All photos by Fabio Audi A not-so funny thing happens when you get divorced: your friends ask for advice on how to deal with their own relationship struggles. Maybe that’s why Alexandre Kassin’s new album, Relax, has two songs about this incredible heartbreak. First there’s “A Paisagem Morta,” a dark bossa nova tune about those initial moments once the breakup is final, when you begin to rediscover yourself. “The lyrics are about trying to keep things happening,” says Kassin, a leading producer and instrumentalist in Brazilian music. Then there’s “As Coisa Que Nos Nao Fizemo,” a mid-tempo song about divorce. Here, above twinkling chimes and stilted drums, Kassin keeps the vibe loose, reflecting upon the ways he and his former partner failed each other. In a way, these songs are therapeutic; Kassin himself went through a very bad divorce. “It’s just now getting better,” he says thoughtfully. Over the course of his career, Kassin has produced roughly 100 records for singers like Marisa Monte and Bebel Gilberto, has recorded with Sean O'Hagan and made a full album based on Nintendo GameBoy sounds. He has played bass for Caetano Veloso’s live shows and conceptualized the Imperial Orchestra band. Relax isn’t all gloom and doom, though. Across 11 tracks, Kassin flirts with Latin rhythms, Brazilian pop, and straight-ahead soul, using this varied sonic array to tell imagined tales of death, drug usage, politics and fate. On the deeply personal “Momento De Clareza,” Kassin sings of his sixth sense. In 1996, he and his band were slated to fly on the TAM Transportes Aéreos Regionais Flight 402, which struck two buildings and several houses and killed all 95 people on board. Kassin was finishing an assignment and had the foresight to leave sooner than expected, eluding the ill-fated flight by a day. “I wanted the group to leave sooner,” the musician recalls. “If I didn’t push everybody to leave sooner, we’d all be dead.” The contrast here is intriguing: the arrangement itself feels bright and danceable, yet the theme is incredibly sullen. Such is the dichotomy of Kassin’s Relax, a record that speaks directly to the yin and yang of everyday life, and the uncertainty that comes with simply existing. Despite their upbeat, pop-centric arrangements, Kassin tackles heavy, thought-provoking themes. “Estricnina,” or Strychnine (yes, the poison) in English, is a self-described “strange tale.” “It’s a person propositioning another to take Strychnine,” Kassin says. “It’s an experimental samba with dark lyrics and happy sounds.” Similar in theme, “Comprimidos Demais” is about a couple that uses pills to control their mood; “O Anestesista,” Kassin says, is the most politically charged song on Relax. “In this climate,” he continues, “we wish we had a personal anesthetist to help you forget about what’s going on.” In the end, Relax isn't Kassin’s most conceptual release. This one’s rooted in dreams and surrealism, but it’s still grounded enough to reach listeners where they are. “I wanted to make something with different arrangements and different aesthetics,” Kassin concludes. “I wanted to explore a different, diverse world.”

1. COMPRIMIDOS DEMAIS

[ KASSIN / ALBERTO CONTINENTINO ]
BX-GPG-17-OOOO7 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) / direct UBC

quando eu sentir saudades de você
vou submergir nas tardes de outono
luto com o sono com a falta de apetite
sei que essa gripe hoje chegou pra ficar

amar é ruim pra nós
mesmo se tentarmos
certamente vai desabar
já deu o que ia dar

pássaros voando num dia de domingo penso em você num pedalinho peixes
tropicais barreiras de corais somos diferentes com comprimidos demais

pílulas de todas as cores
controlam nossos humores
capsulas de sentimentos
momentos sob controle

vem pro meu mundo agora
diga que não se importa
sobre eu ser sintético
sobre esse prédio velho

coberto de rachaduras
portas e janelas que já viram dias melhores
já deu o que ia dar

coisas desabando, poeira estrelar
dias de domingo são tão deprimentes
tédio e adultério são complementares
somos diferentes com comprimidos demais

OVERPRICED PILLS

When I start to miss you 
I’m going to dive into autumn afternoons
Fight off sleep and loss of appetite
I know this flu is here to stay

Love is bad for us
Even if we try 
It will certainly fall apart 
It has given what it had to give

Birds flying on a Sunday 
I think of you, on a pedal bike
tropical fish, coral reefs
we are different after too many pills

Pills of all colors
Control our moods
Feelings in a capsule
Moments under control

Come to my world now
Tell me you don’t care
That I am synthetic
Or about this old building

Covered with cracks
Doors and windows
that have seen better days
It has given what it had to give

Collapsing things, dust from the stars
Sundays are so depressing
Tedium and adultery
complement each other
We are different after too many pills

