Balako - Hora De Balako

At the start of 2017, there was one thing in particular that The Metaphorical Boat was hoping to hear in the year ahead, and that was an honest to goodness, bona fide disco banger. We've always had a soft spot for the genre, but it has been a while since we've heard a modern one that's really excited.

In the 21st century, we've had the insatiably brilliant "Murder on The Dancefloor", and of course "Get Lucky" was, and continues to be, the feel-good song of the summer. But apart from those songs, and the occasion stroke of genius like "Blind" or "Beaches & Friends", there hasn't been many other disco songs that have moved us, which is why we were so keen on 2017 doing something to remedy that.

And it looks like 2017 may have just answered our call, in the form of Brazilian duo Balako. Their debut single, "Hora De Balako", has just about everything that we want in a total disco banger - funky basslines, swooping strings, and a feelgood chant you just cannot help shouting along to, even if you a) don't know what it means, and b) are walking around listening to the song on headphones, aware that people will give you funny looks for shouting such a phrase at occasional intervals.

"Hora De Balako" is out now.

Peixefante - Por Baixo da Blusa

It's time to break new ground here on The Metaphorical Boat, as for the first time since we started, we're writing about a band that hails from Brazil. Specifically, we're talking about Peixefante (whose name is a combination of the Portuguese for "fish" and "elephant", apparently), a five-piece hailing from the city of Goiânia.

Having formed at the start of the year, they released their debut E.P recently, of which the song "Por Baixo da Blusa" (which I believe translates into English as "Under Her Blouse"). But if you're expecting a typical Brazilian sound on this sound, then you're going to be disappointed. However, that disappointment will subside once the song takes you under its spell. It's a chilled-out, psychedelic rock song that calls to mind Mercury Rev very strongly - if it was in English, you could fit it right in the middle of "Deserters Songs" and no-one would batter an eyelid.

"Por Baixo da Blusa" is taken from the E.P "Lorde Pascal", which is out now.