Firstly, I ought to apologize for the absence. In the summer heat, I excuse myself too easily of my obligations and frequently give in to the itchings in my feet. But, back on the horse! This record by Paulista songwriter Tiê is a short record of heartwrenching poetry in the melancholy tradition of MPB and Bossa singers like Elis Regina and more contemporary artists like Adriana Calcanhotto, but with clear influences from classic songwriters like Syd Barrett and contemporary indie downers like Elliott Smith and Cat Power. The acoustic arrangements (just guitar, piano, and cello) are gorgeous in their simplicity, and Tiê's haunting voice constantly threatens to shatter the quiet, lo-fi atmosphere of the record. Maybe I'm a sap, but some of the lyrics really knock me over-- simple and often evasive compositions of heartbreak, frustration, affirmation and compromise. From the opening track, "Assinado Eu" or "Signed, Me", she reflects delicately on her inability to properly reciprocate romance:" Atordoada de amor, faltou ar"... "Suffocated by love, I needed air". All of her words have this slight but endearing cheesiness to them. In the sleepy and sad "Quinto Andar", or "Fifth Floor", she resigns herself, "Amor, por que eu te chamo assim? Sei com certeza vôce não lembra de mim", or "Love, why do I call you that? I know, surely, that you don't even remember me". Yet although filled with pain, the album is a hopeful one, its composition clearly a redemptive, therapeutic one. With the exception of the English language "Stranger But Mine" (why is this necessary?), each song is a gem. Even those suspicious of singer-songwriter types would do well to give this a spin.
Tracklist:
1. Assinado Eu
2. Dois
3. Quinto Andar
4. Passarinho
5. Aula de Francês
6. Chá Verde
7. Te Valorizo
8. Stranger But Mine
9. A Bailarina E O Astronauta
10. Sweet Jardim
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