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Brazil – A Hostage and the Meaning of Life

Brazil’s A Hostage and the Meaning of Life is an intricate and powerful example of musical artistry and genius. Hostage was produced and engineered by Alex Newport who has worked with bands like The Locust, At the Drive In and The Mars Volta. Consider Brazil’s style to be like a post-hardcore opera complete with a cello, saxophone, drum machines that are manipulated through petals and three different keyboards. What makes Hostage even more theatric is how the use of these various keyboards and sound effects give the songs a rolling, dancing and epic feeling. It’s almost like each song is a novel with a climax and conclusion.

The album starts out with “A Hostage,” which ignites the fuse for rocket-powered rhythms and complex dynamics. “The Novemberist” is one of those storybook songs where the music and vocals compliment each other perfectly. The drums during the chorus pound in unison with Jonathon Newby’s vocals.

Educated lyrics are another aspect to A Hostage and the Meaning of Life that make it a stand out album. With lines like, “Run away when I feel danger, danger hides in every stranger, stranger things have happened so I feel like being stranger, laughing,” on “Escape” and “Taking at the witching hour / missile launch and fuselage / rivets form a row of eyes / factory glass state of mind,” in “Metropol” are great examples of the mystery that lies within Brazil.

The use of pianos and keyboards are as prominent in Hostage as guitars are in their music. In fact Brazil even manipulate the sound of their guitars with violin bows to create a truly unique sound. Melancholy pianos and driving drum lines carry “The Iconoclast” from start to finish with little use of the guitars until the song’s final minute.

Newby’s vocals have a wide range of tones, but stay powerful throughout each song. His abilities of pitch change can be easily heard in “Zentropa.” And the fact that Newby has a journalism degree may account for why the lyrics are so thought out and mystical.

Hostage concludes with two interesting and powerful tracks. “Form & Function” is about two minutes long, sounds like something that could be heard while waiting in line for Space Mountain at Disneyland and leads right into “Fatale and Futique.” The last track just reiterates the fact that Brazil have created a masterpiece of mysterious musical intellect, and for that reason I give A Hostage and the Meaning of Life a 9 (out of 10). These guys will definitely be around for a while.

Suggested Listening: "Fatale & Fatique," "Metropol" and "A Hostage"

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III – Senior Editor / Founder

June, 2004