Portugal. The Man

Waiter: "You Vultures!"

Written by: PP on 23/01/2006 01:28:55

Portugal. The Man's Fearless Records debut "Waiter: 'You Vultures!'" has been one of the most anticipated indie records of the first quarter. Much hype has been surrounding the release of the album, partly due to the early leakage of it on the internet and partly due to the band endorsement by all scene-aware magazines around the web.

The strange name, album title and the even weirder artwork is somehow perfectly suitable for the band. The soothingly soft though strangely funky opener "How The Leopard Got Its Spots" sounds exactly how one would expect a band naming their songs in this way to sound like. You have songs like "Chicago" that jump in your face with their fast-paced jazzy/funky combinations before interrupting into tranquil, whispery vocals only supported by silent piano on the background, only to strike back a little bit later. If you could have breakdowns in indie, "Chicago" would be a prime example of them.

The MTV-aware listener will note similarities to bands like Franz Ferdinand and Modest Mouse during a few sessions, but especially "Bad, Bad Levi Brown" highlights the influences of the two prior bands. But more precisely, the band is like a softer, more atmosphere oriented, less guitar-driven Bear Vs Shark.

Much of the album continues on the same line of funky riffs, soft but confident vocals and the occasional ultra-tranquil parts where the singers voice sounds like its about to fade into the total silence, as if just breathing would shatter the beauty of the near-absolute silence.

"Waiter: 'You Vultures!'" will be close to all indie-lovers' hearts. If you usually like bands with strange names, you should consider giving Portugal. The Man a shot, as it'll probably fit right into your taste-spectrum. But although the album is refreshingly original and different from most of the releases these days, it will still end up gaining dust in my cd collection unless my girlfriend's coming over.

7

Download: How The Leopard Got Its Spots, AKA M80 The Wolf
For the fans of: Franz Ferdinand, Idiot Pilot, Bear Vs Shark

Release date 24.01.2006
Fearless Records

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