Album Review in Brief - In The Mountain In The Cloud

[5/5]

Portugal The Man is one of those bands to consistently release excellent music, and In The Mountain In The Coud is yet another excellent album. Some were concerned that the jump to a major label (Atlantic) would have a negative effect on their music, that the label would push them to make more conventional and mainstream music, and it's abundantly clear that they provided plenty of freedom in the creative process to preserve their sound and musical identity. With that in mind, ITMITC is fundamentally a further evolution of Portugal The Man's sound. If you've listened to Portugal. The Man you'll know that they never like to maintain a certain sound from album to album, they always like to change it up. ITMITC is the same in that regard, this time around seeing a noticeable slight increase in the use of electronics. Highlights of the album include Got It All (This Can't Living Now) which feels quite reminiscent of Satanic Satanist, Share With Me The Sun with it's incredibly catchy chorus and sublim guitar work, and the album's closing track Sleep Forever which is perhaps one of the best tracks that Portugal. The Man has ever recorded, as such the song's only conceivable flaw is the fact that it has to come to an end. While there was little doubt before, with ITMITC Portugal. The Man have absolutely proven themselves to be one of the best indie bands that I have had the pleasure of listening to. As a testament to that fact, I swear every time I listen to In The Mountain In The Cloud I get hooked into listening to it over and over again, it's undeniably addictive.

Top Picks: So American, Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now), Share With Me The Sun, Sleep Forever