Review: Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

Portugal. The Man – The Satanic Satanist
2009, Equal Vision Records

Originally from Wasilla, Alaska, Portugal. The Man is based out of Portland, Oregon these days. Originally formed as a creative outlet, Portugal. The Man has turned into a prodigiously creative band, turning out four albums in the past four years. Their fourth album, The Satanic Satanist, hits stores on July 21, 2009, featuring eleven tracks full of Rock N Soul influences and an unmistakable taste for dramatic musical moments.

The Satanic Satanist opens with People Say, a wonderful mix of Americana and Soul. The song has a distinctive Beatles feel, particularly in the chorus, and is an incredible listen. Lovers In Love plays a bit with loops and effects, but maintains a strong melodic sense in a killer arrangement that you'll be hard-pressed not to get up and dance to. The Home has a dark and funky feel that you won't be able to get out of your head (and is my personal favorite song on the CD). Do You is a close second, with Portugal. The Man digging down and finding a bit of British bombast at their disposal (particularly in the chorus). Everyone Is Golden returns to a Beatles theme for the opening notes. The arrangement is strong, but the repetition of the one-line chorus gets to be a bit much after a while. Be sure also to check out Let You Down and Mornings.

Portugal. The Man follows a fairly aggressive writing/recording schedule given that they perform around 250 live dates per year. The material presented on their latest CD, The Satanic Satanist is a highly irregular and uneven effort. When Portgual. The Man is on their game they are eminently listenable. When they're not the results can be downright messy. There's enough good material on The Satanic Satanist to get it on your radar. Check it out!

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Portugal. The Man at http://www.portugaltheman.net/ or www.myspace.com/portugaltheman. The Satanic Satanist will be released on July 21, 2009. You can purchase a copy at Amazon.com or download the album from iTunes.

Review: A Scribe Amidst The Lions - Sunken Cities

A Scribe Amidst The Lions - Sunken Cities
2008, Tubwater Music

San Diego’s A Scribe Admist The Lions takes Alternative Rock down harrowing and reward paths on Sunken Cities, their second album. Nominated for a 2008 San Diego Music Award as best alternative album; Sunken Cities explores the depths of experimental rock in occasionally discomfiting and generally rewarding dioramas of sound. Don’t expect to listen passively; you won’t get it unless you stay involved.

Sunken Cities opens with The Depth Commencing, a brief instrumental appetizer that leads into the explosive chaos of The Equator Swallowed The Boys. Imagine elements of Classic Rock and Melodic, Post-Punk Modern Rock wrapped into a highly compact yet ranging Rock N Roll experience and you'll get an idea of where A Scribe Admist The Lions starts out. Elements of Grunge come into play on Scripted Daydreams, which has a monotonous and less-than-elegant temperament. The vocal line reaches stratospheric heights in this song with notes that are pure imagination for most singers. A Scribe Amidst The Lions takes turns both Progressive and Psychedelic on songs like Wet Bird, Marble Czar and Light Sinks The Moon, balancing right on the edge of musical madness for much of the middle of the album. No Peace Found In Pieces continues the somewhat psychedelic aspect, but maintains a bit more constructive approach. After several listens I'd have to say that A Scribe Admist The Lions remind me most of Canadian rockers The Rheostatics but with less of a tendency to seek out the occasional bit of Pop sensibility. You'll want to make sure you seek out The Drift and Metropolyptika as well.

A Scribe Amidst The Lions is what you might call an acquired taste. Dark, urban soundscapes populated with psychedelic bordering on psychotic moments is the order of the day on Sunken Cities. This is an album that challenges the listener to dig deeper and find your own treasures. On balance, I can't say that I entirely enjoyed it, but Sunken Cities was an interesting experience. There are folks out there for whom this will click, starting with fans of The Rheostatics.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about A Scribe Amidst The Lions at http://www.ascribeamidstthelions.com/ or www.myspace.com/ascribeamidstthelions. You can purchase a copy of Sunken City at www.cdbaby.com/cd/asatl2, or you can download the album from iTunes.