Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

What makes some places become hubs of creativity and art, instead of others? Portland, Oregon is one place that crops up again and again when you take a foray into the world of music that sits below the surface of the mainstream – be it mainstream rock, dance or that of the talentless talent show genre.

‘Portugal. The Man’ are yet another group to base themselves in that very American city, and so when the album dropped through my letterbox with its colourful, puzzle-like cardboard artwork that fits together in some intricate fashion, I wasn’t too surprised.

What did put me off at first listen was the vocals on the opening track – ‘People Say’. I was concerned that amongst the pretty keys and twangy Western guitar sounds that you’d find off of ‘Come On Feel.. The Lemonheads’, that we’d have just another indie-fash melody over the top. Luckily, I managed to push onward, and convince myself that there was better to come, which luckily there was. As the timer clicked on, I found myself imagining the upbeat, feel good, swirly country guitar-pop tune being played atop a scene in a 90s movie. You know the one – a group of friends engaged in a communal moment; driving with the top of their unrealistically expensive car down; hair in their long blonde locks, laughing and pulling down the tips of their over-sized sunglasses, before taking stock of the world.

After the slightly tame start, the record ends up veering off towards the more jazzy, soulful side of the spectrum, instead of crashing into indie hell. It’s not really my sort of sound, but if you like to feel sunny days sitting in festival grasslands when you listen to albums, that’s what this conjures up.

Thought has obviously gone into the way things have been put together; the tracks blend into each other nicely; something that the digital format has managed to help destroy. Bring it back I say!

Check out their Myspace here.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

27-Oct – Tues – LONDON, Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
28-Oct – Wed – MANCHESTER, Roadhouse
29-Oct – Thurs – GLASGOW, Captains Rest
30-Oct – Fri – SHEFFIELD, The Shakespeare
31-Oct – Sat – BRISTOL, Lousianna
01-Nov – Sun – SOUTHAMPTON. Hamptons