2. RELAX

[ KASSIN/ALBERTO CONTINENTINO ]
BX-GPG-17-OOO11 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) / direct UBC

hora de dar um relax
relax relax relax

depois de um dia difícil
quando as horas não passam
relaxar com os amigos
sem pensar em mais nada
eu fico toda a semana
sonhando com a sexta-feira
pra desligar do trabalho
e respirar lentamente

hora de dar um relax
relax relax relax

RELAX

Time to do some relaxin’
Relax relax relax

 

After a hard day
When time would not go by
Relax with some friends
Thinking of nothing
I dream about Friday all week
To forget about work
And to breathe slowy

Time to do some relaxin’
Relax relax relax

3. ESTRICNINA

[ KASSIN ]
BX-GPG-17-OOO12 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas)

estricnina amor
estricnina
devemos morrer sem dor
essa é a nossa sina

eu tenho em meu corpo
substâncias que podem matar
um cavalo (macaco)
mandrix, benzina e artane
são drogas fracas
eu quero e desejo um veneno
que dê fim ao seu descaso
estricnina meu bem
e fim de papo

STRYCHNINE

Strychnine love
Strychnine
We should die without pain
That’s our fate

I have substances in my body
that could kill a horse
Mandrix, Benzine and Artane
are weak drugs
I want, I desire a poison
to put an end to your indiffrence
Strychnine dear, end of story

4. MOMENTO DE CLAREZA

[ KASSIN / ALBERTO CONTINENTINO ]
BX-GPG-17-OOO14 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) / direct UBC

eu te avisei
nem sempre o fácil é certo
e dessa vez
ia ficar bem feio
mas eu tive um momento de clareza
e não deixei
a Coisa desandar
agindo meio que instintivamente
nem é bom lembrar
agora acabou tudo bem
já passou
foi por pouco bem na hora h
ainda bem que
eu te avisei, te avisei
ja passou
você não entrou no avião
ainda bem
te avisei, te avisei

MOMENT OF CLARITY

I warned you
The easy way is not always right
And this time
It’s gonna get ugly

But I had a moment of clarity
And I didn’t let 
Things go off track 

Acting half on instinct 
It’s not good to remember
But things turned out all right

5. O ANESTESISTA

[ KASSIN ] BX-GPG-17-00001 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas)

quero o meu próprio anestesista
dia e noite ao meu lado
nos momentos mais difíceis
um pouco de gás na vida
o peso da existência triste, das angústias
mais sombrias, dos amores acabados
fim de toda dor

ah! felicidade enfim
levitar nas ondas de calor

eu quero o meu próprio anestesista
pra pôr fim no dias mortos
pra uma vida de leveza
um pouco de gásssss
na vida desse pobre moribundo
vendo o que as pessoas acham
sobre o golpe de brasília
que desilusão

THE ANESTHESIS

I want my own anesthesiologist
By my side day and night 
A little laughing gas
during the toughest times
Against  the sad weight of existence,
the darkest of anguishes,
terminated loves.
The end of all pain.

Ah, Happiness at last
To levitate on waves of heat

 

I want my own anesthesiologist
To abolish the day of the dead
To bring about a life of lightness
A little gassss
Into the life of this poor sufferer
Aghast at what people make of the coup in Brasília
What disillusion

6. SUA SUGESTÃO

[ KASSIN ] BX-GPG-17-OOOO6 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas)

tudo que você achava que eu faria
com certeza um dia chegaria
em que algo de errado aconteceria
talvez por sua sugestão
tudo que você esperava que acontecesse
com certeza o dia que alguém aparecesse
tudo tudo de repente se esvaia
deve ter sido enquanto você dormia
os micróbios e os átomos
conspiravam todo dia
talvez por sua sugestão
enquanto você dormia
enquanto você dormia

YOUR SUGGESTION

Everything you thought that I would do
Certain that the day would arrive 
When something would go wrong
Perhaps at your suggestion
Everything that you hoped
would happen
That the day would come when someone would appear
All of it all of it suddenly empties out
It must have happened
while you were asleep
The microbes and the atoms
conspired every day
Perhaps at your suggestion
While you were asleep
While you were asleep

7. A PAISAGEM MORTA

[ KASSIN ]
BX-GPG-17-OOOO4 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas)

a paisagem morta
vive atrás da porta
do apartamento onde vivemos
essa porta agora
está sempre aberta
como deveria sempre estar

com o passar dos anos
todos os enganos
foram maiores que prevemos
mas ainda há chance
de retonar nosso romance
só depende de nós dois

esquecer dos erros
das coisas pequenas
essas coisas foram se tornando grandes

Se cresceram tanto
foi por nossa culpa não soubemos contornar
mas ainda há tempo
pois o tempo espera
e eu espero voltar

THE DEAD LANDSCAPE

The dead landscape
Lives behind the door
Of the apartment where we live
That door is always open
now
That way it always should be

