Bonde Do Rolê preview

Bonde Do Rolê
Empty Bottle, Chicago
Friday, September 21, 2007

Does anyone know how to say “sexcore” in Portuguese?

The word on this hyperactive Brazilian is the visuals help. That means while you can’t understand much of what’s going on with Bonde Do Rolê’s debut album (which they helpfully titled With Lasers (Mad Decent) for us inbred, anti-lectuals in the U.S.), once you get a load of the perversions they enact onstage it all sorta comes together.

But what’s bringing the kids out — namely sexually repressed, Pitchfork-reading types — isn’t the prospect of sloppy South American sensuality, but Diplo. Lasers‘ executive producer has been exalted as a revelation following his teamwork with M.I.A. on her Kala, and this is the press’ way of giving props. Of course, exec producing is a lot like taking credit in case it’s a success, but if the bottom falls out he really didn’t have much to do with it. What? Distilled: Don’t see Bonde Do Rolê simply because you want to be hip to Diplo. Go because you haven’t had your delicate sensibilities rocked like this since your depraved, teenaged hands gripped the pubic cover of The Black Crowes’ steamy Amorica. Only this has the fat beats, Alice In Chains samples, and guitarist “Freddie Van Halen” to knock you back.

Juiceboxxx will open.

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly