ceu – 7th Level Music

My top 25 live shows of 2016 – #’s 15-11

Who killed it live this year? Keep reading!

#15 – Death from Above 1979 at the Chicago House of Blues October 13th

Yeah, the whole show was this crazy. It was a rough pit, but worth a couple spins through it to feed off the energy DFA1979 were throwing at us.

#14 – Buzzcocks at the Vic Theatre in Chicago September 22nd

Speaking of rough mosh pits, I helped break up a fight in this one. I’d been waiting a long time to see Buzzcocks, and it was well worth it.

#13 – Clutch at Pierre’s in Fort Wayne, Indiana June 10th

“Hottest show of the tour. No question,” said Clutch lead singer Neal Fallon. It was indeed damn hot in there, and Clutch seemed to use the heat like a furnace to create some sort of alchemical spell.

#12 – Golden Dawn Arkestra at Levitation Austin May 1st

My wife and I were front and center for the funkiest show we saw all year. The crowd was bonkers by the end of their set. “I almost left,” said one woman as we were leaving the show. “I’m glad I stayed.” Shame on you if you missed it.

#11 – Ceu at the City Winery in Chicago June 24th

This was a beautiful show in an intimate venue, and Brazilian bossa nova / eletro siren Ceu had the whole room in the palm of her hand by the end of it. I couldn’t stop grinning through the whole performance.

Who’s in the top 10? Come back tomorrow to see!

Keep your mind open.

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Live: Ceu – June 24, 2016 – Chicago, IL

Barely anyone paid attention to the candles.

I showed up at Chicago’s City Winery in plenty of time to get a good free parking spot a block away and order a Right Bee cider before the show started. The City Winery is a nice, small venue not much bigger than a couple campground pavilions, and Brazilian siren Ceu was playing that night. I’ve been a fan of hers since stumbling onto her self-titled first record back in 2005. I’d missed all her previous Chicago dates, and now I was seeing her from about twenty feet from my table while I munched braised duck tacos.

Her opening band was an electro two-piece called Kauf from Los Angeles. They got the show off to a fine start with a groovy set that had people nodding their heads and drumming on their tables. One man behind me said, “They’re like an 80’s synth kind of thing.” That’s true, but a bit of a simplistic description. Add a bit of dark wave and Caribou and you’re there.

Kauf bringing fine electro to the City Winery.

By now I’d learned that the couple across from me (named, I kid you not, Tom and Jerry) were seeing Ceu for the fourth time and hadn’t missed one of her Chicago dates yet. This was the first time they’d seen her with a guitarist in the band. We had a great time being wowed by her and sharing flatbread pizza.

She came out in a dark orange dress with light sparkles throughout it and a pair of bad-ass silver sequined high heels. It was at this moment that I realized Ceu looks like Jane Russell, and I about fainted in my chair. I almost fainted again when she started singing and her gorgeous voice filled the room.

She played a lovely, intimate set with her sharp as a tack backing band. They played many cuts from her fine new album, Tropix, as well as cuts going all the way back to 2005. She was dancing by the second song, “Perfume Invisibel,” and people were already breaking the “candle rule” to stay quiet during the show (Tom, Jerry, and I included). They were dancing in one corner by the end of her main set and all through the encore.

She and her band spanned multiple music styles. They played stuff ranging from bossa nova, electro dance songs, reggae, and modern disco cuts to early 80’s synth tracks you might hear on a Berlin album.

As good as her voice is on her albums, it is even better live. I won’t miss her if she comes through the Midwest again, and neither should you.

Ceu’s set list for the night. Sadly, I didn’t get a physical copy of it, but thanks to the man who let me take this photo of his copy.

[Thanks to Andre Bourgeois for making press pass arrangements for me for this show. He rules.]

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Ceu – Tropix

Brazilian songstress and soon-to-be your new favorite singer Ceu’s new album Tropix is a nice blend of bossa nova, electro, and lounge pop that’s like a breath of fresh air in the nasty political landscapes both here and in Brazil right now.

“Perfume Do Invisivel” is the first single, and it’s a lovely electro song that blends bossa nova beauty with club banging beats during the chorus. I’m sure it’s inspired a hundred remixes in clubs across South America and Europe by now. “Arrastarte-Ei” gets quirky with its beats, but Ceu’s voice remains a constant smooth groove throughout it. “Amor Pixelado” (“Pixelated Love”) is haunting and lovely as Ceu’s voice drifts around you like a heartbroken ghost until the computer beats drop and turn the song into something Thom Yorke probably has on an iPhone playlist.

“Varanda Suspensa” (“Suspended Balcony”) will get your hips moving with its synth horns, and the synths are even more prominent on “Etilica / Interludio” (“Ethyl / Interlude”). It’s a good track, and sounds like something the Pet Shop Boys would’ve created in the early 1990’s.

“A Menina E O Monstro” (“A Girl and a Monster”) starts with a music box and then a synth beat that sounds like a skipping record before it turns into a wonky warbled thing that is as catchy as it is bizarre. “Minhas Bics” has neat, crisp guitar that taps out the beat before the dubstep bass wanders into the room like a fat guy eyeing a buffet.

“Chico Buarque Song” is the first time I’ve heard Ceu sing in English, and it’s a stunning piece. It has a big, bold chorus, spooky synths that border on goth music, and Ceu’s voice at its sexy best. “Sangria” is a lovely ballad that I’m guessing is more about actual blood than the booze.

“Camadas” (“Layers”) is even sexier than “Sangria.” Sade wishes she had a song like this. The drums are exquisite, the bass is smooth, the synths are groovy, and Ceu’s voice is sultry. I’m fairly certain scores of Brazilians are shagging to this song even now. “A Nave Vai” has sharp funky guitar throughout it, and “Rapsodia Brasilis” has the funkiest drums on the record.

It’s a good close to this lovely album of electro-bossa nova, which should be an entire genre if you ask me.

Keep your mind open.

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Ceu announces tour dates.

Brazilian singer extraordinaire Ceu has released tour dates for this summer.

I hope to catch her at that Chicago date on June 24th. I’ve yet to see a live bossa nova show, let alone one that combines electro beats with the genre. Catch her if you can.

Keep your mind open.

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Brazilian siren Ceu to release “Tropix” in March.

The lovely Brazilian singer Ceu‘s new album Tropix will be out March 25, 2016. You can see the video for the first excellent single, “Perfume Do Invisivel,” below. It’s a beautiful single combining bossa nova with electro as Ceu does better than most.

You can pre-order Tropix on Ceu’s Bandcamp page.

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