Os Mutantes

• Genre: Tropicalia
• Hometown: Sao Paulo

About

For any fan of psychedelic pop music, Bossa Nova and the combinations thereof, the last few years' resurgence in interest in the Mutantes back catalog and subsequent re-release of these records stands as one of the finer moments in music history. At the core of the Tropicalia movement in Brazil in the late '60s, the Mutantes militantly employed fuzzed-out guitars, an odd assortment of sound effects and eclectic, crazed vocals much to the dismay of a Brazilian government high on maintaining tradition. Their whacked-out Dadaist spirit is best exemplified on their self-titled debut in '68. Imagine a hybrid of "Sgt. Pepper," Arthur Brown and the Byrds as viewed after a peyote binge in Sao Paolo. Before the band's more long-winded elements came to fruition and their humor got the best of them, there was the psyched up fervor of their first three releases. Alas, their reckless humor, creativity, and complete cohesiveness as a band could only eventually wind up as one thing: prog rock.

- Jon Pruett