Indie soul songs about death but lacking commitment.
Chris Black, mentioned in the album title, was a good friend of the band who passed away in 2019, leaving a gigantic hole in the band’s universe. There are guys around every band who have never played, never co-produced or even never carried an amp, but whose sheer presence still has a great influence on the group. Such a guy was Chris Black, hence Portugal. The Man pay tribute to him with their ninth album.
The band needed six years for the follow-up to their successful album WOODSTOCK, which, in addition to the bereavement, also has something to do with the fact that Portugal. The Man had to reorient themselves after the hit single “Feel It Still”: Now not only the hip indie people were on new stuff, but also the playlist populators. The Portland-based group is responding to expectations by now playing the kind of neo-soul established by Mark Ronson or Danger Mouse.
The sound in the first half of the album is dry, thin and quite flat, which is exactly what is wanted, because on this light basis the groove moves forward very easily and wonderful pop melodies can be developed. Nice but not very interesting. It’s a good thing that a piece like “Ghost Town” can sound a little more drinkable and that the band plays the song “Anxiety: Clarity” about doubts about existence in the end, in the style of an apocalyptic soul and gospel revue – and with a dedication that one would have liked for the entire album.