"Dead Combo"
"Dead Combo"
Dead Combo are a Portuguese band formed in 2002/2003, mostly due to their featuring in a tribute album to the late Carlos Paredes, often considered one of the most brilliant Portuguese guitar players ever. The album was called "Movimentos Perpétuos" and Dead Combo ended up having a part in it by playing a song called "Paredes Ambience". The band would officially form soon after.
Their debut album "Vol. I" was released in 2004. Their music mixes Fado with Spaghetti Western inspired music (especially the compositions of Ennio Morricone), jazz, alternative and world music. Both their albums (the second being "Vol. II - Quando a alma não é pequena", released early 2006 through their own newly-founded publisher company "Dead & Company" in partnership with Universal Portugal) are very "visual", having strong musical references to the memoire of this kind of dark, cold and dirty, inspiring Lisbon that ceased to be, to the worlds of design, art, and, most of all, cinema. When listening, for instance, to Vol. I's "Um Homem Atravessa Lisboa Na Sua Querida Bicicleta" (A Man Rides His Dear Bicycle Through Lisbon) it's not hard to picture the man crossing the streets of this old Lisbon riding a bicycle.
Following this visual style of music, they made two official music video clips, one out of Vol. I's single "Cacto", the other, out of Vol. II's "Quando a alma não é pequena #1". Both these video clips can be seen whether on a music channel or on any video devoted website, such as YouTube.
Their latest album was published in partnership with Universal Portugal due to Dead Combo's long ambition of making their music known beyond Portuguese borders, despite the fact they had already been interviewed in the website Indie Eye and that Charlie Gillett elected "Vol. I" as one of the best albums in 2004 and as album of the month in December 2005. He also included a track from "Vol. I" - "Rumbero", in his compilation "Sound of The World - 2005".