Brasil (EOB song) - Misplaced Pages

"Brasil" is a song by the English musician Ed O'Brien, released under the name EOB. It was released on 5 December 2019 as the lead single from O'Brien's debut album, Earth.

Background

O'Brien initially recorded "Brasil" in 2013 with the producer Ian Davenport. He rerecorded it several times with various producers. The final version, produced by Flood and mixed by Alan Moulder, was recorded in January 2019. It was the final track on Earth to be completed. The song features O'Brien's Radiohead bandmate Colin Greenwood on bass, and drums by Omar Hakim.

Composition

Chris DeVille of Stereogum described the song as "a nine-minute shapeshifting epic" and "sweeping motorik pop-rock" with "plaintive guitar arpeggios" and "a bit closer to a conventional rock sound" than O'Brien's Radiohead bandmate Thom Yorke's 2019 solo album Anima. Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound stated that "'Brasil' opens as a somewhat bucolic acoustic piece, with O’Brien’s mournful guitar and voice leading the way as strings slowly dance above them. The pace begins to quicken a third of the way through, however, as Hakim’s drumming and Greenwood’s bass make themselves known. From there, the song becomes a pulsing motorik driver that beats out into space."

Music video

The music video was written and directed by Andrew Donoho.

Discussing the video's concept, O'Brien stated:

"Brasil" is a state of mind, not a place or time. H.P. Lovecraft, Kubrick, and Junji Ito have created some of my favourite sci-fi narratives. But I’ve always wanted to reinterpret their horrific premises into a more poetic and optimistic notion. What if an alien or higher being were to come to earth to help us achieve a greater existence, and not to destroy us? What would it look like if everyone on earth shared thoughts, experiences, and actions? The theory that humans, as a species, actually represent one large, singular organism has always fascinated me, and I wanted to explore that concept visually through a variety of different character perspectives, mediums, and impressionistic visual effects. All these layers and ideas culminated into our narrative for "Brasil".

Donoho said:

"Brasil" was one of those tracks just dripping with magic from the very beginning. Everything started clicking very quickly. Empathy, togetherness, wonder, spirituality, and exploration resonated from the song and the references, and I wanted to write a large scope, otherworldly concept weighted in humanity. Ed and I both shared a love of space and the abstract concepts surrounding time, so I started building a narrative around transcending the physical barriers of our bodies and the temporal barriers of linear experience.

References

STORE, OFFICIAL. "BRASIL 12" SINGLE". OFFICIAL STORE.
^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (December 5, 2019). "Radiohead's Ed O'Brien debuts dreamy new track 'Brasil'". NME. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
^ DeVille, Chris (December 5, 2019). "EOB (Ed O'Brien) – "Brasil" Video". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
^ Bloom, Madison (December 5, 2019). "Radiohead's Ed O'Brien Shares Video for New Song "Brasil": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2019-12-05. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
^ Kaye, Ben (December 5, 2019). "Radiohead's Ed O'Brien premieres nine-minute solo song "Brasil": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved March 22, 2020.

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