Portugal. The Man - Evil Friends (04/07/2013)
With the vast array of genres that Portugal. The Man have covered in their album Evil Friends, it almost seems as if they’ve drawn them out of a hat. But even with their somewhat confused style for this album, it still works.
This time around the band has paired up with progressive mastermind, Danger Mouse. With his help they’ve managed to refresh and sharpen their recognisable psychedelic, but somewhat pop-ish, sound.
The album starts off a little unsteady with Plastic Soldiers, and makes you question whether the two-year wait was really worth it. But as soon as Creep in a Tshirt’s driving bass line blasts through the speakers, all original concerns are squashed. Boasting a punk attitude John Gouley howls out, "I'm a creep in a t-shirt and jeans. I don't fucking care", and all it makes you want to do is change into just that and emit the same level of nonchalance and cool as Gouley does.
If you can look past the savage looking monster on the cover, you’ll realise that underneath it all there is a tender and harmonic side to the six-piece band. Tracks like Waves and Smile echo this sentiment through their use of harmonic melodies and soothing riffs.
By no surprise title track, Evil Friends, more than delivers on the bands refreshing interpretation of surf rock. The track has done so well it has earned significant airtime on the illustrious radio station, Triple J.
Hip Hop Kids marks another genre change for the album but becomes the weakest link from the 14 songs. Embracing the punk vibe again, Hip Hop Kids is a feeble attempt at an aggressive and bitter song, severely hindered by the bands strong pop undertones.
Bringing yet another element to the album, Portugal. The Man have thrown a ballad in amongst their mixed bag of tracks. Sea of Air stands out due to its heartbreaking simplicity, “We’ve got the whole world hanging there/In our little sea of air”.
With a strong synth beat that is perfectly harmonized with the culmination of drum, piano and trumpets, Holy Roller serves as the celebratory track of the album. By no coincidence it also is the perfect song to dance along to terribly in the comfort of your lounge room. Easily a standout track of the album, at no point does Holy Roller become boring.
It wouldn’t be an album from the 21st century without a sure-fire dance track. Purple Yellow Red and Blue features just the right level of pulsing beats that is bound to be a hit when played live. Although the substance behind these lyrics may seem a little pro-ecstasy, you can’t deny that it’s a great track to tune the world out to and just move. Dazed out and sweaty dancers will no doubt be thrusting their bodies along to “I just wanna feel/purple yellow red and blue”.
As the last song rolls to a close, Evil Friends has by no means fallen short of satisfying its listeners. By far their best album to date, they’ve improved their catchiness ten-fold and have delivered an album worthy of some serious toe tapping from start to finish.
Amanda Sherring
This time around the band has paired up with progressive mastermind, Danger Mouse. With his help they’ve managed to refresh and sharpen their recognisable psychedelic, but somewhat pop-ish, sound.
The album starts off a little unsteady with Plastic Soldiers, and makes you question whether the two-year wait was really worth it. But as soon as Creep in a Tshirt’s driving bass line blasts through the speakers, all original concerns are squashed. Boasting a punk attitude John Gouley howls out, "I'm a creep in a t-shirt and jeans. I don't fucking care", and all it makes you want to do is change into just that and emit the same level of nonchalance and cool as Gouley does.
If you can look past the savage looking monster on the cover, you’ll realise that underneath it all there is a tender and harmonic side to the six-piece band. Tracks like Waves and Smile echo this sentiment through their use of harmonic melodies and soothing riffs.
By no surprise title track, Evil Friends, more than delivers on the bands refreshing interpretation of surf rock. The track has done so well it has earned significant airtime on the illustrious radio station, Triple J.
Hip Hop Kids marks another genre change for the album but becomes the weakest link from the 14 songs. Embracing the punk vibe again, Hip Hop Kids is a feeble attempt at an aggressive and bitter song, severely hindered by the bands strong pop undertones.
Bringing yet another element to the album, Portugal. The Man have thrown a ballad in amongst their mixed bag of tracks. Sea of Air stands out due to its heartbreaking simplicity, “We’ve got the whole world hanging there/In our little sea of air”.
With a strong synth beat that is perfectly harmonized with the culmination of drum, piano and trumpets, Holy Roller serves as the celebratory track of the album. By no coincidence it also is the perfect song to dance along to terribly in the comfort of your lounge room. Easily a standout track of the album, at no point does Holy Roller become boring.
It wouldn’t be an album from the 21st century without a sure-fire dance track. Purple Yellow Red and Blue features just the right level of pulsing beats that is bound to be a hit when played live. Although the substance behind these lyrics may seem a little pro-ecstasy, you can’t deny that it’s a great track to tune the world out to and just move. Dazed out and sweaty dancers will no doubt be thrusting their bodies along to “I just wanna feel/purple yellow red and blue”.
As the last song rolls to a close, Evil Friends has by no means fallen short of satisfying its listeners. By far their best album to date, they’ve improved their catchiness ten-fold and have delivered an album worthy of some serious toe tapping from start to finish.
Amanda Sherring