Portugal. The Man: The Satanic Satanist

Portugal. The Man
The Satanic Satanist
Equal Vision Records [2009]









Fire Note Says: This is one catchy ride and easily the best album to date from Portugal. The Man!

Album Review:
It is always nice to be there when a band hits its stride as Portugal. The Man have on their fourth record The Satanic Satanist. The record is a memorable and catchy piece of work that grooves and flows while it has perfect timing, solid transitions and interesting subject matter. From the first hooky lead-off track "People Say", Portugal make a strong comment on the human cost of war with the lyrics “What a lovely day yeah we won the war, May have lost a million men but we got a million more”. This song leaves the politics there as much of the album focuses on lead singer John Gourley's Alaskan upbringing about loneliness, the sun and the Iditarod. What makes The Satanic Satanist succeed is that it blends different styles to give Portugal. The Man their own niche. "Lovers In Love" uses old style Motown grooves, while other tracks like the smooth "The Sun" take on a very sprawling Verve vibe and yet on "Do You" the band breaks out big and driving guitar and bass lines. The album also finds the group working more with loops and samples than they have since their 2006 debut, which completely fills in any gaps. The parting line on this record is that Portugal. The Man have released their best record to date and after taking it for one spin The Satanic Satanist will be sure to hook you too with every sing-a-long melody in its timely 35 minutes and arty packaging by Austin Sellers (see here)!

Key Tracks: "Work All Day", "The Sun", "Do You"

Bands With Similar Fire:
The Stone Roses
Ween
My Morning Jacket

Official Portugal. The Man Website
Portugal. The Man MySpace
Portugal. The Man Info [Allmusic]
Equal Vision Records

The Satanic Satanist - Portuga...

-Reviewed by Sam DaMatta