A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade
Encyclopedia
A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade is a Brazilian MPB
/indie rock
band
that gained popularity in late May 2011 following the release of its music video
"Oração" ("Prayer") on YouTube
. The video received more than 4.9 million views in three weeks, and it became highly publicized by the Brazil
ian press
after MTV
named it video clip of the week. Shortly thereafter, a number of English-language
news sources, including The Washington Post
and NPR
, drew international attention to the band.
, a city in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná
. Its name was inspired by the title of the short story The Most Beautiful Woman in Town
, by American
author Charles Bukowski
. In the beginning, the band performed songs by local composer
s, and since then, it has begun to adapt such songs to its own musical style. A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade has performed
publicly at the Wonka Bar in Curitiba, where its lead singer
, Uyara Torrente, put on a show
called "A Saudade Mata Gente, Panaca" ("Longing Kills People, Fool").
for "Oração" was filmed as a long take
on February 6, 2011, in a hundred-year-old house in Rio Negro, Paraná
. In the clip, the song's composer, Leo Fressato, is filmed in real time as he sings and walks through the house with a microphone
. Along the way, he encounters the band's musicians, who play their instruments
and accompany him in singing. "Oração" is essentially a six-minute repetition of a chorus
with four strophe
s. The video clip was released on May 13, 2011, and due to the music's catchy rhythm
and simple message (a series of metaphor
s about the heart), it rapidly went viral
in online social networks.
.
, UOL
, The Washington Post, and NPR, posted copies of "Oração" on their websites. Some Brazilian press sources have reported that A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade appears to be at the center of a local indie rock movement in Curitiba called Novos Curitibanos (New Curitibans), which is similar to the São Paulo
movement Novos Paulistas (New Paulistas). The latter movement is well-known in Brazil due to the fame of many of its participating musicians, including Tulipa Ruiz, Dudu Tsuda (former member of Pato Fu
), Tiê, and Thiago Pethit (winner of the MTV Bet Award at the 2010 MTV Video Music Brazil
).
Within a week of its launch on YouTube, "Oração" inspired several tribute videos and parodies from fans and critics of the song.
Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira or MPB designates a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music. It is not a discrete genre but rather a constellation that combines original songwriting and updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles like samba and samba-canção with contemporary...
/indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
that gained popularity in late May 2011 following the release of its music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
"Oração" ("Prayer") on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The video received more than 4.9 million views in three weeks, and it became highly publicized by the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
after MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
named it video clip of the week. Shortly thereafter, a number of English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
news sources, including The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, drew international attention to the band.
Formation and early musical endeavors
The band formed in 2009 in CuritibaCuritiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
, a city in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná
Paraná (state)
Paraná is one of the states of Brazil, located in the South of the country, bordered on the north by São Paulo state, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Santa Catarina state and the Misiones Province of Argentina, and on the west by Mato Grosso do Sul and the republic of Paraguay,...
. Its name was inspired by the title of the short story The Most Beautiful Woman in Town
The Most Beautiful Woman In Town
The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories is a collection of anecdotal short stories by American author Charles Bukowski. The stories are written in both the first and third-person, in Bukowski's trademark semi-autobiographical short prose style. In keeping with his other works, themes...
, by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Henry Charles Bukowski was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles...
. In the beginning, the band performed songs by local composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s, and since then, it has begun to adapt such songs to its own musical style. A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade has performed
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
publicly at the Wonka Bar in Curitiba, where its lead singer
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, Uyara Torrente, put on a show
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
called "A Saudade Mata Gente, Panaca" ("Longing Kills People, Fool").
Oração
The video clipVideo clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
for "Oração" was filmed as a long take
Long take
A long take is an uninterrupted shot in a film which lasts much longer than the conventional editing pace either of the film itself or of films in general, usually lasting several minutes. It can be used for dramatic and narrative effect if done properly, and in moving shots is often accomplished...
on February 6, 2011, in a hundred-year-old house in Rio Negro, Paraná
Rio Negro, Paraná
Rio Negro, Paraná is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
. In the clip, the song's composer, Leo Fressato, is filmed in real time as he sings and walks through the house with a microphone
Microphone
A microphone is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. In 1877, Emile Berliner invented the first microphone used as a telephone voice transmitter...
. Along the way, he encounters the band's musicians, who play their instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
and accompany him in singing. "Oração" is essentially a six-minute repetition of a chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
with four strophe
Strophe
A strophe forms the first part of the ode in Ancient Greek tragedy, followed by the antistrophe and epode. In its original Greek setting, "strophe, antistrophe and epode were a kind of stanza framed only for the music," as John Milton wrote in the preface to Samson Agonistes, with the strophe...
s. The video clip was released on May 13, 2011, and due to the music's catchy rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
and simple message (a series of metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
s about the heart), it rapidly went viral
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
in online social networks.
Influence
A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade has stated that the video for "Oração" was influenced by the music video for "Nantes," a 2007 song by American band BeirutBeirut (band)
Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe native Zachary Francis Condon, and later expanded into a band. The band's first performances were in Wollaston, United Kingdom, in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar...
.
Media response
On May 18, 2011, MTV named "Oração" video clip of the week. In the following days, both Brazilian and international news media published stories on the band, and many, including GloboRede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
, UOL
Universo Online
UOL once known as Universo Online, is a Brazilian online service provider and internet service provider. It is the leader in Latin America and the homepage portal is the biggest in the Portuguese speaking world.UOL is currently ranked at Alexa TOP 100...
, The Washington Post, and NPR, posted copies of "Oração" on their websites. Some Brazilian press sources have reported that A Banda Mais Bonita da Cidade appears to be at the center of a local indie rock movement in Curitiba called Novos Curitibanos (New Curitibans), which is similar to the São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
movement Novos Paulistas (New Paulistas). The latter movement is well-known in Brazil due to the fame of many of its participating musicians, including Tulipa Ruiz, Dudu Tsuda (former member of Pato Fu
Pato Fu
Pato Fu is a Brazilian rock band from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The band was formed by lead singer Fernanda Takai, guitarist John Ulhoa and bassist Ricardo Koctus, in 1992. Their drummer, Xande Tamietti, joined the band in 1996, as did keyboardist Lulu Camargo in 2005...
), Tiê, and Thiago Pethit (winner of the MTV Bet Award at the 2010 MTV Video Music Brazil
2010 MTV Video Music Brazil
The 2010 MTV Video Music Brazil, known as VMB 2010 in Brazil, was held on September 16, 2010, hosted by Marcelo Adnet and took place at the Credicard Hall, São Paulo. It awarded the best in Brazilian music, popular culture and internet culture in the year of 2010...
).
Within a week of its launch on YouTube, "Oração" inspired several tribute videos and parodies from fans and critics of the song.