Tom Zé: Tropicália Lixo Lógico

This is fine; Zé makes more sense in the present, having been rescued from obscurity by David Byrne, who releases most of his records on Luaka Bop. But this curious—and curiously accessible—item appeared out of nowhere this year credited to Lapa Records without a download circulating that cuts the ends off of many tracks, sometimes intentional-sounding and otherwise like an unreliable source. Nevertheless, even if the bootleg is all you can find, you want it. It’s one of Ze’s easiest-to-take albums, which doesn’t mean easy listening—it rocks way harder than the Byrne-approved Estudando a Bossa – Nordeste Plaza, which focused on lilting Bossa Nova duets including one with the label owner and ex-Talking Head himself. The metal-resembling, triangular guitar riffs of Ze’s Stateside debut Brazil Classics Vol. 4: The Best of Tom Zé return to mesh with elaborate arrangements like flutes and interrogative strings on “Tropicalea Jacta Est” and bouncy call-and-response tunes like “O Motobói e Maria Clara.” The folded-in textures are as good as those on any Dirty Projectors or tUnE-yArDs album released since the proggification of indie, and he smokes the even more similar Man Man and Deerhoof, who don’t invent their own little instruments and contraptions from leaves and blenders.

The thing would be near-perfect if it wasn’t so top-heavy. The second half is much cheesier, from the Afro-Cuban moves of “Debaixo da Marquise do Banco Central” to the ukulele(-sounding) lullaby “Navegador de Canções.” Since Zé’s voice and melodies aren’t as attractive as his library stacks of billowing, spiky sonics and broken, invented instruments, you’ll nod off for a few cuts until track 14 comes roaring back with the sleaze-rocking “Aviso aos Passageiros” (dig that bassline and Santana guitar). There’s plenty to ponder here and some of the best playing of his career—see the acoustic whirlwind leads on “Capitais e Tais.” The album title means “Tropicalia Junk Logic.” Make them aware and old Beck fans will rejoice. It deserves to be discussed the way Animal Collective albums are discussed.