Os Mutantes — Haih Or Amortecedor

Brazilian musical freaks Os Mutantes (The Mutants in Portuguese) are at it again. For the first time since 1974, this original and politically controversial psychedelic rock group have recorded some new material.

Leader Sergio Dias is the only original member on this album, which is filled with wacky, musically adventurous material that's part psychedelic, part prog-rock and part-speed-driven Brazilian lounge music. The majority of the lyrics are in Dias' native Portuguese, so if you're lyric interpreter you'd best take a Learning Annex course before attempting to decipher Os Mutantes' opaque wordsmithery.

The album takes a number of listens to penetrate the density of the material. "O Mensageiro" is the most straightforward pop song, featuring a soulful folk-rock tempo. "Anagrama" is a cool laid-back ballad that highlights the band's love of The Beatles mid-'60s period. "Neurociencia Do Amor" features a myriad of time and tempo changes and comes closest to capturing the band's musical heyday, swirling pop harmonies with pulsating psychedelic musical backing to make something sort of off-Broadway times 100.

At the other end of the Mutantes spectrum is the Cuban-infused "Samba Do Fidel." The cut introduces both a smattering of English lyrics and a hint of that old political spice in an ode to former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. David Byrne is on record as well, which is fitting because the penultimate track, "Gopala Krishna Om" is an homage to Talking Heads and sounds like something from the NYC art rockers' Fear Of Music.

Compared to the genius of the band's first two albums, Haih Or Amortecedor comes up short, but for the folks who like something a bit off the wall, there's enough bizarre moments to please the oddball in all of us.

Get it from