Portugal The Man, The Satanic Satanist
Posted on 30th Jul 09 by Connor Moloney | 
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Hailing from Wasilla, Alaska, the small, god-fearing town that gave us Sarah Palin, you might think Portugal The Man would risk ruffling some local feathers by calling an album The Satanic Satanist. But while the blood of America’s favourite political punchline might well run cold at the thought of a satanist so downright evil as to require an additional adjective emphasising their satanity, there is little to bother Palin and her lynch-mob here..
Hailing from Wasilla, Alaska, the small, god-fearing town that gave us Sarah Palin, you might think Portugal The Man would risk ruffling some local feathers by calling an album The Satanic Satanist. But while the blood of America’s favourite political punchline might well run cold at the thought of a satanist so downright evil as to require an additional adjective emphasising their satanity, there is little to bother Palin and her lynch-mob here.
As unlikely as it may seem, Portugal The Man’s fourth album, despite the darkly comic title, and the fact that it was recorded by Alaskans in equally snowbound Boston late last year, is very much a feelgood summer record.
Opener People Say sets the tone from the outset. Though lyrically an anti-war polemic (“So we lost a million men, well we got a million more” ), it seems more suited to the campfire than the podium. The group’s layered backing vocals, a constant throughout the album, give the rousing chorus a singalong feel, interplaying nicely with singer John Baldwin Gourley’s cracked falsetto.
Elsewhere, The Sun, a soul drenched groove, is impossibly chilled out, helped by Gourley’s impressive vocal, which sounds something like an infinitely more upbeat Jeff Buckley.
Portugal The Man’s brand of languid indie soul is hardly revolutionary, nonetheless, it’s strident, joyous stuff, and the band’s ear for a good hook ensures things are always kept interesting
Indie-funk workouts Work All Day and Guns and Dogs inject a bit of urgency into the proceedings, while The Woods brings to mind a more organic MGMT. Best of all is The Home, a gospel-tinged call to arms. Like much of The Satanic Satanist, it recalls the more downbeat moments of Screamadellica-era Primal Scream, as the group’s call-and-response vocals soar fervently over swirling organs and fx-laden guitars to a swaggering marchtime bass line.
There are times when the blissed out vibes get a little too much. The lumpen Everyone is Golden, a turgid indie-by-numbers effort, is a particular offender, which coupled with the mawkish piano ballad Let You Down represent something of a wobble towards the album’s final lap. Luckily, the dewey-eyed psychedelic country of closing track Mornings arrives to keep things on track for a good finish.
Portugal The Man’s brand of languid indie soul is hardly revolutionary, either lyrically or sonically, and they could do with changing gears a bit more often. Nonetheless, it’s strident, joyous stuff, and the band’s ear for a good hook ensures things are always kept interesting. Those who require their rock laced with angst and anger will find little to appreciate here, but for those searching for a simple but artfully formed soundtrack to a summer scorcher on the beach, the boys from Alaska may have come in from the cold at just the right time.
Drop-D Rating: 7/10
Tags: alaska, FOLK, folk rock, jeff buckley, John Baldwin Gourley, mgmt, Portugal The Man, primal scream, Sarah Palin