Portugal. The Man: American Ghetto

[SeaMoney]

The whole album is now streaming here, and after listening to it almost three times I can say I enjoy it but I don't love it. It's the band's weakest effort I would say, and at times comes off as quite boring. Also, it doesn't help that the first couple of songs are overly similar (well, every song sounds similar to the last).

All of that said, I still enjoy the pacing of it. It's a great album to listen to when you don't intend to concentrate fully on the music. It's wonderful background music. Is it successful beyond that? Not really.

Still, it's a good album, but not what I was expecting to follow The Satanic Satanist (which isn't even 8 months old by this point). I would still recommend it, though it seems like it won't be successful outside of Portugal. The Man fans.

Thoughts?
_________________

I collect vinyl records.

[SeaMoney]

The whole album is now streaming here, and after listening to it almost three times I can say I enjoy it but I don't love it. It's the band's weakest effort I would say, and at times comes off as quite boring. Also, it doesn't help that the first couple of songs are overly similar (well, every song sounds similar to the last).

All of that said, I still enjoy the pacing of it. It's a great album to listen to when you don't intend to concentrate fully on the music. It's wonderful background music. Is it successful beyond that? Not really.

Still, it's a good album, but not what I was expecting to follow The Satanic Satanist (which isn't even 8 months old by this point). I would still recommend it, though it seems like it won't be successful outside of Portugal. The Man fans.

Thoughts?
_________________

I collect vinyl records.

[Carungi]

I enjoy this album a lot actually. I would say it's Portugal harking back to their Waiter: You Vultures! days but keeping in tune with their Satanic Satanist songwriting. It has fantastic songs on it, and I do feel bad that it won't be really successful outside of the fan base, even though its topping #4 on iTunes Alternative Charts.

Anyway, gems on the album are:
The Dead Dog
60 Years
All My People
Do What We Do
Some Men
When the War Ends

I love all of their albums, but if I had to rank them:
Censored Colors > Satanic Satanist > American Ghetto > Waiter: You Vultures > It's Complicated Being A Wizard > Church Mouth

But ALL OF THEM ARE FUCKING AWESOME
_________________

"Carungi" pronounced KA-RUN-GEE | My Last.fm Page | My Thread

[Carungi]

I enjoy this album a lot actually. I would say it's Portugal harking back to their Waiter: You Vultures! days but keeping in tune with their Satanic Satanist songwriting. It has fantastic songs on it, and I do feel bad that it won't be really successful outside of the fan base, even though its topping #4 on iTunes Alternative Charts.

Anyway, gems on the album are:
The Dead Dog
60 Years
All My People
Do What We Do
Some Men
When the War Ends

I love all of their albums, but if I had to rank them:
Censored Colors > Satanic Satanist > American Ghetto > Waiter: You Vultures > It's Complicated Being A Wizard > Church Mouth

But ALL OF THEM ARE FUCKING AWESOME
_________________

"Carungi" pronounced KA-RUN-GEE | My Last.fm Page | My Thread

[clawmaster2]

I gotta check this band out.
In other news they're attending Coachella.
So wanna go.
_________________

Enjoy Anime? Videogames? Then come check out our podcast!||Check out my DA!||I like furry shit.

[clawmaster2]

I gotta check this band out.
In other news they're attending Coachella.
So wanna go.
_________________

Enjoy Anime? Videogames? Then come check out our podcast!||Check out my DA!||I like furry shit.

[seandotcom]

i have trouble finding fault with portugal the man albums. i love them so much. but i would have to agree that this isn't their strongest release. especially when compared to the satanic satanist. but still.
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out with the ps2, in the with xbox

[seandotcom]

i have trouble finding fault with portugal the man albums. i love them so much. but i would have to agree that this isn't their strongest release. especially when compared to the satanic satanist. but still.
_________________

out with the ps2, in the with xbox

[Abomstar]

I've been fascinated by this band lately; in the past week The Satanic Satanist, Waiter: 'You Vultures', and now American Ghetto, have been in heavy rotation, although for the most part the songs have yet to sink in completely.

