File this one under "Dreams Really Can Come True". Like many of his peers, David Sztanke-- a Parisian musician and leader of the expansive 1970s pop revival outfit Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family-- always had a thing for Brazilian Tropicália trailblazers Os Mutantes. After a few happy networking accidents, Sztanke found himself in direct communication with Os Mutantes head honcho Sérgio Dias, who confessed to digging the Palmtree Family's stuff so much, he proposed they get together and make a record. The result is We Are the Lilies, a jubilant, cleanly presented appropriation of both musicians' styles that charms with skill and contagious energy.
Backing Dias and Sztanke is the Palmtree Family (and a few very notable guests), a band so open and adaptable, their endless incorporation of different instruments and styles seems breezy and effortless. Tracks are jam-packed with horns, sitars, keys, and more percussive elements than you can list, but their ambition never trumps their professionalism. The songs themselves feel very much the property of Sztanke and lean heavily on his eclectic brand of power-pop. It's hard to tell just how much direct influence Dias had on these recordings: In a short album teaser video (which promises a forthcoming companion film), we see band members working diligently in the studio, intercut with shots of Dias only strumming and advising, looking comfortable in his role as celebrity advisee. In a larger sense, Dias' influence is undeniable, both in the fact that you can hear a great deal of Os Mutantes in Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family, and that everyone involved seems so genuinely jazzed to be working with him.
That enthusiasm makes We Are the Lilies a spirited, earnest kind of record, but in a way that simply communicates the joy of collaboration and input. Even when songs come across as a little too eager or excited (they often do-- "Over My Head" suggests the Polyphonic Spree dabbling in sitcom theme songs), the engaging genre variations (60s French pop, Latin-tinged funk, Motown) help pad things a bit. Still, the choicest material here refrains from throwing everything into the mix all at once: "We're Gonna Live Forever" is essentially a doo-wop tune centered around Beatles-esque vocal harmonies, "Sarava" boasts a rockier edge but oozes pure soul, and the excellent closer "Oh Bahia" is the expectedly solid Os Mutantes big-up.
But the two big moments on We Are the Lilies come courtesy of special guests Iggy Pop and Jane Birkin (the actress/ singer most famous for her recordings with ex-husband Serge Gainsbourg), and both are most unexpected. The Iggy-assisted "Why?" is great fun, but almost only because he seems be having most of it ("Why do the French smoke? Why do Americans fight? Why do Brazilians dance?" he yelps over a spotty appropriation of a little Motor City rumble). Birkin's "Marie" fares better with its stripped-down approach, channeling Blue-era Joni Mitchell with a bit of that perfectly flat-but-pretty French affectation.
Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family have created a bright environment to play in, and they make the most of it for Dias, who must dig the unbridled enthusiasm of these young musicians sprouting in his honor. In this sense, We Are the Lilies comes off like well-executed dinner party, where both the guest and host seem to be enjoying themselves in equal measure.
