Sean Redmond

In 1965, off in that exotic tropical realm of South America that is Brazil, the brothers Arnaldo Baptista and Sergio Dias joined with Rita Lee to create what would become the legendary psychedelic group Os Mutantes. Rarely heard outside its homeland while together, the trio nevertheless helped lay the groundwork for the burgeoning Tropicalia movement with its 1968 self-titled debut. In the next few years, the band would shift through psychedelia into more traditional blues, rock ‘n’ roll and even prog-rock pastures, laying down quite a few pop gems in the process. But by 1972, a mere four years later, Lee was out of the band; next went Baptista, and by 1978 the group disbanded. In the coming decades, the Mutantes seemed set to fade into history with the exception of a few dedicated devotees—among them David Byrne (who created the Os Mutantes best-of "Everything is Possible!" on Luaka Bop) and Kurt Cobain, who attempted to get the group to reunite in 1993 but was, sadly, turned down. But where Cobain failed, the influential hipster behemoth Pitchfork Media succeeded, getting the group to come together at long last for 2006’s Pitchfork Media Festival. And now, the Brazilian psych-pop legends are officially back, kicking off a summer 2007 tour at Metro. Missing the band at this point is inexcusable, so check it out while you still can.

Os Mutantes plays July 11 at Metro, 3730 North Clark, (773)549-0203 (2007-07-02)

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