Metá Metá
Metá Metá
2011
Rankings
Why This Album Matters
Metá Metá, the band's self-titled debut album released in 2011, is a seminal work that redefined and expanded the horizons of contemporary Brazilian music. Far from conventions, the São Paulo trio, comprising Juçara Marçal (vocals), Kiko Dinucci (guitar and vocals), and Thiago França (saxophone and flute), created a sound that is simultaneously deeply rooted in Afro-Brazilian traditions and boldly avant-garde. This work is a powerful fusion of jazz, rock, samba, and Candomblé rhythms, resulting in a unique sound that some critics have described as afro-punk or samba torto. The album's originality and intensity, with economic arrangements that emphasise melodic elements and signs of African-influenced music, grant it a prominent place in Brazil's recent music scene.
Context
Metá Metá was formed in São Paulo in 2008, bringing together three musicians who were already experienced and active in the effervescent São Paulo music scene. Before the release of their debut album in 2011, Juçara Marçal and Kiko Dinucci had already collaborated on the album Padê (2008), and Kiko Dinucci had released his solo album Na Boca Dos Outros in 2009. The year 2011 is seen as a landmark for a powerful musical collective in São Paulo, which saw not only the debut of Metá Metá but also the group Passo Torto, indicating a period of intense collaboration and experimentation in the city.
Recording
The album was originally released in 2011 as a CDr by the Desmonta label, and was later re-released on vinyl in 2018 by Goma Gringa Discos, featuring a deluxe edition and new artwork. The instrumentation is notable for its minimalist and stripped-back approach, with Juçara Marçal on vocals, Kiko Dinucci on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Thiago França on tenor saxophone and flute. On some tracks, percussion and drums were added, and a single song features a cavaquinho. However, a distinctive feature of the album is the intentional absence of bass and keyboard, a choice that highlights the voices and lyrics, creating a singular soundscape almost like a series of musical 'short films'.
Songs
The album Metá Metá features ten tracks, with compositions by various artists that enrich the trio's sonic tapestry. Among them, notable tracks include "Vale do Jucá" by Siba Veloso, which opens the album, "Umbigada" by Lincoln Antonio, and "Papel Sulfite" by Jonathan Silva. Other notable songs include "Trovoa" by Maurício Pereira, "Samuel", co-written by Kiko Dinucci and Rodrigo Campos, and "Vias de Fato" by Douglas Germano, Edu Batata, and Kiko Dinucci. "Oranian" and "Obá Iná" are compositions by Douglas Germano and Kiko Dinucci (with "Obá Iná" being solely by Germano). Tracks such as "Vale do Jucá" and "Vias de Fato" evoke the atmosphere of Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes's afro-sambas, while "Umbigada" presents itself as a sunny melody. Juçara Marçal's lyrics and vocal performance explore themes that hark back to African ancestry and Candomblé, with the band's name meaning 'three in one' in Yoruba. Songs such as "Papel Sulfite" feature whispered vocals, and "Oranian" demonstrates an almost rap-like chant. "Obá Iná" surprises with a guitar line that harks back to punk, and "Obatalá" explores a stronger connection with jazz.
Legacy
The album Metá Metá (2011) is considered a landmark and a "conceptual embryo" for what would become the "samba torto paulistano", being one of the most inventive works in recent Brazilian music. It received considerable critical acclaim, being assessed as an album that would be the highlight of many artists' careers, but which for Metá Metá was merely a warm-up. The band made the album available for free download on their website, a strategy that, according to Kiko Dinucci, boosted public curiosity and drew people to their live shows, generating reviews in publications such as Rolling Stone. Although the group won awards for subsequent albums, the debut album solidified Metá Metá's reputation as one of the most prestigious and representative groups of the new Brazilian music scene.
Tracks
Credits
Juçara Marçal
Kiko Dinucci
Thiago França
Books
Analyses
Metá Metá: Metá Metá - Fita Bruta
fitabruta.com.br
Not only for that reason. Metá Metá is also important for some more diffuse reasons. With compositions reworked to paroxysm, such as "Umbigada" (Lincoln Antonio) or "Trovoa" (Maurício Pereira, from Mulheres Negras), the album demonstrates an unusual dedication in today's Brazilian music.
Crítica | Metá Metá: "Metá Metá" - Música Instantânea
musicainstantanea.com.br
A precious and still surprising summary of everything Metá Metá would go on to produce throughout the decade. This text is part of our list of The 100 Best Brazilian Albums of the 2010s, which will be published over the coming weeks.
Criatura de Sebo: Metá Metá - 2011
criaturadesebo.blogspot.com
This is the debut album from the trio Metá Metá, which brought together the best that had emerged from the São Paulo music scene in the 2000s.
Metá Metá - Metá Metá (2011; Circus/Desmonta, Brasil)
camarilhadosquatro.wordpress.com
Metá Metá builds its debut album from the ruins of an outdated and seemingly aimless MPB. So much so that it doesn't sound anachronistic, but, in the style of the latest albums by Allen Toussaint and Aaron Neville, it lends other nuances to a worn-out sound.
Disco: "Metá Metá", Metá Metá - Música Instantânea
musicainstantanea.com.br
Although the musical origins of each of the three members who bring the peculiar Metá-Metá (2011, Independent) to life are technically distant, the point that defines the encounter between the three minds is unique, capable of crossing the ocean and strengthening the ties between the coast of Africa and the coast of Brazil.
