Finally, after seven albums beginning with 1998's
Juggernaut, Flemish
avant-
world funksters and rhythm-aholics
Think of One have an album distributed in the United States (thanks to
Crammed and
Rykodisc): 2006's
Trafico. For those unfamiliar with the band's wanderings,
Think of One are apt to turn up recording with indigenous musicians practically anywhere on Earth, from the Equator to the Arctic.
Chuva em Po, released in 2004, was the first fruit of the band's sojourns to Recife, capital of the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco and home to
Afro-Brazilian musical and performance forms like maracatu and
forro. The Belgians, led by guitarist/vocalist
David Bovee and including saxophonist
Eric Morel, bassist
Tomas de Smet, trombonist/tubaist
Tobe Wouters, and drummer
Roel Poriau, were joined by vocalists and percussionists from the region, notably singers
Dona Cila do Coco and
Cris Nolasco, and the result was one of the band's finest records to date, combining the influences of Antwerp and Recife in a successful blend of rhythm, atmosphere, and sonic adventurousness. For
Trafico,
Think of One returned to Recife and continued their collaboration with area musicians, including
Cila do Coco and
Nolasco. The disc is a worthy follow-up to
Chuva em Po, perhaps a bit more
pop-influenced as
Bovee -- balancing nonchalance and edginess rather like
Kevin Ayers in the age of caffeine -- and the other vocalists sing of such topics as an uncomfortable barroom atmosphere, waiting on a terrace for a girlfriend who will never arrive, a sea goddess, selling items in a marketplace, and a man who falls into a shellfish tank (it helps if you can understand Portuguese, French, or the Flemish Dutch dialect).
It's sometimes a crazy mix of stuff, as when the horns kick out the theme to
Bonanza over a churning rhythm during
"Tahina," which also features call-and-response chanting vocals between
Cila do Coco and the background singers before the energy level is ratcheted up to near
punk levels fueled by
Bovee's one-chord maximally distorted guitar roar. A highlight perhaps just for overall strangeness is
"Samba Belga," with a spooky intro featuring what sounds like
Bovee blathering something or other over a distorted loudspeaker in the distance as ghostly keys float through the mix -- an insistent rhythm kicks in along with a guitar lick poised halfway between
Dick Dale surf and
Hugh Hopper fuzzed-out
avant jazz-rock, soon joined by some dramatic and genuinely heavy horns. Then a vocal chorus enters that under normal circumstances would seem aimed at capturing a sensuous
Jobim-type vibe, but with everything else going on in the track, the result is bit more ominous-sounding than your typical day at the beach. Also noteworthy is the instrumental track
"Maracatu Misterioso," similar in tone to
"Samba Belga" but entirely dispensing with any attempted lightness whatsoever in favor of powerful horn charts (played by half the members of the
Flat Earth Society big band) and
metal-edged guitar over the pounding rhythm, seasoned with washes of
electronic effects and
Bovee's occasional 21st century schizoid Flemish. (
"Maracatu Misterioso" here is positively brain-melting in comparison to the tune as it first appeared on
Chuva em Po, as a groove-based vehicle for guest musician
Pupilo's berimbau.)
Trafico nicely balances such heaviosity with tracks that are relatively concise and accessibly tuneful, imbued with warm Brazilian and Caribbean flavors ranging from cavalo marinho to
reggae and sometimes prominently featuring
Cila do Coco (in her mid-sixties at the time of this recording), whose sandpapery yet somewhat childlike vocals are as cute as a chain-smoking toddler. It all comes together most seamlessly on a track like
"Caracao de Papel" (Paper Heart), which combines the chanting and rhythms derived from the region's
Afro-Brazilian coco work songs with a bass/keys/guitar foundation somewhat reminiscent of
"Birdland"-era
Weather Report.
Trafico is a fine album, beautifully recorded and performed, often surprising and sometimes even compelling, although it occasionally seems like the usual
Think of One ragged street
brass band feel of earlier releases, including
Chuva em Po, has been polished and smoothed out somewhat in favor of a more
pop-friendly approach. Previous
Think of One albums are apparently slated for release in the U.S. --
Trafico is a good one but be sure to check out
Chuva em Po if it ever becomes available in your neighborhood. ~ Dave Lynch
![Graceland [Remastered & Expanded]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886978425027_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Graceland [Remastered & Expanded]")
![The Rhythm of the Saints [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0886978988027_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "The Rhythm of the Saints [Bonus Tracks]")
