ALBUM REVIEW: Portugal. The Man: In The Mountain In The Cloud

The seventh record by Portugal. The Man has a new feel and I like it! I've loved this band since 2009 and I have to say that they have changed on almost every record since then. This is their major label debut (they got signed to Atlantic Records in 2010) and I think this is their most accessible album. This, I mean in a respectful manor, as I feel that P.TM should be very successful and  hopefully this will be at least a precursor to them being a really popular band and hopefully radio play. There were a few things that I found interesting about the album, like the normal cd is just a digipack and just opens up. Of course the deluxe edition has more flash, but I feel that when they were independent they were putting out higher quality and cooler packaging. Besides that this is overall a really good album. The record is less psychedelic than their past few releases but still has the Portugal. The Man feel and I'm glad they didn't make a drastic change when they signed with Atlantic. There was more instrumentation on this record which was really cool. My favorite tracks are "So American," "Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now)," and "Sleep Forever." I really do have to note "Sleep Forever," because this is such an amazing song! I always feel overwhelmed listening to it as it builds throughout the song. I really like this album a lot, so go and get it at your local record stores or over the internet!

July 22-23: Two Nights With Ty Segall

Waking up early is painful since I went to bed at around 2 o'clock the past few nights. Friday, I went over to Center of the Arts Eagle Rock to try and see Ty Segall finally even though it was sold out. The reason I was still going was because last time I went to see Thee Oh Sees, they let me in even though it was sold out. That was not the case Friday. We had to leave but the promoter said if we came back at 10 he would probably let a few people in. 10 rolls around and the guy is nowhere in sight, just the security guard. Luckily there is a window where we can watch Ty and hear him perfectly. After about four songs they lower a screen to cover the window. My friends and I start walking to the Starbucks across the street when the security guard came over to tell the people on the side to leave. There was no one at the door, so I sneaked into the show. I came in to a great show. Ty Segall was super noisy playing some of my favorite songs. At one point he jumped into the crowd while playing a solo and crowd-surfed for about a minute or two. Another highlight was Steven McDonald of Red Kross came up on stage and played a few RK covers. Ty then ended with "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath. I met the band and they are all super nice! I am set to interview Ty very soon. The next night at the Smell was also great! I got to see the opening bands and I think my favorite had to be White Fence. They were just really awesome but I would also check out Crazy Band and Audacity both bands are good. Ty again was super good, played some different songs and that was cool. I thought the set was to short though, but a great show nonetheless!

ALBUM REVIEW: Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues

The sophomore release of this Seattle-based folk band Fleet Foxes is a superb record. The layered vocals over the 6 piece band is nice to listen to, especially at night. It is a calm record, one that I think a listener could go to sleep to. Of course I mean this in respect. The record is peaceful and pretty uplifting. My favorite thing about this record is the instrumentation (Most of the players taking on at least two instruments) and the way they played each instrument not exactly like the other as some bands will do. Each guitar part was different and so was the bass. The vocals are also less hollow then their earlier releases. They are now more rich I think, with a sweeter tone than they usually have. My favorite tracks off of the album would have to be, "Bedouin Dress," "Battery Kinzie," and "Helplessness Blues." The record seems to go well with summer evenings in my opinion. This album is great and if you're looking for the new folk record this is it!