DOMENICO LANCELLOTTI IN "THE GOOD IS A BIG GOD"

1. Voltar-se (Turn back)
2. A Alma do Vento (The Soul of the Wind)
3. The God is a Big God (feat. Nina Miranda)
4. Tudo ao Redor (Everything Around (feat. Moreno Veloso))
5. Asas (Wings)
6. Árvores (Trees)
7. Aracne
8. Pare de Correr (Stop Running (feat. Pedro Sá))
9. Serra dos Orgãos
10. Shanti Luz (Peace Light)
11. Insatiable (Insatiable (feat. Nina Miranda))
12. Dama da Noite (Lady of the Night)
13. Logo (feat. Sean O’Hagan)
14. Terra (Earth)

The second solo album by the singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Domenico Lancellotti (from the trio +2 and ex-Women Who Say Yes), The Good is a Big God brings participations of Nina Miranda, Moreno Veloso, Pedro Sá and Sean O'Hagan.

The Good is a Big God was produced by Domenico Lancellotti and co-produced by Irish singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sean O'Hagan (Stereolab, High Llamas, Microdisney).

Son of composer Ivor Lancellotti, Domenico has collaborated with various MPB names such as Adriana Calcanhotto, Marcos Valle, Caetano Veloso and Fernanda Abreu, and also participates in several projects such as Imperial Orchestra, +2 (with Moreno Veloso and Kassin) and Ritmistas.

Photo by Caroline Bittencourt


Photo by Caroline Bittencourt

“Working with music is crazy,” multi-instrumentalist Domenico Lancellotti recently said in an interview. “God be crazy. Out of fear.” He’s right. To do anything creative is to exist outside your body, to teeter between reality and sanity. Full-time creativity requires God, fear, and intensity: you have to exist in whatever space you occupy, surveying the scene while remaining on the periphery of it. It’s from this mindset that Domenico created his new work, The Good is a Big God, a 14-track collection of reflective samba that first took shape almost six years ago.

Domenico was asked to take part in an artistic occupation in the city of London during the 2012 Summer Olympics. There, he reunited with famed British musician Sean O’Hagan—whom he’d met a few years prior during a show that paid homage to Tropicália. Before he left for London, Domenico sent O’Hagan a few musical sketches he’d done on guitar; by the time the Brazilian made it to the U.K., O’Hagan had string arrangements to accompany Domenico’s music. “We recorded nine songs that served as the soundtrack for my final Rio-Occupation project—an art film called Soundistante in a big exhibition,” says ​Domenico a renowned drummer with the likes of Gilberto Gil and member of the now-defunct the +2s. The musician added lyrics to some of these songs once he returned to Brazil. His friend and label mate Kassin helped​ Domenico write the words for “Insatiable,” and O’Hagan wrote the lyrics for “Logo.” “There was a record ready!” Domenico recalls with excitement.

The Good is a Big God is also partially inspired by a trip he took with his wife to a Brazilian national park called The Serra dos Órgãos. They rented a house and went climbing, which inspired four other songs: “A Alma do Vento (The Soul of the Wind),” “Volver-se (Turn Back),” “Dama da Noite (Lady of the Night)” and "Pare de Correr (Stop Running).” Listening to these songs, one can hear a sense of isolation and oneness with nature. It’s the type of art that arrives in a calming stream of thought, when it’s just you and God in conversation with one another. That focus also peppers a track like “Arvores, (Trees)” an airy folk-influenced tune that feels remarkably wide open and scenic, as if Domenico is surveying heaven, looking toward brighter days. In what might be the bleakest time in modern politics (and the world at large), The Good is a Big God is a much-needed respite from the rigors of everyday life.

A large-scale recording with grand implications, the album’s subtle nuances and insightful words only strengthen Domenico’s stature as one of Brazil’s most forthright Tropicalia musicians, and as a person who has the audience’s best interest at heart. He wants us all to love, to look up and embrace the sky, to forge ahead with a hug and a smile. “From the Olympics to the Olympiad, I witnessed a lot,” Domenico concludes. “The world ends and resumes every day. I got a star in the form of people who now walk beside me. I know that work never ends, but for now that's it.” Fellowship isn’t crazy. That’s what God intended. — Marcus J. Moore

Lyrics

1. Voltar-Se

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00001 · Gegê Editora

Então dormir é voltar-se pra dentro
Sonhar é voltar-se também
Pensar é voltar-se pra dentro
E para morrer
É só se voltar
Mesmo pra dentro
Bem lá no centro
Do universo
Isso não sei, eu não me lembro
Mas deve ser
Então sorrir é voltar-se pra dentro
Tocar é voltar-se também
Beijar é voltar-se pra dentro
E para morrer
É só se voltar mesmo pra dentro
Bem lá no centro do universo
Isso não sei
Eu não me lembro
Mas deve ser
Então parir é voltar-se pra dentro
Crescer é voltar-se também
Voar é voltar-se pra dentro
E para morrer
É só se voltar mesmo pra dentro
Bem lá no centro do universo
Isso não sei
Eu não me lembro
Mas deve ser
Então partir é voltar-se pra dentro
Olhar é voltar-se também
Lembrar é voltar-se no tempo
E para morrer...

