Solo debut from the artist known as Sessa, co-founder of Brazilian psych band Garotas Suecas. Sessa is a scene fixture in both São Paulo and NYC, and Grandeza ('greatness' em Português) was recorded with a diverse cast of musicians in both locales, an homage to Brazil's rich musical history: “Grandeza is an album about the natural gesture of love and the softness of the human body. It’s also about my love for Brazilian music and its many shapes and colors. I like to think that it exists somewhere among the rituals that celebrate life. It’s a reminder that amongst all the pain, music comes to reaffirm the beauty in living.” The album’s eleven tracks are vivid and beautifully minimal; Sessa takes his time deploying a vast array of textures that pay tribute to a half century of Brazilian music without sacrificing his personality as it's centerpiece. The title track is a sparse folk tune pairing Sessa’s charismatic vocal with back room acoustic guitar; next up “Tesão Central” sees polyrhythmic congas cascading into a choir of female chants in a wash of analog delay. The vintage Nascimento / Jobim / Valle vibe is deployed flawlessly, but the record has a few tells that place it in the present century: “Flor do Real” is vaguely reggaeton despite its endearing kitchen floor recording quality; “Orgia” is a deliberate deconstruction of post-Tropicalia aesthetics. “Infinitamente Nu” is our favorite track, delightfully squirmy with a devastating coalescence of moody strings and voices, like some kind of kindred spirit to Low or Sigur Ros’ noisier moments.

• 5th anniversary edition
• pink & purple splatter colored vinyl
• full color printed insert
• digital download included
• limited edition of 1000
• original release year: 2019
• music label: Mexican Summer 2024

reviewed by big kahuna burger 10/2019