "Corpocontinente" is an odd but fine choice. Slower than everything that precedes it, this weave of keyboards, organic and synthetic beats, dirgey bass, and swirling ambient effects, creates a nocturnal soundscape around
Ceu. She uses it to her advantage in a breezy delivery that plumbs the aching, emotional depths of homesick longing and long-distance love. There are two covers here as well. "Pardo" was written specifically for
Ceu by
Caetano Veloso, and features the iconic backing vocals of
Seu Jorge atop a rhythmic base of Afrobeat, space-age funk, pop, and soul. The other cover is a sultry psych-pop song commissioned in English by
Dinho, that also features
Ribot. "Eye Contact" had to close the set: Given its alien beat consciousness, nothing else here could follow it. Produced and featuring
Tropikillaz, it cobbles together zig-zagging samba, hip-hop, funky jazz,
Kraftwerk-ian electro, and 21st century soul in a poetic narrative that's as vulnerable and reflective as it is prescient.
APKA! integrates the creative lessons of all her previous outings and executes them boldly, in beautifully crafted artfully performed songs. While
Tropix bridged past and present, with
APKA! she sings from the future to reference the past and present in what currently amounts to
Ceu's artistic manifesto. ~ Thom Jurek
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