Portugal. The Man Concert

Last night I went to see a Portugal. The Man concert. Needless to say, it was amazing. I expected them to be good, but their show completely exceeded my expectations. It started out with a great opening performance by Morning Teleportation. I had never heard of them previous to the show, but they were very enjoyable with both good music and an entertaining performance. Next was The Builders And The Butchers, who were alright, but not as good as the other two bands.

Then the moment I had been anticipating all evening. The stage filled with fog and then, in the midst of it, Portugal. The Man started their set. They sounded just as good, possibly even better, than on their albums. Their live performance had so much energy, which really brought the music to life. It was accompanied by a dope light show, which matched their music perfectly, and was one of the best light shows I have seen. They played a good variety of songs, both newer (The Sun, Do You, People Say) and older (Chicago,) and they even played an epic version of my favorite song of theirs, AKA M80 The Wolf complete with an improvised jam session in the middle. They played this song last, and when they finished the last crowd assisted, "I am but a man, but a proud, proud man," the place erupted in applause and then chanting for one more song. Portugal. The Man was happy to return to stage to play the beautiful acousic song Created, and then 1989, which was a great closer for the night. I'd recommend definitely attending Portugal. The Man when they play near you; I know I'll be going back to their next show.

-T

Tera Melos/By The End of Tonight - Complex Full of Phantoms [2007]

Ah post-math... how I love you so. And what's better than a post-math album? 2 bands splitting a post-math album, of course! I originally tried out this album because of Tera Melos, but eventually turned over to side a and checked out By The End Of Tonight and I loved it too. Both sides are great, full to the brim with the technical ambiance that we expect from them. A splendid split overall and worth owning. Also notable, I accidentally stumbled upon this vinyl at a record store once and immediately bought it. I didn't even know it was out on vinyl, but I still spin it to this day.

Genre: Post-Math
For Fans Of: Hella, Giraffes? Giraffes!, Melt-Banana
Contact: TM Myspace BTEOT Myspace
Tracklisting:

By The End Of Tonight:

1. Delaware Is Depressing
2. Philthy Collins
3. Jealous Of A Ghost
4. Cool Hands
5. Ghost Boat
6. Elvis Never Didn't Die

Tera Melos:

7. 555-9676
8. Party With Tine
9. When Worms Learn To Fly
10. Melody 9
11. Last Smile For Jaron


- A

Rufio - MCMLXXXV (1985) [2003]

Any band that references Hook (great Robin Williams film or greatest Robin Willims film?) is good enough for me to check out, and once I did (well my brother showed me them but whatever) I loved them. It's very pop punky, but it also has technicality to it. Singer/lead guitarist Scott Summers has chops, and his quick playing comes off as an original breath of air to the scene. The band works together really well, and the music is really accessible while not being crappy and run-of-the-mill. They broke up a few years ago but just recently got back together (with new replacements) so I'm excited for the new stuff. Also, there's a kickass bass solo in Pirate. Awesome.

Genre: Pop-Punk
For Fans Of: Sum 41, Relient K, MxPx
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Countdown
2. White Lights
3. Science Fiction
4. Why Wait?
5. We Exist
6. Follow Me
7. Control
8. Set It Off
9. Decency Pirate
10. Pirate
11. Goodbye
12. Over It



- A

Portugal. The Man - Waiter: "You Vultures!" [2006]

I will hopefully be going to see Portugal. The Man, my favorite Alaskan quartet, tomorrow, so I decided to put up my favorite release from the band for ya'll to enjoy. This album is definitely one of my favorite albums ever created; there is just so much to love about it.

From the first opening notes of How The Leopard Got Its Spots until the final mechanical dissonance of Guns. Guns... Guns, and throughout all the songs in between, there is such a cool feeling projected by the music. It is laid back, yet so complex and technical sounding. You can hear so many layers to this music, from the guitar hooks, to the melodic keyboards, to the electronic backbeat, to the perfectly fitting vocals, and it all comes together beautifully.

Not only is the music amazing, the lyrics are just as profound and talented. Lines like "If I were a god I'd be the greatest of all, With a speech so soft that loud it would kill you, Standing up tall from the top of that hill, I'd shout out commands to down below," and "We'll take steps to make sure our failures are hidden" show that talent. Other lyrics on the album are not nearly as serious, but more trippy and humerous, like "Shout at pavement that's sprouting up turnips, Who are shouting right back, "We don't need your lectures!" Also, the album art is one of my favorite covers, and the image matches the music exactly.

This album is without a doubt a solid listen; if you haven't heard it yet definitely check it out. It is classy, soulful, and unique and would be at home playing in the background at a coffee shop, in the car with the windows rolled down on a hot summer day, or on your record player in your house. Its mellow goodness is like soul food.

Genre: Indie, Experimental, Progressive

For Fans Of: Minus The Bear, Circa Survive, The Dear Hunter

Contact: Website
Tracklisting:

1. How the Leopard Got Its Spots
2. Gold Fronts
3. Stables & Chairs
4. AKA M80 The Wolf
5. Marching With 6
6. Elephants
7. Waiter
8. Chicago
9. Bad, Bad Levi Brown

10. Kill Me. The King
11. Tommy

12. Horse Warming Party

13. Guns.Guns...Guns

-T

At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command [2000]

Before The Mars Volta and Sparta, members from each made up At The Drive-In, a post-hardcore quintet from El Paso, Texas. Relationship of Command is the group's last album, released in 2000 at the top of their popularity it defines the late 90's hardcore and makes for a perfect transition to post-ATDI efforts. There's progression in the sound which moved into The Mars Volta's music and traditional hardcore which went to Sparta. Lead vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala's lyrics are cryptic and intricate, sometimes taken to be political but usually just weird (and he didn't change much when he went to TMV). This record has been called one of the most important of the 21st century, and I couldn't agree more.

