Various

Post-punk continues to flourish and the known originators are currently raking it in with reunion tours, but two compilations have also seized the opportunity to get exposure. Few know this, but back in the heyday of the early ’80s, Brazil was a hotbed for angular guitars, punchy rhythm sections and leftfield artistic expression. Nâo Wave and The Sexual Life of the Savages are two compilations so analogous that the fact they’re being released at the same time on different labels is most suspicious. Nonetheless, the music on both rivals some of the best both Britain and New York produced in the same period. Overlapping with some bands (Fellini, Muzak, Chance and Akira S Et As Garotas Que Erraram make appearances on both), these compilations tell vivid, wild stories both in the music and the fact-filled sleeve notes. You can’t argue that Soul Jazz’s Savages wins hands down in presentation, but the music on both is a commendable draw. Nâo Wave’s highlights include the UFO-baiting Agentss with their self-titled track, and Mercenarias’ rapid-fire "Policia.” Savages, on the other hand, revels in the wonderment that is Gang 90’s funk-filled "Jack Kerouac” and Fellini’s "Rock Europeu,” which is a dead ringer for New Order’s earliest work. You can’t go wrong with each of them, but like twin orphans, it’s best to adopt both of them.