I think With Lasers is a hilarious title, but then again I'm sitting in front of my computer wearing clothes so bright even my friends say I glow in the dark. Well OK, I¹m actually wearing a black hoodie, but then again Bonde Do Role don't make their album with beams of light either. What's that on the cover, you say? A giant Brazilian Jesus, fool. Oh right, with massive laser beams shooting out of his eyes like an attempt to contemporise Christianity by aping cartoon superheroes, yup, you got me.
Look, if you thought the last few lines didn't make much sense, you're not going to like this album very much, as Bonde Do Role¹s usage of English on their debut is even more limited than mine, singing as they do in Portugese slang. So, to simplify things for you dear readers, here's a quick checklist of Bonde Do Role facts:
* Bonde Do Role hail from Brazil
* They play baile funk/funk carioca
* Diplo told the world about 'em and put out an EP on his Mad decent label
* Domino effectively donated some of their Arctic Monkeys money to the public by putting this album out
* Yes, they know CSS
* They put on a hell of a show
* Various NZ venues may be whipped into sweaty frenzies before the end of the year
Their earlier material was built on samples less cheekily lifted than stolen outright and returned wet and soggy to their original owners, but with this hardly being the easiest way to put records out (or make money for Hollertronix/Domino Publishing Co. Ltd. hmmm, I see) Bonde Do Role have toned down the use of other people's hooks and written some of their own!
You may know a couple of numbers from radio or telly Gasolina has been around for a little while, and Office Boy is doing the rounds now but With Lasers might be a better souvenir to a BDR gig than a solid album in its own right. Though there's no faulting the insidiously catchy style that prevails, it will irritate the fuck out of a lot of you. Which is fine, it'll make more room for everyone else when they play, and anyway you can just lie about having seen them. Until that happens, their fans can keep content with the album serving as a soundtrack to the parties in their heads, and then thank the giant laser-eyed Jesus that their version of Brazil has nothing to do with Barnaby Weir. Yet. You never know what'll happen when they get to Wellington
Stivvy
