Madredeus

artist: Madredeus
track: O Tejo
recording: Ainda (“Lisbon Story” soundtrack)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/md-ot.mp3

artist notes
Fado (traditional Portuguese folk music) mingles melancholy, depth and beauty, and many believe that Madredeus is the definitive modern Fado (some purists and critics disagree, but that’s their job). What cannot be argued is that Teresa Salgueiro’s angelic voice and exquisitely constructed melodies are backed by sensitive instrumentation resulting in delicious, soulful couplings of tone and poetry. So there.

The band’s first album was evidently recorded in their rehearsal space, a vacant abbey in Lisbon. There were deafening interruptions every five minutes from Lisbon’s tram service, which ran directly above their space (they still managed to record…I am guessing that all tracks are less than five minutes long…heh). In honor of this they named themselves after the tram’s nearby station, Madre de Deus (Mother of God), shortened to the vernacular “Madredeus”. Yummy story, eh?

recording notes
“Ainda” (1996) is the soundtrack from the film “Lisbon Story” (a good Wim Wenders film, I prefer “Wings of Desire” and “Paris, Texas” but I can also be one of those aforementioned pretentious artsy critics so you can just ignore me right now). “Ainda” gave Madredeus international visibility and they have continued to release one gem after another.

track notes
Just six notes in and “O Tejo” has me hooked; the simple arrangement of guitars, accordion, cello and synthesized strings creates a perfect backdrop for Teresa’s climbing and cascading melodies. Instruments creep in (check out the accordion during the second and third verses) and fade back. The minor darkness of the verse becomes the major jubilance of the chorus, a brief excursion before returning to the dirge. The pockets between vocal phrases remain foundational; the band remains quiet, listening for the next entrance, and mysteries are maintained.

“O Tejo” is a prayer to the Tagus, a mystical river in Portugal — its rivulets, cadences and powerful stillness are evident in this track. Even the melodies are completely unresolved, creating a finely-tensioned state of suspended animation.

Madredeus has only sold three million records. Please make it three million +1 (no, they didn’t pay me to say that…at least not yet…)