Light a Candle

Forró is an eternally sunny, jiggy dance from north¬eastern Brazil that became very popular in the 1990s with the São Paulo middle–classes – many of whom had danced it whilst on holiday on the beach in Bahia or Ceará. Its fast, two–step rhythm is powered by zabumba drum and triangle, intercut with bops from an accordion. In the larger bands a bass guitar adds extra percussive danceability. But whilst it's great fun live in a little bar, it sounds naive and flat on disc and has never really taken off outside Brazil.

Until now that is. Forró in the Dark have reinvented forró – infusing it with a New York urban cool that sounds as much Williamsburg as it does Brazilian beach. The pulsing backbeat and tinkling triangle remain but they are often slowed down to flirt with reggae. And instead of folksy accordion we find jangly indie guitar and jazzy flute and sax.

The vocal is crooned as often as it is sung. Tracks such as the wonderful ‘Silence is Golden’ sound like a forró ‘Libertango’ sung in a camp vaudeville English that recalls Marc Almond. ‘Caipirinha’ – an ode to the ubiquitous Brazilian cocktail – mixes forró with infectious samba. ‘Better Than You’ is tongue–in–cheek crooned indie pop which recalls Kassin's Bow Road. And the overall sound is one of those rare combinations of effortlessly smooth and infectiously dancey. A pure delight.