FIREBUG - FIREBUG

I’ve spent the last week pulling my newly-grown hair out, trying to compare this new Firebug record to something so you’ll be interested in it enough to check it out on your own. But there really aren’t any particular bands or musicians that come to mind when I hear it. What I can tell you is it reminded me exactly why I listen to ska, reggae, and dub. It also reminded me why I need to pay more attention to what’s going on outside of these North American shores.
Firebug is a trio from São Paulo, Brazil who use their evident musical chemistry as the foundation for building some really great and catchy tunes. And while the music is heavily rooted in Jamaican ska, reggae, and dub, there’s something indescribably otherworldly about it. Guitarist/singer Felipe Machado’s smooth, tenor vocals tell tales of love (\"You And Me\"), give lyrically dream-like life path advice (\"Boarding Time\"), and carve some life truths into musical stone (\"Barrel Of Truth\"), while his guitar playing adds to rock solid rhythms held down by drummer Rodrigo Cerqueira and bassist/producer Victor Rice. The disc rounds out with bonus tracks, including some of the album’s English tunes re-sung in Portuguese, as well as a few wicked dub numbers.
On a side note, the track I keep repeating is the touching-- yes, this is my rarely seen sensitive side-- \"Not Anymore\". It’s a steady ska riddim, with a rather heartfelt plea sung sweetly over it. Not since J-Live’s \"The 4th 3rd\" has anything come close to telling such a tale.