First song I listened to was People Say, and by the time it ended I was awestruck by how closely they managed to sound like mid-current era Ween (favorite band, unpretentiously and prodigiously talented songwriters, monolithic body of work stands as most creatively diverse ever, etc., etc.) Very distinctive vibe going on with the bass and guitar tones, and the overall production, and it created an immediate bridge of nostalgia for me personally. Did some digging and found that it was no coincidence, with this little excerpt appearing on their blog, concerning American Ghetto:

"There were other consistencies brought around in Ryan’s keyboard playing and Zach’s bass lines as well as Jason’s thoughts on sound and delivery. Jason has always had a great ear for this and I am not sure how often it has been mentioned. There is something really great to be said about a Ween fans ear. They hear everything."

I found that amazingly cool, and so they're on my radar now in a major way. It's also cool how diverse their fanbase is, seemingly garnering support in equal measure from the AbsolutePunk crowd and the indie indie crowd, which is a great combination. Their artwork is incredible too.

To the unrefined new listener here, American Ghetto sounds every bit as good as the others on the surface, and I think it complements The Satanic Satanist perfectly. I agree the songs can be similar-sounding and, honestly, I could say the songs on Satanist are fairly homogenized as well. That could be my one gripe with the band, but I won't go there because I used to think that about other now-highly regarded bands like Pavement and Coheed, and it just took repeated listens for the songs to show their true colors. The atmosphere on American Ghetto is maybe more cold and electronic, but every bit as smooth and captivatingly spacious. Surprised not all fans are digging it as much.

So, I should go for Censored Colors next?

[Abomstar]

I've been fascinated by this band lately; in the past week The Satanic Satanist, Waiter: 'You Vultures', and now American Ghetto, have been in heavy rotation, although for the most part the songs have yet to sink in completely.

First song I listened to was People Say, and by the time it ended I was awestruck by how closely they managed to sound like mid-current era Ween (favorite band, unpretentiously and prodigiously talented songwriters, monolithic body of work stands as most creatively diverse ever, etc., etc.) Very distinctive vibe going on with the bass and guitar tones, and the overall production, and it created an immediate bridge of nostalgia for me personally. Did some digging and found that it was no coincidence, with this little excerpt appearing on their blog, concerning American Ghetto:

"There were other consistencies brought around in Ryan’s keyboard playing and Zach’s bass lines as well as Jason’s thoughts on sound and delivery. Jason has always had a great ear for this and I am not sure how often it has been mentioned. There is something really great to be said about a Ween fans ear. They hear everything."

I found that amazingly cool, and so they're on my radar now in a major way. It's also cool how diverse their fanbase is, seemingly garnering support in equal measure from the AbsolutePunk crowd and the indie indie crowd, which is a great combination. Their artwork is incredible too.

To the unrefined new listener here, American Ghetto sounds every bit as good as the others on the surface, and I think it complements The Satanic Satanist perfectly. I agree the songs can be similar-sounding and, honestly, I could say the songs on Satanist are fairly homogenized as well. That could be my one gripe with the band, but I won't go there because I used to think that about other now-highly regarded bands like Pavement and Coheed, and it just took repeated listens for the songs to show their true colors. The atmosphere on American Ghetto is maybe more cold and electronic, but every bit as smooth and captivatingly spacious. Surprised not all fans are digging it as much.

So, I should go for Censored Colors next?

[Carungi]

Yes. Censored Colors is their most expansive work and in my opinion, their best. Though I wouldn't expect the warm feeling that Satanist or Ghetto provides, this one has a distant feel toward it.
_________________

"Carungi" pronounced KA-RUN-GEE | My Last.fm Page | My Thread

[Carungi]

Yes. Censored Colors is their most expansive work and in my opinion, their best. Though I wouldn't expect the warm feeling that Satanist or Ghetto provides, this one has a distant feel toward it.
_________________

"Carungi" pronounced KA-RUN-GEE | My Last.fm Page | My Thread

[Danyh]

What's the connection that this band has to Portugal?
I'm portuguese and i want to know.
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[Danyh]

What's the connection that this band has to Portugal?
I'm portuguese and i want to know.
_________________

[Danyh]

What's the connection that this band has to Portugal?
I'm portuguese and i want to know.
_________________

[Danyh]

What's the connection that this band has to Portugal?
I'm portuguese and i want to know.
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