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Los Hermanos gracefully incorporate dashes of bossa nova, samba, and other Brazilian forms into their music, but they’re a rock combo at heart, albeit one with a remarkably sophisticated melodic sensibility and an impressive gift for elaborate arrangements. The group hasn’t released a new record since its fourth, the aptly titled 4 (Sony/BMG, Brazil), back in 2005, and in April 2007 it went on hiatus. Thankfully some of its members have stayed busy in other projects since then.
While Amarante has been spending much of his time in the U.S., Los Hermanos coleader Marcelo Camelo (pictured) has been cooking up his own project–he recently issued his solo debut, Sou (Sony/BMG, Brazil). For much of the record he’s back by Hurtmold , an instrumental group from São Paulo that’s taken inspiration from Tortoise but treads weirder, more experimental turf. The combo’s recent fifth record, Hurtmold (Submarine), fuses melancholy melodies to clattery percussion, expansive grooves, thick waves of ambient noise, and detailed contrapuntal riffs. Two members of the band, Mauricio Takara and Guilherme Granado, have also been working with Chicago cornetist Rob Mazurek in São Paulo Underground, which recently released its second album, The Principle of Intrusive Relationships (Aesthetics).
