New York City

iTunes Review

Is there a more cosmopolitan band than Brazilian Girls? Inspired vocalist Sabina Sciubba sings in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and the group draws on whatever styles it can get its hands on: lounge, funk, cabaret, no wave, electronica, indie rock, bossa nova, you name it. But in the end, Brazilian Girls melt everything into their own unpretentiously artful sound. 2008’s New York City is their third album and it might be their best one yet. “St. Petersburg” and “Nouveau Americain” display the group’s edgier side as Sciubba lets loose over driving rhythms and intriguing instrumental textures. “Berlin” features delightful drums and horns — courtesy of Kenny Wollesen and the Himalayas — that evoke circus music and late-night cabarets. (Wollesen and his group appear on several tracks.) Brazilian Girls are also comfortable with quieter material, as evidenced by the lovely “Mano de Dios” where a hypnotic loop, complete with record scratch, serves as an atmospheric backdrop for Sciubba’s slow, prayer-like vocals. And on “Perpetuo Mobile,” the singer is accompanied by lulling keyboard, wonderful drumming, and a web of floating tones.