João Gilberto - White Album, João Gilberto (1973)

Anybody can recognize "The Girl From Ipanema", - it's a classic. But where did it come from? The Girl from Ipanema is Bossa Nova at its best, its rhythm, its Brasilian undulating sensual melody, but where did it originate, and why have such a fascinating sound?


Pianist Tom Jobim is credited for the composition of most of the classic Bossa Nova standards, but is was João Gilberto who took these standards, and interpreted on the guitar what we now identify as Bossa Nova. By harmonizing the chords on the guitar with the traditional Brazilian Samba rhythm, Gilberto evolved Jobims' compositions and popularized the style.

Gilberto's guitar playing is virtuous, but what really captures me is his voice. He sings with a throaty quality as if he is blowing air from his gut, which produces an intimate close-to-the-microphone sound. It's possible to hear his lips smacking dryly during the pronounciation of certain words, and he has an excellent vocal amplitude, using mostly low-pitched but well chosen notes. This creates the typical sensual, oh-so-attractive to female audiences sound that one instantly connects to the Brazilian people's warmth and the country's paradisical beaches.

This album is fun to compare to his other work, as over the years his performances have become more sensitive and refined. The harmonizations are well thought out (Gilberto is notorious for spending weeks picking out the perfect chord), and byt the time this album was recorded his voice already had that grandfather-like quality. Classics such as "Àguas de Março", "Falsa Baiana" and "Izaura" have amazing sound quality, comparable to todays' recordings.

If you can read Portuguese, or are able to find translations for the lyrics, you'll find that the lyrics complement the embracing sound - try finding accurate translations and read them whilst listening, and it will definitely heighten the pleasure of listening.

João Gilberto has at least ten albums on the market, and is established as the "Father of Bossa Nova" with collaborations from Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque and many others.

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Bonobo - Dial 'M' For Monkey (2003)

Bonobo challenges the chillout industry with some smooth downtempo in Dial 'M' For Monkey, delivering quality tracks like "Noctuary" and "Flutter". This album carries a slow, measured ambience that caresses the soul.


Downtempo (or Downbeat) is a very laid-back style of electronic music, similar to ambient music. It's usually permeated with funky head bobbing rhythms, the stressed beat coinciding with the downtempo e.g. the first and third beat of every measure (a segment of time in musical notation). A counter example could be drum 'n bass or punk rock, where the beat corresponds to the uptempo.

Dial 'M' for Monkey makes use of looped jazz riffs and simple yet mesmerizing basslines, always letting the consumer retain more with each listen. In fact, Bonobo is best appreciated in its subtlety and "little" sounds. It's easy to listen to, as it has the tendency to migrate to the back of the mind, but it also has a lot of depth for those who are willing to pay close attention.

Every single track is high quality, one can listen to the album straight through without finding an exception. There is no such thing as the single. I find it hard to encounter other albums with this characteristic, so it's perfect for those times when I don't want to worry about what's next on the playlist.

Need a break from hectic rhythms? Fed up with annoying fast-paced music? Give this album a chance.

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Meeting Resistance (2007)

Here is the truth in Iraq, this is the report on the Iraqui side of the story, this is the documentary we all want to see. Molly Bingham (US) and Steve Connors (UK) were two journalists able to document the opinions and view of eleven Iraqui Resistance fighters in the Adhamiyah neighborhood of Baghdad.



The journalists made sure all the resistors are all anonymous. Usually faceless or out-of-focus on camera. They are presented as nicknames: The Teacher, The Warrior, The Traveler, The Imam, The Wife, The Syrian, The Fugitive, The Local, The Republican Guard, The Lieutenant, and The Professor.

While not going into too much depth into each story, it's important to note the risk involved for these two journalists. Throughout the documentary, there are incidents of shocking violence which depict perfectly how the American soldiers are aggressors, and how their oppresive presence in Iraq has affected negatively the population.

One cannot help but feel sided with the Iraqui people. It makes perfect sense to defend your country against an invading military force. Admittedly at times I was put off by the religious factors of the conflict, because for many Iraquis, religion is their main motivation. For the majority, especially the interviewees, they are waging "Jihad", a religious war, and I find this aspect disputable. However, the religious aspect justifies its importance by ultimately becoming the uniting factor for the resisting population.

The documentary is real. Facts are facts, the American invasion is hated, and the resistance has wide popular support. The resistance is able to fund itself through that support and buy weapons to attack American military targets, all for the purpose of, ironically, liberating Iraq from the oppressors. So now here's the question: why are the American troops still there?

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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

What's the worst you can imagine? Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is going to challenge it. Through a nasty sequence of coincidences we watch the destruction of several lives, all derived from the characters' own willingness to descend into chaos.


The concept is driven by numerous flashbacks over the plot timeline, which revolves around the robbery of a jewelry store. The viewer is given little pieces of important information over time, with multiple perspectives on the events.

Philip Seymour Hoffman's perfomance as the evil, plotting and ultimately punished character is top notch. The calm decline into insanity of a broken man is represented in a way I've never seen before. Ethan Hawke's character is drawn into the plot for being the brother of the protagonist, and he is able to convey perfectly the frenetic mental perturbation involved. One cannot help but grow emotionally attached to the family of the two brothers, as Albert Finney upstages the rest of the cast as the father figure with an unstable desire for vengeance.

The film is quick-paced, and cuts between scenes are abrupt at times. Although this is understandable in view of the massive amount of information delivered, I felt at times the progression could have been more fluid. The jumping around the timeline felt a little exaggerated at times.

The concept is consistent, the plot is fascinating and I didn't notice two hours go by. I recommend at least a rental, as the replayability of the movie is pretty scarce.

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