I went to a concert with my buddy Austin a few years ago @ the Holocene with Grizzly Bear headlining. The opening band was a band that Austin knew and had been doing some design work for, Portugal. The Man. I was impressed with Portugal. The Man's sound. The studio work was great and I could only listen to Austin's advance copies of the mp3s for now but I was hooked. Soon they released Waiter: "You Vultures!" to the public. I got a copy of it and listened to it non-stop. Austin designed the album artwork and the b-sides LP and did a fantastico job!
The description of their music on Wikipedia is great and it sounds like it was written by one of it's members, so I am just going to cite it here:
Musically, Portugal. The Man's style is varied. Their style is rooted in indie,
but their songs also contain elements of soul, blues, and folk music. At times,
the band chooses to utilize drum machines and/or synth loops to anchor their
songs, while at other times, the band chooses to use the more conventional
guitar, bass, and acoustic drum configuration characteristic of rock music. The
band also utilizes keyboards in much of its music. In addition to their instrumentals,
[Lead singer John] Gourley's distinctly higher-pitched vocals add to Portugal. The
Man's unique sound. Lyrically, Gourley provides the band with abstract and/or
enigmatic lyrics that rely heavily on imagery. Gourley's verses are usually
delivered in the first-person singular or plural. (Wikipedia.com)
Waiter: was released on Fearless Records as was their second full-length album Church Mouth which the band themselves "leaked" on the internet before it's actual release. Last September Portugal. The Man released their third full-length on their own independent label, Approaching AIRballoons. My sources tell me that they are currently working on their fourth album and the beloved designer of their first album will be back and awesomer.
Click the covers to visit their site. Love them. They will love you back.
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