Acidente: Quebre Este Disco (1990)

Apparently Brazil was a real hotbead of progressive rock. O Terço, Bacamarte, Sagrado Coração da Terra, III Milenio, and latter-day Os Mutantes (most people are familiar with them as a psychedelic pop band, but they went prog after 1972 or thereabout) are a few examples. Acidente was another. Apparently there were two different versions of the band, with only keyboardist Paulo Malária (that really is his name, I’m not making this up!) the only thing in common with both versions. The original version of the band, which lasted from 1978 (when they formed, their debut album didn’t surface until 1981) until their first breakup in 1987 was said to be a straight-up rock band, of little interest to prog rock fans. Then the band reformed in 1989 with Malária, drummer Bruno Mega, bassist Jarbas Loop, and guitarist Zunga Ezzaet. This is the lineup that recorded Quebre Este Disco, or, if you wanna know the entire title, it’s Em Case de Acidente Quebre Este Disco. This is where the band went the prog rock route. Oddly, when this album was released in 1990, it was released only as a privately pressed LP (it only recently saw the light of day on CD, but with new cover artwork). It’s pretty obvious this was a pretty low-budget sounding album. The recording equipment is obviously analog, and if it wasn’t for the cheesy polyphonic synthesizers and equally cheesy digital piano (the band would have benefitted greatly if they used a real piano and Mini Moog synthesizer), you’d swear this came out in the 1970s! I don’t claim this album to be particularly original or groundbreaking. You won’t find 20 minute epics on the grand scale of Yes’ Tales From Topographic Oceans or elaborate solos. This is a pretty simple and effective, all-instrumental prog band, with nothing lasting over 5 minutes long. The opening cut, “Nilopmusic” is an excellent opener, other favorites include “Os Doces Anos de ’75”, “Raios de Sol”, “Exercício 806” and “Peixi Por Um Dia!?” Jarbas Loop really knows how to put on some really funky, metallic sounding bass (just listen to “Peixi Por Um Dia!?”), kinda reminding me of how Flea (of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame) might have sounded like if he went the prog route. There are a couple of cheesy throwaway songs on this album, but for the most part, it’s a pretty listenable album. So, no, this album isn’t particularly original. Although it doesn’t seem to remind me of any particular prog rock band in general (you know, there’s so many bands influenced by Yes, ELP, Genesis, Camel and the likes, it’s not funny, but I’m generally not bothered by that stuff if the band is good), it has a sound that won’t give you too many new surprises you hadn’t heard in many other prog rock albums. Remember, this was released in 1990, long after prog rock’s glory over, but still before prog rock’s “second coming” when bands like Änglagård, Landberk, Spock’s Beard, The Flower Kings, Anekdoten, Deus Ex Machina, and the like arrived. Given when this was released, it’s perhaps the closest to the old classic prog sound (besides what the Mexican band Iconoclasta was doing on their first few albums) a band had created until Änglagård came around. So if you don’t mind derivative, not that complex prog rock, this is a pretty decent album, but of course, if you’re new to Brazil’s prog rock scene, there are better albums to try first (Bacamarte’s 1983 album Depois do Fim is regarded as one of that country’s best prog albums).
– Bruno Mega: drums
– Jarbas Loop: bass
– Paula Malária: keyboards
– Zunga Ezzaet: guitar