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**Metá Metá - MM3: The Sonic Alchemists Perfect Their Formula**

In the sprawling landscape of contemporary Brazilian music, few acts have managed to conjure the mystical brew that Metá Metá serves up with such intoxicating precision. Their third studio album, MM3, represents the culmination of a decade-long journey that began in São Paulo's underground scene, where three musical sorcerers—Juçara Marçal, Kiko Dinucci, and Thiago França—first discovered their shared language of Afro-Brazilian spirituality, punk attitude, and experimental jazz.

The trio's origin story reads like a fever dream of musical destiny. Vocalist Juçara Marçal, already established as one of Brazil's most fearless vocal experimentalists, crossed paths with guitarist Kiko Dinucci, a restless soul mining the intersection of samba and noise, and saxophonist Thiago França, whose horn could channel both Coltrane's fury and the ancestral voices of Candomblé ceremonies. When they first convened in 2011, the result was immediate and electric—a sound that felt both ancient and utterly contemporary, rooted in tradition yet unafraid to tear it apart and rebuild it.

Their 2012 self-titled debut established the template: Marçal's voice as a shape-shifting instrument capable of whispered incantations and primal screams, Dinucci's guitar work that could shift from delicate fingerpicking to industrial grinding within a single measure, and França's saxophone serving as both melodic anchor and chaotic catalyst. The album felt like a transmission from another dimension, where Jorge Ben Jor jammed with Captain Beefheart while spirits looked on approvingly.

By 2014's MetaL MetaL, the trio had refined their alchemical process. The sophomore effort pushed deeper into the experimental realm while maintaining their connection to Brazilian popular music's DNA. Here, they proved that their debut wasn't a fluke—this was a band with a genuine vision and the chops to execute it. The album's title track became something of an underground anthem, its hypnotic groove and Marçal's otherworldly vocals creating a template that influenced a generation of Brazilian experimentalists.

Which brings us to MM3, an album that arrives feeling both inevitable and surprising. Opening with "Anganga," the trio immediately establishes that they've lost none of their edge. Marçal's voice enters like smoke, curling around França's serpentine saxophone lines while Dinucci's guitar provides a foundation that's simultaneously solid and shifting. It's a masterclass in tension and release, building to moments of cathartic explosion before retreating into meditative spaces.

The album's standout track, "Corpo Seco," showcases the band at their most accessible without sacrificing their experimental edge. Built around a hypnotic groove that nods to both traditional samba and post-punk, the song features Marçal at her most commanding, her voice serving as both rhythm section and lead instrument. It's the kind of track that could fill dancefloors while simultaneously challenging listeners' preconceptions about what Brazilian music can be.

Equally compelling is "Oxalá," a piece that finds the trio exploring their most spiritual territory. França's saxophone takes on an almost ceremonial quality, while Dinucci's guitar work creates atmospheric washes that support rather than compete with Marçal's incantatory vocals. It's a reminder that beneath all the experimentation, Metá Metá remains deeply connected to the Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions that inform so much of the country's greatest music.

The album's production, handled by the band themselves, captures their live energy while allowing space for the subtle details that make their music so rewarding on repeated listens. Every element feels carefully placed yet spontaneous, as if the trio is channeling forces beyond their control while maintaining complete artistic command.

MM3 solidifies Metá Metá's position as one of Brazil's most important contemporary acts, bridging the gap between the country's rich musical past and its experimental future. They've created a sound that's uniquely theirs while remaining deeply rooted in Brazilian soil. In an era when so much music feels disposable, Metá Metá crafts songs that feel like artifacts from a parallel universe—one where spiritual practice and sonic exploration are inseparable.

As Brazil's cultural landscape continues to evolve, Metá Metá stands as proof that tradition and innovation need not be opposing forces