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Nat Geo Music have already had one killer album out this year, Jairo Zavala’s DePedro project (see full review HERE) and as we know of Forro In The Dark from the 12” with Seu Jorge back in 2006, (see review HERE), it looks like a bit of party as we enter into the last quarter of 2009.

The group hold a monthly East Village residency called Nublu in New York (where you might bump into fans like David Byrne) but they originate from Brazil’s North Eastern State. Are these guys are party animals? Whilst, the album cover is a bit of a worry, they certainly like to mix up their ‘forro’ influences that span rock-a-billy to Peruvian pan pipes and I suppose that what comes with a ‘NY’ flava. The more Brazilian tracks see the band at their good time party best as the reggae of ‘Nonsensical’ (inspired by Neil Young) and ‘Better Than You’ (some sort of “tribute” to ANTM?) that are both sung in English are not our favourite tracks (stop press: watch out for ‘Nonsensical’ as you’ll start singing along to, “If you don’t like Bob Marley, you better stay away from me.”)

The band consists of Mauro Refosco (lead vocals and zabumba), Davi Viera (percussion and vocals), Guilherme Monteiro (guitar and vocals) and Jorge Continentino (pifano flute, sax and vocals) and when they rock, they roll. If this was one of the many “lost” albums from the 60/70s, we’d be acknowledging it as a masterpiece - especially the tracks where Continentino and Viera cook and Refosco doesn’t sing in English.

And you can tell that they are hot as their 2006 album featured the ‘King of Big Chill 2009’, David Byrne and Bebel Giberto (what’s she doing now since Momento?) but not sure that the vocals of Sabina Sciubba (she of Brazilian Girls and the Nublu Orchestra) doing a Marlene Dietrich on ‘Silence Is Golden’ fits in at all but there’s a bit of Canned Heat about the closing track that I quite like.

‘Lilou’ is a alt-country rockin’ samba instrumental based around Jorge’s flute and he’s also on the money with ‘Anão De Jardim’ (this is so Charlie Gillett, I’d be amazed if he hasn’t played any of this yet). And fans of Brazilian dance al a Seu Jorge, ‘Lampião Chegou’ is the one for the Dingwalls warm-up mixtape if your still not convinced, try ‘Caiprinha’ that’s heavy on the percussion.

Stating the obvious, tracks that sound more NE Brazil and less New York State are get the best response in the FLY office and call us old fashioned if you will, but there’s a stonkin’ EP in the making with ‘Bandinha’ (based on the arrasta-pe rhythmn), ‘Caipirinha’, ‘Forro’ De Dois Amigos’ and ‘Lampian Chegou’. Of course, I’d have to recommend Seu Jorge fan and Magic Drum Orchestra guru, BiggaBush for the remix.

So an album where the high points are right up there such that we can safely say that we’re fans of Forro In The Dark and for what they do, nobody can hold a candle to them.

Reviewed: Forro In The Dark - Light A Candle (Nublu/Nat Geo Music) Cat. No. NGM003 Release date: 12th October 2009
Tracklisting:
1 Bandinha (2:57)
2 Saudades De Manezinho Araújo (3:17)
3 Nonsensical (4:25)
4 Better Than You (3:19)
5 Baião Embolado (2:36)
6 Perro Loco (3:26)
7 Lilou (4:05)
8 Silence Is Golden feat. Sabina Sciubba (3:24)
9 Anão De Jardim (2:34)
10 Lampião Chegou (3:08)
11 Caipirinha (3:43)
12 Forro’ De Dois Amigos (3:15)
13 Just Like Every Other Night (2:52)

Links:
www.forrointhedark.com
www.myspace.com/forrointhedark
www.myspace.com/sabinasciubba
www.myspace.com/myspacedepedro
www.natgeomusic.net
www.myspace.com/natgeomusicus
www.charliegillett.com