Os Mutantes

Led by Brazilian songwriters Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, tropicalia fused traditional Brazilian folklore with the anarchic spirit of late-'60s rock and protest folk. But there was a side to tropicalia that Veloso and Gil were a tad too tender and poetic to convey: a certain dissonance, a loopy sense of humor, and overt psychedelic tendencies that the trio known as Os Mutantes (Arnaldo Baptista, Rita Lee Jones, Sérgio Dias) gleefully explored during a short-lived but impressive career.

Thanks to David Byrne, that enthusiastic trader in exotic musical goods, mainstream America got a taste of the Mutantes. Everything Is Possible! is the only domestic release available, though the band's entire output can be easily found as import reissues. Still, Byrne's anthology does a wonderful job of capturing Os Mutantes' mystique, which centers around nonsensical spoofs of established genres ("Cantor de Mambo," "Adeus Maria Fulo") and mini–pop symphonies that sound like Magical Mystery Tour outtakes (the undeniably lovely "Fuga No. 2"). It's no coincidence that the majority of the 14 tracks are culled from Os Mutantes' self-titled debut, the best psychedelic album you've never heard.

Os Mutantes disbanded in 1978, and during its last few years, the group shuffled its lineup and released some forgettable prog-rock-flavored albums. Fortunately, Os Mutantes will probably be remembered for their earlier, quirkier aesthetic, which has influenced artists as diverse as Beck, Nirvana, and Stereolab. (ERNESTO LECHNER)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide