finetune artist: Madredeus

Formed in the mid-80s this Portuguese unit combines the voice of Teresa Salgueiro with the lyrics of Pedro Ayres Magalhaes (guitar) and minimalist backing from a series of collaborators/band members including Jos Peixoto (guitar), Francisco Ribeiro (cello/violin), Gabriel Gomes (harmonica), Rodrigo Leao (keyboards), Carlos Maria Trindade (keyboards), Antonio Vitorino de Almeida (piano), and Fernando Judice (guitar). Madredeus draw on the Portuguese state of saudade that translates approximately as a sense of loss and longing but also beauty, a melancholic feeling for something that is missed or unattainable as the main emotion echoed and evoked in their beguiling neo-folk music. With a name translating as "Mother God" and apparently derived from the Madre de Deus, a church the band performed in, Madredeus create a rich and soulful music that is steeped in fado traditions but also looks to non-traditional melodies. In their English translations, lines such as "It is no poem what I am going to say to you/Neither do I know if it is worthwhile/To try to describe it to you/The sea" ("The Sea") and "Anxiety of having a final vision of human society/I'm wandering between safe illusions about the truth" ("Anxiety') seem as succinct and evocative as haiku. Each of the band's albums has, however, sold in excess of 500,000 copies, a statistic that should not obscure the reality that Madredeus' music is beguiling, graceful and elegant. Wim Wenders notably featured Madredeus (with Salgueiro and Magalhaes taking roles) and their music in the 1994 film Lisbon Story. Madredeus' Ainda, dedicated to the city of Lisbon, served as a soundtrack to the movie. Later releases suggested new routes for the band and perhaps even a changing definition of what Madredeus is: for 2002's Euforia they worked with the Flemish Radio Orchestra, arranging their back catalogue for symphonic orchestra while the same year's Electronico recontextualised the band via a series of electronic remixes from Alpha, Sunday Best, Buscemi, Tlpopmusik and Manitoba. In all their forms, Madredeus" recordings suggest a vibrant present for music so deeply rooted in Portuguese tradition.

Listen to Madredeus at Finetune.

(2001) Movimento
(2000) Antologia
(1998) O Paraíso: 14 Canções
(1997) Existir
(1996) Ainda: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack From Lisbon Story
(1995) O Espírito Da Paz

Haja O Que Houver
O Pastor
O Mar
Oxalá
Os Dias Sao a Noite

RC18 on 2007-05-12 23:10:07.033:
A defender as cores nacionais! Gosto muito do trabalho dos Madredeus! Desde pequeno, quando assisti a um concerto na Guarda (sou de Belmonte e perto), que fiquei com a vossa musica no ouvido! Sem duvida uma referencia!!!