village voice
RSS/Podcast feed for Village Voice News Status Ain't Hood
The All-Dirty Edition
Vlada Lounge
Enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Vlada Lounge!
Alice Smith
Enter to win tickets to see Alice Smith on Thursday, May 22nd at the Highline Ballroom!
SoHo Stroll 2008
Enter to win a SoHo Stroll 2008 broom signed by James Blunt and designed and decorated by the New York Academy of Art!
Elia Salon
Enter to Win A Hair Package Special by the BEST DOMINICAN SALON for you & a friend!
Lit Lounge
Enter for complimentary admission to see Power Solo from Denmark with Band Antenna, Sea That Dried Up, and Chem Trail at Lit Lounge!
United Artists
Enter to win a 90th Anniversary United Artists DVD prize package!
Iron & Silk
Enter to win 5 personal training sessions at Iron & Silk Fitness!
Music
A Brazilian Dancefloor Sensation, Injected With NYC Artiness, Assaults Your Hips
by Uday Benegal
October 31st, 2006 12:00 AM
Forro in the Dark
Bonfires of São João
Nublu
Forro in the Dark are finally ready to take their rambunctious Wednesday night festa out of the Alphabet City fringes with their debut album, Bonfires of São João. The crack squad of sidemen, led by percussionist Mauro Refosco, seem poised to launch what could well become North America's Next Big Brazilian Thing: forró (pronounced fo-ho), the party music of northeastern Brazil, a style fathered by singer-accordionist Luiz Gonzaga. Bonfires is a blast, a pitch-perfect reenactment of FITD's live energy that succeeds in conveying the exuberance and nostalgic spirit of traditional forró while imbuing it with a definite New York vibe, no doubt helped by its art-school-friendly guest vocalists: David Byrne on the woeful Gonzaga classic "Asa Branca," Bebel Gilberto on the bossa nova–smooth "Wandering Swallow," and Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori on the Nipponized and maddeningly catchy (just try and get it out of your head) "Paraíba."

But the party belongs to FITD's regular crew, who employ a kitchen-sink collection of instruments to dazzle, stir, incite, and entertain. Confronted by the pifano-driven cowboy romp "Índios do Norte," the sauntering zabumba-bottomed "Riacho do Navio," and the guitar-and- pandeiro-fueled "Que Que Tu Fez," your hips are destined to dance. And if you can't dance like a Brazilian, pay no mind—this record will make you believe otherwise.

Add a Comment

Not ? Login as a different user.

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By submitting a comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms of Use.

Login or Register

Login or register to have a chance to win Free Stuff, subscribe to newsletters and much more!

Login Register

The Village Voice Ad Index
The Village Voice Summer Guide 2008

» click here to see more...

The Village Voice Summer 2008 Education Supplement

» click here to see more...

The Village Voice Spring Arts Supplement

» click here to see more...