A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana


A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana is the eleventh studio album released by Brazilian rock band Titãs. It is the first album composed entirely of new material since 1995's Domingo; the first released via Abril Music following the end of the partnership they had with WEA since the band's debut; the first without founding member and guitarist Marcelo Fromer, who died just before the recording sessions ; the last featuring founding member, vocalist and bassist Nando Reis, who would leave the band after the album's release to focus on his solo career, and the last produced by Jack Endino.
Fromer's death almost prompted the remaining members to postpone the album's recording and even made them consider ending the band, but the then sextet decided to carry on, deducing it would be what the guitarist wanted if alive. While the album's title criticizes "superficial" lists compiled by the press, the album's lyrics deal with various themes – including death, despite the songwriting taking place before the musician's passing.
The album was written under pressure from fans and critics, who saw the band release three albums mostly consisting of covers or re-recordings. A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana received mostly positive reviews, but did not sell as well as its three predecessors.

Background

This is the first album since Domingo to contain only new songs. Previously, the band had released Acústico MTV, with acoustic versions of some of their songs and four new ones; Volume Dois, a studio effort that continued the acoustic concept and brought more new tracks; and As Dez Mais, a tribute album. While Reis commented he did not notice such interval, vocalist Branco Mello and vocalist/keyboardist Sérgio Britto considered it was a period of great experience. Titãs were experiencing pressure from critics due to the long period with little new material, specially after three members released solo albums in the period. Due to that, some members considered the album as the only choice they had and also as a re-debut.
According to Alexandre Negado, from Omelete, the band announced a DJ would perform on the album, beginning an electronic incursion for the band, but the idea was ultimately abandoned.
On 11 June, a couple of days before they started the recording sessions, guitarist Marcelo Fromer was rammed by a motorcyclist in São Paulo and taken to the hospital with severe injuries. He died two days later. Instead of interrupting the activities, the members decided to carry on with it and record the album within the deadline they set. Drummer Charles Gavin said at the time that "stopping would have been much worse for us, we would be depressed, isolated". In 2013, when singer Chorão from Charlie Brown Jr. died, Mello said the band decided to carry on to keep Fromer's dream of having a rock band alive.
When commenting on the impact of his death during the recording sessions, American producer Jack Endino said:
It was only during the recording sessions that the band truly absorbed the member's death. According to Miklos, "we were so focused on recording and resuming the project that we did not think before. Now that we reunited for some sessions, we are realizing it", he said by the time of the album's release. He would recall that time in a 2013 interview:

Production and recording

The album was pre-produced at Estúdio Vinil Junkie, in São Paulo, in Abril and May 2001.
Endino took part of the album as a instrumentalist, playing Fromer's guitar parts, and also handling the bass in some tracks under Reis' request, so that he could focus on the acoustic guitar. The band though of using some recordings of Fromer for the album, but they lacked the necessary quality.
Endino also had to face another death during the sessions: his father's, at age 84. The passing forced him to go back to Seattle, United States, for a week, a period in which he was replaced by Paul Ralphes, who produced Britto's debut solo album.
Mixing took place in X Studio in Seattle, between 16 August and 2 September 2001, by Endino and Titãs. Mastering happened in 4 September 2001 at Sterling Sound, in New York City, United States. For this stage, Gavin travelled to the American city – while he was there, the September 11 attacks occurred. The album was then finished in Seattle by Endino and some members of the band.