As the years go by
All the mistakes
Were larger than we anticipated
But there is still a chance
To rekindle our romance
It all depends on the two of us

Forget the mistakes
The little things
That grew so large

If they grew so large
It was our fault
We couldn’t get past them
But there is still time
Because time is waiting
And I want to go back

8. DIGERIDO

[ KASSIN / SEAN O’HAGAN ]
BX-GPG-17-OOOO8 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) / Domino Publishing

meu corpo pouco a pouco foi
Se dissolvendo
camada por camada desaparecendo
a carne agora morta sendo mastigada
não sobra nada no fim

meu corpo pouco a pouco
desaparecendo
dentro da sua boca pela laringe
a dentro
cada pedaço mastigado engolido
à seco
não resta nada de mim

agora eu sou digerido
o suco gástrico rasga a pele
dentro de um estômago escuro
lembrando os dias de feto no útero

junto com outras comidas
vou me despedindo
junto com outras comidas
sendo digerido

DIGESTED

My body is dissolving little by little 
Dissapearing layer by layer
Dead meat being chewed
In the end nothing is left

My body dissapearing bit by bit
Into your mouth down your larynx
Every piece chewed then swallowed dry
Nothing is left of me

Now I am digested
Gastric juices rip my flesh
In a dark stomach
Remembering my days
as a fetus in a uterus

Along with other foods I say goodbye
Along with other food being digested

9. SERIA O DONUT?

[ KASSIN / Rob GALLAGUER ] BX-GPG-17-OOOO3 – Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) / Phoenix Publishing

o mundo aos meus pés agora
dá sinais que a coisa roda
com dificuldade aos trancos
vamos segurando os bancos

quando o ônibus capota
quando a velha torta é morta
com as mãos cheias de sangue
com os dentes brancos morde

os meus pés e as mãos atadas
só me resta fazer nada
não que realmente importe
vou contando com a sorte

tudo pouco a pouco mata
as veias logo logo entopem
aviões caem das nuvens
nada faz muito sentido

seria o donut o sonho americano?

agora todo mundo acha
mas ninguém sabe de nada
não que eu saiba alguma coisa
mas também não acho nada
quando a porra toda quebra
não tem jeito que conserte
só fazer tudo direito
como tinha que ser feito

seria o donut o sonho americano?
seria a montanha russa na rússia
a montanha americana?

IS A DONUT?

The world at my feet now
Is showing signs that things are turning
With difficulty, stopping and starting
Hold onto your seat 
When the bus flips over
When the crooked old woman is killed 
With bloody hands
Biting with white teeth

My feet and hands are tied

Nothing left but to do nothing
Not that it really matters
I’m counting on my luck

Everything kills little by little 
Soon the veins will clog up 
Airplanes fall out of the sky
Nothing makes sense anymore

Is a donut the American dream?*

Now everybody thinks 
But no one knows anything 
Not that I know anything
But I don’t really have an opinion
When the whole thing breaks
Nothing can fix it
Just do things the right way 
Like they should be done

Is a donut the American dream?*
Is a roller coaster in Russia
the American mountain?

*dream (’Sonho’) is also a type of
Brazilian donut

10. ENQUANTO DESABA O MUNDO

[ KASSIN ]
BX-GPG-17-OOOO5 - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas)

dançando com você
enquanto o mundo parece ruir
estamos só nós dois
e não importa nada mais, nada mais
seus olhos dizem sim
eu não me arrependo do que fiz
o mundo é de nós dois
e o que vier depois será mais um bolero
pra dançarmos juntos enquanto
desaba o mundo

WHILE THE WORLD IS FALLING

Dancing with you
While the world seems to collapse
Just the two of us
And nothing else matters, nothing else
Your eyes say yes
I don’t regret what I did
The world belongs to the two of us
and what follows
will be another bolero 
To dance together
as the world falls away

11. AS COISAS QUE NÓS NÃO FIZEMOS

[ KASSIN / CHRIS CUMMINGS ]
BX-GPG-17-OOO1O - Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) / Tin Angel Publishing

as coisas que nós não fizemos
e pouco a pouco esquecemos
o que não volta atrás
esse jardim sem cor
sem alegria sem calor
nas veias já não corre o sangue
já não há febre ou saudade
os planos no papel
as fotos que deixamos
são sombras do passado aqui

que pena essa distância
dentro da nossa casa
nós dois
deixamos tanta coisa pra depois
nós dois
fomos um time campeão
dali nada sobrou
acabou

THE THINGS WE DID NOT DO

The things we did not do
And gradually forgot
What won’t come back
This colorless garden
Without happiness or heat

 

No blood running through the veins
No more fever or longing
Plans on paper
Photos left behind
are just shadows of the past

What a pity this distance
Inside our home
The two of us
Left so much for later 
We were a winning team
But nothing is left 
It’s over