Portugal. The Man
Evil Friends
Atlantic (2013)
Portugal. The Man thrives in a music scene often reluctant of drastic change in a band's sound. Meanwhile, the Alaskan natives have spent the last seven years transcending and switching gears entirely with each new release, and pulling it off well. Having originally dabbled in experimental prog, Portugal went on to create a loud, bluesy rocker (2007's Church Mouth), an arty psychedelic album (2008's Censored Colors), and a self-described "hip-hop" record on 2010's American Ghetto. But enough of the tired genre hashing; if there's one thing leader John Gourley can craft, it's a fucking hook. This guy fluently churns out pop songs that catch like they were labored over for months. In fact, until last year, P.TM had managed to release an album every year since emerging with their stunning debut, Waiter: You Vultures! in 2006. Now, they've teamed with Danger Mouse to prodcue their latest, and second on Atlantic Records, Evil Friends.Like the previous In the Mountain, In the Cloud, this is an album composed with distinction, yet maintains a formulaic approach to songwriting. On the surface, some of these twelve tracks sear superficially, with an initial pleasing purpose. Listen closely though, and you'll hear the underlying nuances that … Read more
Alice In Chains
The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Capitol (2013)
I'll admit, I'm a bit of a purist; though I didn't think it was a bad release, Black Gives Way … Read more
Dave Hause
C'Mon Kid EP
Sabot Productions (2012)
We’re close to the end of Dave Hause’s 7-inch series. The fourth in the series comes from Sabot Productions. Hause … Read more
