Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist

Proof that good things actually can come out of Wasilla, Alaska

Sometimes we all want to listen to something that's simple and pleasing to the ears, right? Right. I'm not talking about Sarah Palin's speeches here; although she does happen to share a hometown with Portugal. The Man, whose latest release, The Satanic Satanist, came out about three weeks ago. The band also reportedly played a kickin' set at Lolla early in the day Sunday.

Not overly complicated, but extremely pleasant, this album is kind of a throwback to what indie rock used to be: pop that wasn't well known enough to get radio airplay. The vocals are great, the hooks are infectious, and the band is not afraid to explore various musical genres in their songs.

Now it should be noted that the band's previous work is a little more heavy and psychedelic, so perhaps they're trying to direct their sound more into the mainstream, which can be a death knell for a lot of indie bands. But this album works, and I really enjoy it. Their previous releases are good too, but in a different way (check out Censored Colors or Church Mouth to see what I mean). Below are a couple tracks from The Satanic Satanist. You may remember People Say from my Lolla post last week, I really love that song:

Portugal. The Man - People Say
Portugal. The Man - The Sun
Portugal. The Man - The Woods

The band's website
Portugal. The Man on Amazon (You can download People Say for free!)

Some acoustic goodness