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Portugal. The Man – “American Ghetto”Equal Vision Records-out now3 / 5 The Portland, OR based alt rock band Portugal. The Man has been up to a lot lately; about an album a year, to be precise. Such a strain of creative flow would bend or break most bands, but P.TM seems to thrive in it, with the underground “Censored Colors” and the poppy, upbeat “The Satanic Satanist” as their last two releases. “American Ghetto” returns to darker, more sophisticated colors, utilizing more distortion and processed sounds. Right from the get-go is “Dead Dog,” a declaration of the band’s darker approach. Throughout “Ghetto” are good chorusesRead More →

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The Ruby Suns – “Fight Softly”Sub Pop-out tomorrow!4 / 5 Open this new pop/ psychedelia release and just feel it fizz with freshness and glimmer. With a sound as chromatic and vibrant as their latest cover, New Zealand’s Ruby Suns exude a fondness for Animal Collective electronica and layering, while keeping clean, crisp, focused melody and vocals. “Mingus and Pike” sway with 80s-era synth and percussion, creating a soft, full sound that entrances, melodically darts to and fro like a minnow; “Why Kids Fail” is a highlight of a different color, one more earthy and weightier, combining a video-game style hook with driving drums. ThereRead More →

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Shearwater – “The Golden Archipelago”Matador Records-out now4.5 / 5 Starting with a tender opening, to the final notes that fall, we have one thing to say about this epic concept album: wow. The sixth full-length from the Austin, Texas band, “Golden Archipelago” is one of those rare albums that do not benefit from distracted car-driving, nor from sweaty, gym-pumping; in fact, the best way to take in the first listen, we’ve found, is simply to kick back and let it spin. Delicate melodies pervade throughout (“Hidden Lakes” carefully unfolds) and the instrumentals here are not merely “played” or “performed,” but orchestrated; the vocals, which alternateRead More →

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Gentle Friendly – “Ride Slow”Upset the Rhythm-out now3.5 / 5 This debut album from South London’s Gentle Friendly utilizes a thick, woven mesh of electronica (keyboard, dense guitars) to form a dizzying fog of sound that has drawn comparison to Animal Collective. While Gentle Friendly doesn’t have ACs’ harmonies, nor do they match the intricacy of AC’s sonic mayhem, they do have “Lovers Rock,” a song with a cool drone/sway and cyclical instrumentals akin to older Yo La Tengo. Sonically, it is from this latter band that these songs derive, and fans of such will find themselves in familiar, but fresh territory. Where Gentle FriendlyRead More →