Tremendously beautiful work from one of our favorite-ever artists – performing here in a genre unto itself! We've always loved Seu Jorge's own work – the funky samba tunes and mellower guitar work that have made him one of the most exciting talents from Brazil in recent years – but his performance in Wes Anderson's film The Life Aquatic opened up a whole new side of his talents, an ability to perform in a solo acoustic setting that's even more stripped down than the barest work on his album Cru! In the film, Jorge performs a series of David Bowie tunes translated into Portugese – sung as if they're folksy ballads penned by the singer himself, and done with loads of jazzy inflections that really transform the songs from their original recordings. And while David Bowie doesn't seem too hot on the idea himself (at least according to his "damning with faint praise" quote in the notes), we're really stunned at how beautiful this work is – not a gimmick at all, but really personal, honest interpretations of the tunes that make them Jorge's own through his unique performance. The CD brings together 14 tracks from sessions recorded for the film – many of which were never presented in their entirety on screen, and which were not included at all on the official soundtrack for the movie – which only had 4 Seu Jorge songs in all. Really great stuff throughout – with titles that include "Life On Mars?", "Queen Bitch", "Five Years", "Suffragette City", "When I Live My Dream", "Quicksand", "Oh You Pretty Things", "Changes", and the original "Team Zissou". (Brazil, Soundtracks) CD

A fantastic soundtrack recorded in the immediate post-Tropicalia years – featuring some of the best early 70s work by Chico Buarque, Nara Leao, Maria Bethania, and others! The cover has a mad image with Buarque, Leao, and Bethania in top hats and shiny uniforms – and the music follows up with a similarly lively spirit – samba-esque, with other touches of rock and jazz production that give the work an expansive and trippy feel. Roberto Menescal handled the arrangements – and titles include "Cacada" by Chico Buarque, "Mais Uma Estrela" by Nara Leao, "Soneto" by Orquesta De Cordas, "Soneto" by Nara Leao, "Partido Alto" by MPB-4, "Formosa" by Nara Leao & Maria Bethania, "Baioque" by Maria Bethania, and "Cantores De Radio" by Chico, Naria, and Maria together! (Brazil, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album