Turn Back

So to sleep is to turn back inside yourself
To dream is to turn back too
To think is to turn back inside
And to die
Is to really
Turn back inside
Right into the center
Of the universe
But that I don't know,
I don't remember
But it must be

So to smile is to turn back inside
To touch is to turn back too
To kiss is to turn back inside
And to die
Is just to really turn back
Right into the center of the universe
But that I don't know
I don't remember
But it must be
So to give birth is to turn back inside 
To grow is to turn back too
To fly is to turn back inside

And to die
Is just to really turn back
Right into the center of the universe
But that I don't know
I don't remember
But it must be
So to leave is to turn back inside
To look is to turn back too
To remember is to go back in time
And to die…

2. A Alma Do Vento

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00002 · Gegê Editora

O vento passa sem pestanejar
Correndo sem parar
E vai com ele quem quiser voar
Por terra, céu e mar
O vento tem a alma carregada como o tempo
Leva com ele:
Pó, árvore, vocals e pensamento
Passa por bass da porta
Traz de lá um cheiro bom
Vai por dentro das pessoas
Sopra pra tirar um som
O vento tem a alma carregada como o tempo
Leva com ele:
Pólen ou rajadas de cimento

The Soul of the Wind

The wind goes by without blinking
Ceaselessly running
Followed by those who would fly
By land, sky or sea
The spirit of the wind is heavy with time
And it carries:
Powder, trees, vocals and thought
It goes under the door
Bringing a good smell
Goes right through people
Blows to make a sound
The spirit of the wind is heavy with time
And it carries:
Pollen and bursts of cement

3. The Good is a Big God

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00003 · Gegê Editora

4. Tudo Ao Redor

Domenico Lancellotti / Moreno Veloso
BR-DM1-16-00004 · Gegê Editora · Benguela

O peso da luz
na sua mão
vibra

No frio da manhã
pé ante pé
brinca

A forma do som
traz uma flor
linda

E sua visão
sobre o lençol
brilha

Quando esse sol cai
sobre o colchão arrasta
tudo ao redor

Mesmo serena a brisa daqui
levanta a casa do chão

A luz do luar
vem do quintal
branca

Um mar de algodão
nesse varal
canta

Canção de ninar
sobre o papel
lembra

A noite de lá
era também
lenta

Sem resistência fico no ar
parado
junto de mim

Nesse horizonte o céu é maior
e o dia nunca tem fim

O cheiro do pão
vem lá de trás
quente

Um tempo feliz
dentro de nós
sempre

Everything Around

The weight of light
on your hand
vibrates

In the morning chill
foot facing foot
plays

The form of sound
brings a beautiful
flower

And your vision
shines
across the sheet

When this sun falls
across the mattress
it drags everything around it

The breeze here is serene
but it lifts the house off the ground

The light of the moon
comes from the yard
white

A sea of cotton
on this clothes line
sings

A lullaby
on the paper
reminds us

That the night out there
was also slow

Offering no resistance
I hang in the air still
next to myself

On this horizon the sky is larger
And the day never ends

The smell of bread
comes from back there
warm

A happy time
inside us
always

5. Asas

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00005 · Gegê Editora

A mão esquerda sobre a mão direita
A tua alma e a minha tão rentes
Perfeitas
Doce fusão, beatitude que abrasa
Direita e esquerda são almas
São asas
Roda o tufão, e o abismo que espreita
Da asa esquerda à asa direita

Wings

The left hand on the right hand
Your soul flush to mine
Both perfect
Sweet fusion, beatitude that burns
Left and right are souls
Are wings
The typhoon spins and the abyss that keeps watch
From the left wing to the right wing

6. Árvores (Trees)

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00006 · Gegê Editora

7. Aracne

Alberto Continentino / Kassin / Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00007 · UBC · Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) · Gegê Editora

