April 4, 1998 by A.S. Van Dorston

With cover art that recalls the classic Funkadelic covers drawn by Pedro Bell, Fabrication Defect picks up the ball where George Clinton dropped it in the ’80s in battling the “placebo syndrome,” a condition where people become robotic, and decidedly unfunky due to bad music and worse politics. “Esteticar” is a twisted samba that clearly illustrates his mission statement: “Hold on to your seats milord/The mulatto baiao/(he’s blacktie-ing himself)/tuxedo-iZés himself in/the Esthetic of /the Arrastao.”

While there are plenty of traditional choruses, rhythms and melodies, there are also instances of dissonant weirdness that may be jarring for the average listener, not unlike early Captain Beefheart. Like Beefheart, Tom Zé weaves his political concerns through a wreath of irreverent riddles, ironic humor and playful, nonsensical language. The overwhelming impression left by listening to Fabrication Defect is whimsical fun and buoyant beauty. Much of the album is accessible. You don’t need to know Portuguese to appreciate the sounds of the lovely language, and the lyrics are translated on the sleeve notes. You’ll find some moments so breathtaking that you’ll want to learn Portuguese, such as in “Juventude Jovali” – “The wine of open legs/soaks the offerings on the altar/screams, sperm and handcuffs/The fury of pure lavender.” The gorgeous, shimmering guitar of “Curiosidade” transcends language barriers, and “Emere” evokes expressionist violins that could have come out of sessions for Van Dyke Park’s 1968 album Song Cycle. The album closes with “Xiquexique,” a mesmerizing techno-accordion odyssey that stretches from Andalucia, Spain to rural Louisiana. For the uninitiated, the best introduction to Zé’s magical world would have been the 1990 collection of his 70s work, Best Of Tom Zé: Massive Hits. Unfortunately it is currently out of print. Either way, Fabrication Defect is a necessity, one of the best releases of the year. And hopefully just the beginning of Zé’s revitaliZéd career.

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