Here Comes Mallu Magalhaes

Delayed reaction. There are always a few days of unwinding needed after nightmare air travel, which I experienced two-fold (don't ask). And there's a ton to get organized, still, before I lay out complete survey of all that I dug up in Brazil (and this trip was a dream come true). So for now, my latest little obsession, Mallu Magalhaes, the newest indie-pop sensation to flood the MTV airwaves (and home-grown to boot). Truth be told, the South American MTV airwaves are actually fun to watch. During NYE alone I spied a triple play of the Fall's "Victoria," a self-produced Tom Ze spot, and Sepultura's "Dead Embryonic Cells," so the programming is grab-bag, but top notch.

For now, all I know about Mallu is this -- she's 16, dating the 30-yr-old from Los Hermanos, stars in some mobile phone commercial that plays ad nausea, and has yet to release her infectiously twee album here in the states. When she does, it won't be hard to compare her to other nymphs with a distinctive voice and oddball arrangements -- see Lykke Li, Bjork, Soko, Marit Larsen, Kate Nash (also huge in Brazil now), etc. More investigation to come. For now, here's the video for "Tchubaruba"