Uma aranha veio de fora do mato
E escalou meu colchão
O quarto estava apagado
Só uma luz vinha do chão
Era de um Lap-Top fechado
Que pulsava branco azul
Onde a sombra da aranha movia
Sobre a cama em que eu dormia
Foi seu anzol que puxou o lençol
Descobrindo minha mão
A mão direita que sonhava
(talvez sonhasse com outra aranha)
E estava mole, mole, mole...
Foi amor no mesmo ato
Amor de aranha que se deu
Se apaixonou por minha mão
A mão direita que pendia
E era mole como esse som
Ela beijou meu dedo médio
Ela sugou unha dedão
E tão suave deslizava
Monte de vênus, percussion
A sua teia, o seu batom
E antes de ir pro Parthenon
Me desenhou no meio da mão
Um M grande com seu nylon

Arachne

A spider came out of the brush
and scaled my mattress
The room was dark
Except for a light that came from the floor
From a laptop that was shut
Pulsing blue and white
On the bed where I was sleeping 
The shadow of the spider was moving
It was it's hook that lifted the sheet
Uncovering my hand
My hand that was dreaming
(maybe dreaming of another spider)
And was loose soft and loose
Love came in the same act
Spider love happened
Fell in love with my hand
Right hand that was hanging
And was soft with this sound
She kissed my middle finger
She sucked on nail and big finger
And so smoothly slid
Mound of venus, percussion
Her web, her lipstick
And before going to the Parthenon
Drew in the middle of my hand
A large M with her nylon

8. Pare de correr

Pedro Sá / Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00008 · ZB Produções · Gegê Editora

Pare de correr
Pare de correr pra ver
Para perceber
Pare pra saber o que vê a vovó:

Cobra Coral sibilava oval
Transparente atravessava
Salta a grade pressentindo o vôo
Alva a ave sobrevoava
Uma pena está colada ao ovo
Teia de aranha, arame
Sol a pino, roupa no varal
Ouço música, de lá vem
Pare de correr
Pare de correr pra ver
Para perceber
Pare pra saber o que diz a vovó:

Minha antena captava o som
Soa a lua prateada
Silvo e pio, rã coaxava
Soma de ruídos n'água
Arde a pele, coça a picada
Sono de cobrir a cara
Noite quente mergulhava o breu
Ouço música, de lá vem

Oê, Oê, Oê...

Stop Running

Stop running
Stop running to see
To percive
Stop to find out what grandma sees:

Coral Snake hissing oval
Transparently passing
Through the grating sensing flight
White, the bird flew over
A feather is stuck to the egg
Spider web, wire
Sun at it’s zenith, clothes on the line
I hear music, it comes from over there
Stop running
Stop running to see
To perceive
Stop to find out what grandma says:

My antenna captured the sound
The silver moon sounded
Hissing and chirping, a frog croaked
Sum of noises in water
Skin burns, scratch the bite
Sleep that covers your face
A hot night
I hear music, it comes from over there

Oê, Oê, Oê...

9. Serra Dos Órgãos

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00009 · Gegê Editora

10. Shanti Luz (Peace Light)

Alberto Continentino / Kassin / Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00010 · Glu Glu Glu (Dubas) · Gegê Editora

11. Insatiable

Domenico Lancellotti / Kassin
BR-DM1-16-00011 · Gegê Editora · Glu Glu Glu (Dubas)

Nem a luz da manhã
Nenhum jornal
Nem mesmo você
Irá me saciar
Nem o fogo do sol
Nenhuma cor
Nem sua nudez
Irá me saciar
Vontade de passar
O tempo todo assim
Sem nada pra fazer
Difícil de saber
Tão perto de você
Que tudo se desfaz
Eu quero sempre mais

Insatiable

Not the morning light
No newspaper
Not even you
Will satiate me
Not the fire of the sun
No color
Nor your nakedness
Will satiate me
I want to spend
Every day this way
With nothing to do
It’s hard to know
So close to you
That everything comes apart
I always want more

12. Dama Da Noite

Bruno di Lullo / Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00012 · Gegê Editora

É a noite que cai
É a lua que sai
Sai de trás do lençol
Só um fio de luz
É a noite que cai
A saudade que sai
Dama da noite
Eu sinto o cheiro
Um homem caminha
Na rua deserta

Lady of the Night

It's night that falls
It's the wind that comes out
Out from behind the sheet
Just one thread of light
It's night that falls
The longing that comes out
Lady of the night
I smell the smell
A man walks
The deserted street

13. Logo

Domenico Lancellotti / Sean O'Hagan
BR-DM1-16-00013 · Gegê Editora · Domino Publishing

On the steps you can see all
Through the square and cathedral
And the back passed the garden is good

Once, on a snowy peak
Grow, only grow to be
Now all the boxes bloom
Now all the boxes bloom

And the barrier blocks seem
Like a well courted history
Given hopes to the roaming of ways

Once, on a snowy peak
Grow, only grow to be
Now, you can hear the snow
Now, you can hear the snow

14. Terra (Earth)

Domenico Lancellotti
BR-DM1-16-00014 · Gegê Editora