A friend of mine sent me the link to this video the other day. As soon as I saw it, I was hooked.

Portugal. The Man (PTM) have always been on my radar. I‰’ve been aware of their presence through Spotify recommendations, Pitchfork reviews and various radio shows. To my embarrassment, though, I never really connected to their recorded music when they started gaining popularity. Perhaps, at the time, I wasn‰’t as into the electronic-alternative style that this band exhibits. Or maybe I just wasn‰’t listening close enough.

Courtesy of All The Feels

The lyrics of most PTM songs, especially “So American‰Û, are incredibly profound. Like the greatest musicians of rock n‰’ roll, John Gourley, the lead singer of PTM, reveals the flaws of American society and criticizes those who stick to the status quo. He sings about the entanglement of religion and war in conservative America and how this connection paves the way for the negative American stereotype. For this, in my opinion, PTM achieve greater heights in terms of musical importance and legacy.

What struck me the most from this particular live performance was the musical innovation displayed. While playing “So American‰” acoustically for French music blog, La Blogotheque, PTM make use of their immediate surroundings. They use kitchen tools and ingredients‰ÛÓglass jars, metal spoons, ground coffee‰ÛÓto accompany the main melody of the guitar; a task that requires a great deal of imagination and skill, as well as an insanely good ear. You cannot tune a jar or bag of food or eating utensil like you can a drum, guitar, or piano, which makes singing in key and in harmony while accompanying these “instruments‰” a very hard task.

For more chill inducing Portugal. The Man live performances, check out these links:

Sea of Air:

Modern Jesus: