The mouth of the sun

Think about the kind of music you'd make if you lived under a military dictatorship. Would it reflect your turmoil and repression and come out all frantic and violent? Would it sound like giving up? Or would it groove and soar? I can't help but have affection for Brazilian musicians — Tropicalia and otherwise — who responded to the ugly realities of power by making music that was beautiful and full of sunlit spark. Soul of the sol, so to speak. Enjoy this one for a while. The 'blague will be laying low the rest of the week.

Arthur Verocai - Na Boca Do Sol

Cool it now (not quite in the New Edition sense)

I can't believe August is getting away from us this quickly. And since I haven't even seen a beach this summer, I'm going to have to use music to get myself there. You can call it cheesy, but if music could lower blood pressure, this would be one track to do it.

I'd also like to take a moment to appreciate one of the worst album covers you'll ever see. It looks like an early '80s ad for Brazilian dishsoap. Or a poster for bartending classes.

Marcos Valle - Estrelar