Boogarins - Manual (2015)

Much of the best new Brazilian music is dominated by the São Paulo scene, but Boogarins are from Goiânia, deep in the heart of the country, where singer and lyricist Dinho Almeida and multi-instrumentalist Benke Ferraz spent their teenage years listening to western psychedelia and digging out records by Os Mutantes or Caetano Veloso from the 60s Tropicália movement. They recorded their first album while still at high school, and were so successful that they set off on a lengthy world tour. Their second album is an assured, intriguing collection of songs that constantly changes direction, from delicate shimmering guitar work and brooding ballads to sturdy riffs and post-bossa rhythms. They sing in Portuguese, and follow their Tropicália heroes in mixing psych-pop fusion with protest: Avalanche reflects the unrest surrounding the World Cup, when there were complaints at the way facilities for tourists had an impact on working-class Brazilians.