Mixing rock with electronica, jazz, bossa nova, and other traditional Brazilian music styles, Mombojó has managed to create something extremely rare in today’s rock music, that is, a different and personal sound. The arrangements are sophisticated and effective, bringing out the best elements of the music. It’s also an astonishingly “mature” album, considering the fact that it is a debut from a group whose members are all very young (around 20 years of age). Mombojó has been compared to Mundo Livre S/A (a more famous band from the same state, Pernambuco) and los Hermanos. There certainly are similarities, but Mombojó’s sound is truly unique. It’s clear that these youngsters create music as they like it to be, not falling for the temptation to write music that they think will be played a lot on MTV or accomplish instant commercial success among the teenage crowd. The lyrics of the songs are mostly about love and relations, but also touch on subjects such as death, dancing, and loneliness. Nada de Novo is an excellent album and a very promising debut. There is no surprise that Mombojó was contracted by the hip and relatively big Brazilian record company Trama soon after this release. – Philip Jandovský
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