Genre: Post-Hardcore
For Fans Of: Coheed and Cambria (SSTB-era), The Juliana Theory, The Mars Volta
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Arcarsenal
2. Pattern Against User
3. One Armed Scissor
4. Sleepwalk Capsules
5. Invalid Litter Dept.
6. Mannequin Republic
7. Enfilade
8. Rolodex Propaganda
9. Quarantined
10. Cosmonaut
11. Non Zero Possibility



- A

Maps and Atlases - Perch Patchwork [2010] [Leak]

Chicago's best (and possibly only, I don't know the local scene there) indie math-rock band, Maps and Atlases is back with their folk-tinged technical guitar work and unique vocal stylings. You And Me And The Mountain's (the band's 2007 release) sound has carried over well, keeping the music more mellow than the more intricate style of previous albums. Dave Davison's (singer/guitar (also, what an unfortunate name)) signature vocals are as original as always and match the folkier sound of the album. Really worth checking out if you're into indie math-rock.

Genre: Indie Math-Rock
For Fans Of: This Town Needs Guns, Foals, Tubelord
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Will
2. The Charm
3. Living Decorations
4. Solid Ground
5. Is
6. Israeli Caves
7. Banished Be Cavalier
8. Carrying The Wet Wood
9. Pigeon
10. If This Is
11. Was
12. Perch Patchwork



- A

Here Comes My Baby

An incredibly catchy indie-pop version of a classic Cat Stevens song done by Sons of Admirals which is a group composed of four youtubers, including two of my favorites Charlie Mcdonnell and Alex Day (Go check out a few of their vids if you're bored, especially the Alex reads Twilight series...). Also has quite a clever video, and they're from the UK so that already makes them that much cooler. I really like it, so I thought I'd share it with you and hopefully help this new group get more exposure. Anyways, enjoy:

Also, I will post an album review soon, just trying to decide what to write about.

Peace,

-T

Tera Melos - Idioms Vol. 1 [2009]

It takes a man to make an album, but it takes a real man to make an album (EP, whatever) full of covers. And Tera Melos, as we all know, are full to the brim with real men. This 5 track CD has some great versions of classic tunes, that (and I know I'm biased) are actually better than original the original versions. The songs are not that Tera Melos-y (think technical and ambient) but they're still awesome. My favorite is "Hey Sandy," the album's "single" (there was a video made for it). The song is a Polaris cover that was originally featured as the opening song for Nickelodeon's show "Pete and Pete" (yeah, we're taking you back to 93). What makes it really unique is about halfway through, it changes to The Beach Boys song "God Only Knows" then switches back a bit later. Quite an awesome cover overall, check out the video for it here.

Genre: Alternative Covers
For Fans Of: Weezer, The Clash, The Pixies
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Meant For You (The Beach Boys Cover)
2. Koka Kola (The Clash Cover)
3. Tame (The Pixies Cover)
4. Blast Off (Weezer Cover)
5. Hey Sandy (Polaris Cover)



- A

The Dear Hunter - Act I: The Lake South, The River North [2006]

Casey's first official release as The Dear Hunter (there are The Ms. Leading Demos that I might eventually put up) is part 1 of the 6 part story, Act I. For an EP, this record is pretty long, coming to a total of 8 tracks and nearly 40 minutes worth of music. It was all recorded by Casey himself with only help from his brother on drums (later to become the official drummer) and a few guest vocalists, proving again how good of a musician he is. There are some really solid songs to be found on here such as City Escape, The Pimp and the Priest, and 1878. There's a slight bit of screaming coming from Casey, which is awesome because he has an amazing and unique scream which he uses far less than he should.

Genre: Experiential
For Fans Of: Coheed and Cambria, The Receiving End of Sirens, Circa Survive
Contact: Myspace
Tracklisting:
1. Battesimo Del Fuoco
2. The Lake South
3. City Escape
4. The Inquiry of Ms. Terri
5. 1878
6. The Pimp and the Priest
7. His Hands Matched His Tongue
8. The River North



- A

Tour Announcement: Circa Survive and The Dear Hunter

Circa Survive just announced a new tour with The Dear Hunter and O' Brother going through the southern west coast. Presale is going up June 18th at noon and actual sale is going on June 23rd. I'm really excited for this since Circa and TDH are some of my favorite bands. The best part (for me at least) is that they're going to be coming through the town I live in, which I've NEVER seen a band go into. So lucky me, eh? Anyways, hope that you can make it to one of the concerts.


Fri/7-23 Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
Sat/7-24 Phoenix, AZ @ The Nile
Sun/7-25 San Diego, CA - Radio Show
Tue/7-27 Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
Wed/7-28 San Jose, CA @ The Blank Club
Thu/7-29 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew
Fri/7-30 Bakersfield, CA @ Jerry's Pizza
Sat/7-31 St. George, UT @ Electric Theatre
Sun/8-1 San Bernardino, CA @ Stingers

- A