Concept, composition and lyrics

The album title, as well as the title-track, are a play with "best" lists that the press "shove down the public's throat", despite the band admitting to be part of that. It also criticizes the superficiality shown by music at the time, music made to be "consumed"; but the criticism was expressed in a "ironic" and "sarcastic" way.
40 songs were composed for the album and 16 made it to the final tracklist. Fromer co-wrote five of them. There are tracks written by multiple members and tracks written by only one.
Despite some of the lyrics dealing with death, they were all composed before the accident. Tony Bellotto says the tracks reflected the moment lived by Fromer at the time, "going through a personal, individual crisis. He was about to turn 40, such questions were natural". Indeed, "Um Morto de Férias" was taken by Pedro Alexandre Sanches, of Folha de S.Paulo, as a reference to mid-life crisis. When asked about an alleged teenage thematic in the lyrics, Britto replied that "to feel detached, with difficulties to adapt to the routine, is not a privilege of teenagers. This is something that we can have our whole life. You can be a father and not feel part of it". "Daqui Pra Lá" was inspired by the song "O Homem Que Deve Morrer", composed by Nonato Buzar and written by Torquato Neto.
In terms of sound, some critics saw a return to the band's heavier sound of the past. Negado, from Omelete, defined the album's sound as "basic pop rock". While some considered that "Um Morto de Férias" and "É Bom Desconfiar" had a radiophonic pop appeal, "Vamos ao Trabalho" flirts with punk and "Eu Não Presto" borrows elemens from ska; "Mesmo Sozinho" is a melancholic ballad and forms a couple with the other ballad os the album, "Isso". "O Mundo É Bão, Sebastião!" opens with a chord reminiscent of The Beatles' "Day Tripper". "Bananas" was defined as "funk-samba-rock" and "mangue beat" and "Vamos ao Trabalho" was compared to Cabeça Dinossauro-era songs.
Endino described A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana as follows:

Release and reception

A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana marks the first release by Titãs under Abril Music, which would close its doors less than two years later. The first 250,000 copies of the album were sold in newsstands in a package including a poster-magazine with stories, photonovel, curiosities and games of the band. The ideia came from the then president of the label, Marcos Mainardi, who intended to increase the CD's availability and decrease its price. The magazine format was adopted to evade a law that prohibited CDs from being sold in newsstands as individual products, but not as part of a bundle. The suggested price for it at the newsstands was R$19,90.

Commercial reception

The album was certified gold by ABPD in 2001, which meant 100,000 copies sold according to the criteria of the time. It wasn't as successful as most of Titãs' previous releases.

Critical reception

A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana received positive reviews by the critics.
Writing for Allmusic, Philip Jandovský stated that Titãs manages "to maintain a surprisingly high standard of rock music", classifying the album as solid, even if not considering it as inspired and creative as the first phase of the band, which he called "one of Brazil's most talented and interesting rock bands".
Apoenan Rodrigues, from ISTOÉ magazine, considered the album "fun" and "ironic starting with the title itself, It makes the perfect mixture of palatable pop of more recent works like the acoustic projects and the sonic tons of Titanomaquia". He concluded by saying "the good sense mixed with the humour resulted in a CD for rocker parents and children."
Alexandre Nagado, from Omelete, considered that the album's 16 tracks "show a group that already took itself too seriously and now tries to get back to the simplicity path" and concluded his analysis saying that "the lyrics and melodies wander from rock to brega with a tranquility that will infuriate radical critics that are always saying Titãs are not the same anymore or that that which they do is disposable and commercial pop and not pure rock."
Pedro Alexandre Sanches, from Folha de S.Paulo, says the lyrics range from autocriticism to references to the so called "mid-life crisis" and concluded by saying: "for the ones who forgot about this, Titãs are still capable of doing open, new and creative music." In a general comment about the band's discography, Cleber Facchi, from Miojo Indie, said "a considerable part of the album fuses the commercial side of the group with the sarcasm assumed since the 80s."

Track listing

Singles

"A Melhor Banda de Todos os Tempos da Última Semana" was released as the fourteenth single by the band and the first from the album in 2001.

Music video

The video for this song shows black & white images of the band in several situations. Branco Mello sings while having his hair cut, with Paulo Miklos sitting near him and holding a cigarette. Nando Reis is seen in a kind of food fair, and Charles Gavin visits a LP albums store.

Personnel

Personnel per album booklet:

Titãs