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!

ALBUM REVIEW: Jeff the Brotherhood: We Are the Champions

As you all know, I have been looking for the band that would satisfy me so very well with their album, and this is it! I have listened to this album 8 times in the 5 days I've had it. I would of listened to it more if it wouldn't have been lazy and downloaded it instead of just listening to it on vinyl, but hey I'm a man who loves vinyl! Jeff the Brotherhood's "We Are the Champions" has just the right mixture of everything right for me. It has a lo-fi sound which I usually love if the band is good. It mixes punk rock with a bluesy feel and poppy vocals. The other thing I love about the music is that it is also very psychedelic, which is another favorite genre to go to for me. My favorite tracks off this record would have to be "Hey Friend," which starts off with a 2 minute jam before going into great lyrics like "I've been thinking about your mom/ You can tell me if it's really wrong" it is overall just a great track. The next is "Diamond Way" which is a little on the softer side which I really appreciate on this record, and " Wastoid Girl," which is like a ballad about a party accompanied with a great riff and the chorus just makes you want to sing along every time. This is the album to go ahead and buy now if it's on your list and if not then put it on your list. I would recommend the vinyl, because the gatefold and insert is just awesome.

Buy from their label at: http://infinitycat.com

June 18th: Sassafras and Backbiter at the Redwood Bar and Grill

Yesterday my band Leaking Pigs played our first show at the Redwood Bar and Grill with Sassafras and Backbiter. After us came Sassafras who, like always,  played a crazy set. Sailor screaming through most of the lyrics over the heavy and full riffs is just awesome and I really like their new line-up as a four-piece. They played some of my favorite tracks "Shipwrecked," "Eli," and "Piston Machine." Then came Backbiter, who now will have been playing for 20 years this October. Their genre jumped all over the place from jam-y to country-ish music. You can tell that these guys have been playing for 20 years because they are all very great players and their is an overall feel of them just being locked in together on their instruments. They really do know their stuff! It was a fun and great show and I have to thank Bob Cantu again for putting us on the bill and everyone should go check out his blog at: Babyjeepers.blogspot.com!

SINGLE REVIEW: Portugal. The Man: Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now)

New Portugal. The Man never disappoints me! This is the first single off the new album In the Mountain, In the Cloud. The song is an infectious tune with sutch a catchy chorus it's crazy! This is the first album on Atlantic records and I see that there has been a few changes, but it makes the music seem better to me. I mean they didn't have to add the cellos, but goddammit they made the song crazy good. I have seen nothing but great things coming from them on Atlantic! The video I must add is fucking amazing! It is paired with the song "Sleep Forever," which is a song that builds into a crazy, overwhelming masterpiece and is a great ender to the album. The video was all shot in Alaska and shows beautiful shots of the scenery over there with John Baldwin Gourley sledding with a pack of dogs. I don't want to ruin the rest of the video but it is an great short film! If you picked "Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now)" up for free off of iTunes last week, or not get this track now!

Watch the short film here: http://youtu.be/jieN2Hp5hS4

SINGLE REVIEW: The Shakers: Hey Lil Darlin

I have been thinking about introducing this new segment for a little while and this seemed like the perfect time to do it. I met the singer Jodie Schell at a broadcast for Rebel Radio, a newer podcast, and she gave me an advanced copy of the Shakers new single "Hey Lil Darlin" (Which I really appreciate!) This song comes out tomorrow June 3rd and they are giving out free copies at there show at the Roxy to the first 100 people who show up. The first thing I have to note is Jodie's voice. She really can rip it up with her voice. It's very soulful and clear. This song has kind of a funky-soul feel until the chorus where it gets very hard rockin' and distorted. I really like this song a lot and recommend going to the show tomorrow to see it first of all because the voice transfers live and get a kick ass new song to listen too!