Garotas Suecas - Escaldante Banda (2010)

2010 debut album from this Brazilian outfit. Sweaty, funky, exotic, committed. Garotas Suecas ("Swedish Girls," in Portuguese) hail from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and their hearty, full-throated stew combines the best elements of their country's homegrown Tropicalia with Anglo-American Soul and freakbeat. Escaldante Banda offers a brew of Otis Redding soul grooves and Os Mutantes craziness. The Garotas' most accomplished recording to date and the ideal stateside introduction to Brazil's best-kept secret, the record bursts with fuzz guitars, polyrhythms, scorching female backing vocals, big horn sections, and heavy Psychedelia. It's grooves are thick, and it comes to make America shake. The perfect late-summer dance record.