Portugal. the Man – In The Mountain In The Cloud

Portugal. the Man always releases albums that almost feel like a single giant song. Everything on the album has one overlaying tone that ties the whole thing together, which also seems the case even with their earlier works. The theme for their newest album In The Mountain In The Cloud seems a serene happiness with a bit of golden age drama mixed in.

In The Mountain In The Cloud seems to be the happiest album released yet, with high-flying rhythms supported by wave after wave of beautifully harmonized vocals. It is hard to feel really sour at the album, even when it reaches its intense peaks towards the middle of the album. The lyrics are a bit less hieroglyphically inclined than before and not laden with linguistics gibberish. In The Mountain In The Cloud unfortunately toned down the flow and fullness that Portugal had in favor of simplicity. While the simplicity can undermine ITMITC, it makes it markedly easy to listen to and very accessible.