We finish Friday with funk carioca.
[Video]
[6.43]
Danilo Bortoli: The separation of mind and body in two short acts. 1. My brain upon listening to “Bola Rebola” for the first time: “Anitta™ is the epitome of third-world capitalism, with her encompassing the brandification of socially progressive causes under the guise of her music. Her work has often glamorized poverty and has always tried to appropriate the sociological meaning of slums (favelas) and turn them into her own type of aesthetic. She refused to join opposition against Bolsonaro’s election in 2018, whose anti-LGBTQ+ regime contrasts deeply with the feelings of her (very large) gay fanbase, sparkling allegations of her pursuit of, put simply, pink money. She’s also, like, an occultist. There are arguably also greater contenders to Rio 2019 Carnival’s best song, such as Pabllo Vittar’s ‘Buzina‘ and MC Loma e as Gêmeas Lacração’s ‘Malévola’.” 2. My twerking butt after realizing J Balvin, Tropkillaz and Anitta are the greatest exporters of funk carioca since Diplo: “VAI MALANDRA!“.
[8]
Julian Axelrod: That droning loop wears out its welcome quickly, nearly drowning out Balvin and Anitta. But halfway through, what’s this? A new sound! Acoustic guitars! A lively and thrilling crescendo! Surely this is the moment where the song turns around and gets exciting, rewarding our patience with… that same droning loop. Ah well.
[6]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: Hypnotic, minimal percussion with playful sound effects all over the mix to keep things interesting. The midsong excursion is the sort of musical event that should happen exactly once in a song, and “Bola Rebola” is significantly better for its inclusion. That it doesn’t develop into anything different is an announcement to all listeners who want memorable hooks or more variation: start dancing, dorks, and you too will feel the pull of the rhythm.
[6]
Iris Xie: This song is structured like a bombastic sampler platter, with each section ready to be easily sliced and separated like cake. I think the best part about this song is that you could possibly play it once every hour and at any point, your ears would probably catch on a different section. I’m a fan of the modified siren wail of the hook and the three different times when they recite “Bola Rebola” to punctuate endings between large sub-sections. I also appreciate how Anitta gets her whole section that starts off as a pretty typical seductive verse, which then suddenly launches into a much crisper and more expansive production that exploits guitar strums and those EDM handclaps, which sound like they sprouted from a thousand-armed giant. Unfortunately, that section is still marred by some pretty cliched Latin-pop melodies, especially in the phrasing of the “you better show that” and “standing in my way” lines, resulting in moments of awkwardness that take the entire song way down.
[5]
Will Adams: A lesser song would have made Anitta’s admittedly nondescript breakdown the pre-chorus and repeated it three times. Here it’s used only once, allowing it to serve as a centerpiece bound by two halves of an absolute banger led by its unassailable title hook. Extra point for the double-time toward the end.
[8]
Nortey Dowuona: Rattling, jutting percussion swirls the drums as MC Zaac drawls over the pumping drums and whining synths. Anitta skids over it as J Balvin gently prods, then is swept onto shore by a gently teasing Anitta surfing a massive wave of foamy synths and bass before riding the palm trees on the shore. J Balvin juggles the falling coconuts then slings them at MC Zaac as the TropKillas close their Colombian look book and smile expectantly at a bunch of white dudes, one of whom is doodling and drooling.
[7]
Juana Giaimo: After the sensual “Downtown,” this is a rather disappointing collaboration for Anitta and J. Balvin. Funk carioca isn’t my thing, but this is exceptionally strange. The beat is already tiring but that repetitive chorus makes it worse. Anitta’s English verse suddenly tries to turn the song into a EDM track that has nothing to do with the rest, while J. Balvin abandons his calm rapping for a frenetic and flowless verse.
[5]