Rarely do I find myself looking forward to an album release as much as I anticipated this one. Portugal. the Man's last album, The Satanic Satanist, was easily one of my favorite indie rock albums of the year, so naturally I had high hopes for American Ghetto. Upon first listen, I confess I was deeply disappointed; it seemed to lack some fundamental ingredient or message. Where was the provocative irony that spiced the Satanist? The album felt constrained, compressed, limited.
But the more I listened, the more I realized what Gourney had succeeded in doing. His constrained passion and controlled anger perfectly reflects this generation. We are not the violent protesters of generations past; we are nothing if not controlled in our anguish, an altogether lonely generation. And maybe that's exactly what Gourney has figured out in American Ghetto.
The album begins with what should be a unifying rally: All My People. Musically, however, it suggests something entirely different: lonliness and isolation. Throughout the album, tracks like 60 Years, Fantastic Pace, and 1000 Years show an obsession with time and waiting, another characteristic of this generation. The album closes with When the War Ends, whose bouncy, Passion Pit-esque guitars and pop vocals suggest something perhaps a bit more hopeful for our future.
The more I listen, the more I feel the cohesion and unity of the album. It's about our generation, one of loneliness, waiting, and isolation. No, it's not as catchy as The Satanist. But perhaps it's just a bit more interesting.
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