VIMTV Album Review #382: Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain In The Cloud

Jake: 64/100

Tom: 75/100

Verdict:  If you like indie rock anthems, check this out ASAP.

Overview: The songs on In The Mountian In The Cloud are overflowing with energetic songwriting and lush instrumentation.  However, Portugal. The Man seemed to be heavily relying on the anthem formula established on the first track throughout the album causing the record to get a little monotonous.  As an album, this could be better; but some of the individual tracks still make this very enjoyable.

Jake’s Track Picks: 

• 8.  All Your Light (Times Like These)
• 10. Share With Me The Sun
• 11.  Sleep Forever

Tom’s Track Picks: 

• 1. So American
• 3. Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)
• 5. Head Is A Flame (Cool With It)

VIMTV Research Links:

• Portugal. The Man Band Website
• Wikipedia – Portugal. The Man
• Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain In The Cloud reviews at Metacritic
• Portugal. The Man Myspace
• Lyrics – Portugal. The Man

Got It All video:

Sleep Forever audio:

VIMTV Episode #224: Portugal. The Man – American Ghetto

Jake: Recommended, 79/100

Tom: Recommended, 80/100

Overview: American Ghetto features a unique sound that incorporates elements of trip-hop, but with more prominent guitars and poppier vocals. The production on this album is so real and thick that, it’s like biting into a nice juicy sandwich where all the ingredients are fresh and crispy. The overall sound is fantastic, but the songwriting doesn’t always match up in quality– it’s a little hit-and-miss.

Recommended Similar Artists: The Black Keys, Broken Bells, Gorillaz, Beck

Jake’s Track Picks: 

• 3. 60 Years
• 7. The Pushers Party
• 10. Some Men

Tom’s Track Picks: 

• 1. The Dead Dog
• 3. 60 Years
• 4. All My People

VIMTV Research Links:

• Portugal. The Man Band Website
• Wikipedia – Portugal. The Man
• Portugal. The Man Myspace
• Lyrics – Portugal. The Man

“The Dead Dog” Video:

“60 Years” Live:

Portugal. The Man 2010 interview: