Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk
Has anyone every got to the bottom of why this band are called Portugal. The Man or what it means? If so then please drop us a line as it's been puzzling us for years. The band released their new album 'Evil Friends' in June, although a quick inspection shows that it's not yet available officially in the UK, which may explain the lack of press activity here, so we'll probably get it soon. The album was produced by the very capable hands of Danger Mouse who's given them a cool, slightly R&B feel, judging by new single 'Modern Jesus' anyway.
It's a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde song, at times giving us smooth, slickly produced modern soul-pop, but then dropping in a big chorus and the kind of experimenting that separates them from the mainstream. It's not an instant song, more one that will take a handful of listens before you're fully engaged with it. The wait is worth it though, because as alt-pop goes this is about as close to the edge as you can get. It could have ended up as a generic R&B tune, but their songcraft and the production make it anything but. In fact it's one of the finest singles of this genre we've heard in ages.
Portugal. The Man's website
Buy the album
Catch them live:
Sep 11 Hoxton Bar And Kitchen, London, UK
Sep 12 The Haunt, Brighton, UK
Sep 13 Night and Day, Manchester, UK
Sep 15 Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Sep 17 Noveau Casino, Paris, France
Sep 18 Stollwerck, Koln, Germany
Sep 19 Gruenspan, Hamburg, Germany
Sep 20 Astra, Berlin, Germany
Sep 21 strom, Munich, Germany
Sep 22 WUK, Vienna, Austria
Sep 26 Corona Theatre, Montreal, Canada
Sep 27 Terminal 5, New York, NY
Sep 29 House of Blues, Boston, MA
Oct 01 The Fillmore Silver Spring, Silver Spring, MD
Oct 02 Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
Oct 03 Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Oct 05 Austin City Limits Austin, TX
Oct 08 House of Blues, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Oct 09 Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Oct 12 Austin City Limits, Austin, TX
Oct 13 Corona Capital, Mexico City, Mexico
Oct 15 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
Oct 16 Mojo's, Columbia, MO
Oct 18 Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
Oct 19 Ogden Theater, Denver, CO
Oct 21 Murray Theater, Murray, UT
Oct 22 Knitting Factory Concert House, Reno, NV
Oct 23 Ventura Theater, Ventura, CA
Oct 26 Life Is Beautiful, Las Vegas, NV
Oct 27 The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
Oct 27 Life Is Beautiful, Las Vegas, NV
Dec 21 William Egan Civic & Convention Center, Anchorage, AK
Jan 17 BIG DAY OUT, Auckland, New Zealand
Jan 19 Big Day Out, Gold Coast, Australia
Jan 24 Big Day Out, Melbourne, Australia
Jan 26 Big Day Out, Sydney, Australia
Jan 27 Big Day Out, Sydney, Australia
Jan 31 Big Day Out, Adelaide, Australia
Feb 02 Big Day Out, Perth, Australia
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