Banda Maluca / Joyce / Bugge Wesseltoft
August 5, 2003
This 2003 set melds the artist’s standard, primarily acoustic approach to electronic keyboard wizardry of Bugge Wesseltoft. He and drummer Tutty Moreno construct a series of spacy bossa and jazz soundscapes with gorgeous reed and woodwind work from Nailor Proveta and Teco Cardoso. They float inside Joyce's well-constructed melodies, while her glorious guitar playing and Rodolfo Stroeter’s bass form the backdrop for these 13 breezy bossas and sambas. Her deft vocal delivery effortlessly weds Brazilian pop and jazz improvisation to elevate these wonderful tunes to unprecedented levels of warmth and sophistication.
May 19, 1998
After 1996's excellent Travel On, Rider sank without a trace upon release, Scrawl seemed dispirited even by their gloomy standards, and their second major label album (and final LP overall), 1998's Nature Film, was divided half-and-half between new songs and re-recorded numbers from their back catalog. Surprisingly, it found them playing with fierce passion and taut focus, and the re-records often top the originals. A great final salvo from a wildly underappreciated band.