LA / LBC / OC
Long Beach’s Magic Lantern have finally gone and released a new sonic document after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. Eagerly anticipated by those who have been biding their time waiting for the band to get on with their uber limited cassette only and CD-R releases (their Self-Titled CD-R was limited to 30), “High Beams”, the band’s latest opus [...]
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I have never been a fan of Portugal the Man’s particular brand of shiny-beat-indie-pop, so when I read that Church Mouth was a “huge departure” and that it was to be “… an organic rock record that transcends genres by managing to reference seemingly disparate acts such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the White Stripes, the Mars Volta and Santana” (PTM’s official bio), I was intrigued. While I may disagree with the use of the word “disparate” to describe those influences, my curiosity was hightened by their mention.
The albums first song, and title track, is fiery and has a bit of rawness not found on previous recordings. The vocals, in a high pitch wail, compliment the driving rhythm and guitar crunch, and the breakdown in a half-time shout and stomp ala a southern spiritual is a pleasant surprise. “Sugar Cinnamon,” the second track, continues in a similar vein with a kind of uninhibited quality, especially in its spastic drumming and a quasi ‘call and response’ vocal styling that further adds to what was supposed to be this album’s “organic rock” roots. Next up “Telling Tellers Tell Me,” which begins to cement the White Stripes reference, at least in terms of the vocals, was another nice mixture of wandering guitar twang and thick distorted choruses.
It’s at this point that the album seems to avert, or revert, in the direction it was taking. The songs begin to lose the raw characteristics present in the first three tracks, and seemingly the album is being pulled back toward the comfort zone of PTM’s previous releases, most recently 2006′s Waiter: “You Vultures!”. Church Mouth’s fourth track, “My Mind,” has a sound almost akin to Blonde Redhead’s “Elephant Woman” off of Misery Is a Butterfly, only without the mystical charm of Kazu’s vocals. From there the songs continue in a somewhat uninspired style, reminding me almost of the bland 90′s style of band’s like Marcy Playground and Harvey Danger, with the exception of “Children” which sounds more like blues-rock via New Jersey, think Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive.”
The album’s last two songs make an attempt at redemption, but unfortunately by that point it’s almost too late. “Sleeping Sleepers Sleep” has a creeping and wounded fervor to it, with crescendoing choruses reverberating until everything ends in a cacophony of echoes, while the final song “Sun Brother” is a short but sweet moseying jam that seems a bit of an odd choice for a finale. Ultimately Church Mouth was somewhat of a disappointment for me, especially considering the strength of the first three songs. For those already fan’s of Portugal The Man, this album may hit just the right spot, diverging only slightly from their previous work. However if you are looking to Church Mouth to find the “huge departure” spoken of, you unfortunately won’t.
MP3: Portugal the Man – Church Mouth