Portugal. The Man has released a full-length album every single year since 2006 with each one having its very own, distinct style to it.  This goes especially for the last three releases, Censored Colors, The Satanic Satanist, and the latest, American Ghetto.  The reasoning behind their quick creativity could be due to the band releasing their albums independently. The band parted ways with Fearless Records after the release of Church Mouth.  Since then, every album has been released under their own independent record label, Approaching AIRballoons.

American Ghetto caught everyone off-guard when John officially announced plans on the band’s website, less than a month before it came out digitally.  John Gourley, singer and guitarist, and producer Anthony Saffery went to the studio and took yet another, different stylistic approach to the album.  Whereas Satanic Satanist has some psychedelic rock characteristics, American Ghetto takes Portugal into a bit more  of an electronic-infused realm. Gourley explains the writing process as such: “We discussed doing something a bit different from Satanist, doing something a bit more beat driven and just, overall, having fun with sound and doing something a bit more spontaneous.”  What sets American Ghetto apart from other Portugal albums is that it is mostly mapped out with drum machine beats and a bit more produced than past albums.  At the same time, Ghetto holds true to the band’s aesthetic.

American Ghetto features some infectious, hard hitting beat oriented songs such as “The Pushers Party”, “Do What We Do”, and “1,000 years’”.  It also offers very mellow/groovy songs like “Just a Fool” and “Some men”.  The final track, “When the War Ends”, is one of my favorites and sums up the album quite nicely. You really get the feeling that the band had fun making the song and is just one of those sunny day type of songs.  American Ghetto as a whole is definitely a solid album, one I would recommend, and is yet another step forward for Portugal creatively.

The band has only pressed 16,000 copies of American Ghetto on CD but no limit on the Vinyl pressing.  You can order the album in different types of bundles on their site, each coming with a digital copy that you can download immediately after purchase.  If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can also do it the old fashioned way and wait and pick up the CD and/or Vinyl in stores on May 11^th.  I personally would suggest ordering the CD online so you’re guaranteed a copy because American Ghetto is certainly an album worth having.

While you're here, check out:

1. [Album Review] Heartsounds – Until We Surrender
2. Album Review: Two Door Cinema drops their first full-length album, Tourist History
3. [Album Review] Blitzen Trapper – “Furr” (2008)
4. [Album Review] We Were Promised Jetpacks – “These Four Walls”
5. Against Me! is an enigma on White Crosses [Album Review]