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The first thing that caught my attention with Portugal The Man’s first album (besides the band's intriguing name) was the beautiful attention to detail they had put forth on their album cover. It looked like a colorful mish-mashed collage and it definitely raised my expectations for what I was about to listen to. There is something about well-executed cover art that really gets to me and I was not disappointed in the least when I first heard
Waiter: "You Vultures!".
From the first song to the last I was completely astounded by the sound that was coming from this band. Like the Mars Volta a little bit, with rock guitar, layers upon layers of different sounds and amazingly smooth transitions from song to song. The musicianship of these four people, 3 from Alaska and 1 from Portland, Oregon, is incredible. They provide the listener with haunting vocals and amazing accompaniment, this is a record that you could just put on and have no trouble getting lost in the noise that surrounds your ears.
This album is one that blends the songs together into one. I love not being able to differentiate when one song ends and another begins and although this album is incredibly strong through and through, though there are parts that stick out. For one instance, “How the Leopard got It’s Spots”, the opening track on the record, is an excellent way to entrap a listener. It begins with a soft noise that soon grows into guitar and then the vocals come in smooth and clear over everything. This song makes great use of drums and is very melodic and well-executed in every aspect. The lyrics are interesting and I found myself singing along after only two or three listens.
“Kill Me. The King” is a bit harder and has a stronger rhythm then some of the other songs on this record. You can really hear the passion coming through on the instruments and the vocals. The emotion gives a sense of urgency and importance to this track that I found really drew me into the song. There is also great use of background vocals and subtle noises that I noticed after a few listens. This song made me get up and dance the first time I listened to it, the beat was that good.
I am so impressed with Portugal The Man! Their use of synth noise combined with classic rock roots and intriguing vocals is something that doesn’t come along very often. They don’t sound like everyone else in the indie scene
right now and I love that. I loaned this CD to countless friends because I felt I needed to share the joy that I had received from it. I certainly hope that this is not the last record to come from Portugal The Man because they have so much potential already that I can’t wait to see what they come out with next.
Shannon Campbell
Events
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Mon, 18 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at Slim's, San Francisco United States
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Fri, 22 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at The Glass House, Pomona, CA United States
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Sat, 23 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at Jillian's, Las Vegas United States
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Wed, 27 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at Troubadour, West Hollywood United States
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Thu, 28 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at Troubadour, West Hollywood United States
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Sat, 30 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, kay kay & his weathered underground
at Soma, San Diego United States
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Sun, 31 Aug 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at The Clubhouse, Tempe, AZ United States
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Mon, 01 Sep 2008
Rx Bandits
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Rx Bandits, Portugal. The Man, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
at The Clubhouse, Tempe United States
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Wed, 03 Sep 2008
MusicFest NW 2008
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Polvo, Mogwai, TV on the Radio, Nada Surf, Built to Spill, M. Ward, Mirah, Ratatat, Vampire Weekend, Battles, Menomena, Les Savy Fav, Jedi Mind Tricks, Hot Water Music, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Sir Mix-a-Lot, John Vanderslice, Fleet Foxes, Deerhunter, Portugal. The Man, Old 97's, No Age, These Arms Are Snakes, Dan Deacon, The Helio Sequence, Trans Am, Fuck Buttons, The Cool Kids, Blitzen Trapper, Matt & Kim, Throw Me the Statue, The 1900s, Oxford Collapse, Fucked Up, Bodies of Water, Norfolk & Western, Crooked Fingers, Centro-matic, Colour Revolt, The Whigs, Old Time Relijun, boat, Best Fwends, Dolorean, Port O'Brien, The Shaky Hands, The Joggers, The Blakes, Seaweed, Laura Gibson, Akimbo, Typhoon, Calvin Johnson, Jaguar Love, Britt Daniel, Bobby Bare Jr., Copy, Death Vessel, United State of Electronica, Boy Eats Drum Machine, A Weather, Crystal Antlers, The Muslims, Lackthereof, danava, Pseudosix, Sandpeople, Steel Pole Bath Tub, Monotonix, Starfucker, Strangers Die Every Day, Eat Skull, The Builders and the Butchers, Black Elk, Cool Nutz, pwrfl power, The Fucking Eagles, Weinland, Please Step Out of the Vehicle, Caves, Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death, pierced arrows, Wow & Flutter, Living Proof, White Fang, another cynthia, We're From Japan, Stevie Jackson, Red Fang, Matt sheehy, Truckasaurus, Southern Belle, Cafeteria Dance Fever, Rabbits, Gray Matters, Dirty Mittens, The Retrofits, Copacrescent, The Rainy States, World's Greatest Ghost, Barry Hampton & The Triple Grip, Andy Combs & the Moth
at Various Venues, Portland, OR United States
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Fri, 05 Sep 2008
Portugal. The Man
:
Portugal. The Man, Langhorne Slim, the dead trees, The Builders & the Butchers, Blue Giants
at Berbati's Pan, Portland United States
