Quebra-Cabeça

Four albums in and the juggernaut that is São Paulo's Bixiga 70 powers on with added conviction. Since their debut, the ten-piece have never looked to innovate exactly, but they have evolved, strengthening their arsenal along the way. In the process they have moved from an Afrobeat sound with dashes of Ethio-jazz and dub to something more representative of where they're coming from. In much the same way as their contemporary Criolo, they are cataloguing both the drama and the need for reverie that springs from one of the world's great multicultural urban sprawls. On Quebra-Cabeça (Jigsaw Puzzle) they offer up more twists and turns than a crocodile attack. Lively percussion, bass and razor-sharp guitars hold the grooves in tight yet complex patterns while surges of horns and extended synth jams offer up exciting diversions. Never have we heard them lurch as much as on the rousing ‘Primeiramente’ or wring as much emotion out of a rhythm as in ‘Pedro de Raio’. Each time the bass and horns hit in tandem it's like a pile-driver to the soul. We are captivated and then we're dumbstruck, disarmed, moving in a spiritual communion with this entity that calls itself Bixiga 70.