Evil Friends

Portugal. The Man. Confused? That's OK. Portugal. The Man is the name of a band from Alaska. These guys have a new album coming out, so I thought it would be nice to review the first single from that album. Before I get to the review, let me explain a little about this band. In a time when almost every artists take a few years between albums, Portugal. The Man defies these rules. They are constantly putting out new material, much to the joy of their grateful fans. We're talking, at minimum, a new album has been released every year of the band's existence. Of course, having a steady stream of new songs doesn't mean anything if the new material sounds rushed, or empty, or recycled. That's not the case with PTM. Somehow, this band is constantly evolving their sound. It must be the fact that these guys are always touring. They love to jam and experiment with new sounds. Every album has grown their music into something completely new and different, even though the listener can still feel that quality that is unique to PTM. There is some quality that PTM possesses, that I don't know how to describe. The only thing I can honestly compare it to is the chemistry that Led Zeppelin's members had. Apart from each other, they were unbelievably talented musicians, but together...they became rock gods! Not exactly in the same way, but PTM definitely has a unique quality that almost defines them. For this, I can only listen and be in awe of their Majestic Majesty.

You know how I said PTM has released a new album every year since their formation? Well, that was true until 2012. We didn't get any new material from PTM during the entire year, and the drought was definitely felt. Of course, they had plenty of reasons for the lack of a new album. The band has been touring non-stop, and has seen several lineup changes since the release of their last album. So these guys needed a little time to regroup and focus. So I have been waiting quite a while by PTM standards for any news of new material. I am glad to say that my wait was over (sort of) about a week ago. On their instagram, PTM shared the artwork for their new single.

Evil Friends, for those that can't read.

It turns out that the single is the title track from the album "Evil Friends." This album is currently scheduled to be released on June 4, 2013. Trust me, I have marked my calendar. The track listing and album artwork is below:

1. Plastic Soldiers

2. Creep In A T-Shirt

3. Evil Friends

4. Modern Jesus

5. Hip Hop Kids

6. Atomic Man

7. Sea Of Air

8. Waves

9. Holy Roller (Hallelujah)

10. Someday Believers

11. Purple Yellow Red And Blue

12. Smile

So now that we have discussed PTM's history, let's get to the review of Evil Friends. When I first heard the song, I was a little shocked. I wasn't sure what to expect, since PTM usually changes their sound from album to album. So I went into this listening with a very open mind. The track opens with a soft, acoustic intro that has slightly eerie vocals. Something I forgot to mention is that the lead singer uses a falsetto to great effect, so I was a little disappointed that about halfway through the song, when the tempo picks up, distortion is applied to the vocals. The song goes on to feature some great riffs and awesome lyrics. It ended fast, and seemed kind of short. That was my first listen. I reflected for a few seconds, then played the track again. I found that I enjoyed it much more the second time through. Now, after about 15 listens, I can say that I love this song. I have no idea how the album will sound, but I know that this will definitely be a great part of the album.

The song's official video has been posted on the band's YouTube channel, which can be seen here. I must warn you, this video is slightly creepy, due to the fact that they shot the whole thing in night vision with people wearing ski masks. But that just adds to the mystique surrounding the song. So Enjoy.

Once this review is posted, I am forbidding myself from listening to the song anymore. As people close to me know, I hate spoilers. Absolutely HATE them. Which is why I almost never listen to debut songs from albums. I don't want to form an impression on one song more than the others. I find that it causes an unbalanced listening experience. I can honestly say that my favorite albums are the ones that I listen to as a whole, with every song being equally important. This means that there may not be any songs that I would listen to outside of the album, or they might all be great separate. I just don't want to screw up my enjoyment of this album. So my wait for June 4 begins now.

And finally, I leave you with another funny picture. This one is from Cyanide & Happiness, which is a web comic that has some awesome stuff. Enjoy.