Customer Reviews

Church Mouth

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I usually waste time and energy by going into full blown, overly descriptive reviews about albums that probably don't get read by most anyway, but I am posting this review in response to the unfair negative response this album is garnering.

No doubt this album is a huge departure from "Vultures", but I am starting to wonder if Portugal fans realize that bands cannot release their favorite album over and over again; save that for the trash that is let onto the radio and TV. Church Mouth has a fuller rock sound than the first album, and at times can remind me of something along the lines of White Stripes or an older school blues sound, but still has the Portugal melodic edge to it. This album plays a lot in the same way the first album did, and each track is incredibly diverse.

"Bellies Are Full" would've sounded at home on 2003's "Elephant" while other tracks would've seemed at home on "Vultures." I can't personally decide which album I like better, and I don't care to decide either. I love both of them for much separate reasons, because I love the band. My favorites on this album would be "Sugar Cinnamon", "Telling Tellers Tell Me", "Shade", "Oh Lord", "Bellies Are Full", "The Bottom". To show the diversity of the disc further, if someone were to tell me that "The Bottom" was the new Arctic Monkeys song, I would believe them and like Arctic Monkeys a heck of a lot more.

All I am asking is to please hold the ignorant reviews towards such an innovative band that deserves more of the lime light, but won't get it because of the absolute disaster the music industry has become. Give this a chance, an extremely enjoyable listen from a band that refuses to stay grounded in one genre, as their now new released album "Censored Colors" took yet another 180 in musical direction, but I'm still on board, and I hope you'll join me.

This is, by far, my favorite album at the time. But not only that, Portugal is my favorite artist. Owning all of their albums (both on CDs and Vinyl) I can personally say this one is my favorite so far.
And since it is tip toeing on the ratings of 3.5 stars, hopefully this will give it at least the 4 stars that it rightfully deserves.
To everyone saying this doesn't sound like their previous album (Waiter: You Vultures!), you are right. But that does NOT mean in any way that you should give it a poor rating. Have you even taken the time to listen to each song and the depth in all of them...? It is so so sooo good.
This will be my favorite album for quite sometime, and I can only hope when they release their next one shortly, it will blow 'My Mind' just like Censored Colors did.

The first time I hear this album was when i saw them live a couple of weeks back. (phenomenal live, i might add.)

Church Mouth is a very good follow up album, with a fuller, bluesier sound than Vultures. Different in a sense, with a lot more intricate vocals and a great flow. It reminds me of an old 70's rock band infused with a new age sound, which Portugal pulls off seamlessly, I think.

After a few listens, i can truly say this is a very, very good album, but i still have a soft spot for Vultures...indi

This is a revelation. Portugal, the Man, as a band, has a musical balance which is rare, and quite refreshing. Few prog bands manage to put together such a varied and rich musical landscape, without attempting to shock for shock's sake.

I have to take issue with the comparison to the white stripes, though, which is as overrated a band as I can think.

My only problem (and it's a big one) is with the sound engineering on the album, which is absolutely horrendous. I hope that when the band gets the money, they get to remaster the album properly.

I'd prefer to save 5 stars for truly exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime albums, but Portugal. The Man's second full-length studio album comes about as close as one can get.

An exceptional sophomoric record, Church Mouth displays the brilliance of tracks like "Elephant" and "Tommy" from their first album with a more bluesy, mature, and complete sound.

As the first reviewer mentions, comparisons with The Mars Volta are no doubt inevitable. I found the EP It's Complicated Being a Wizard more in line with TMV's experimental, atmospheric sound, but said comparisons are not out of place here. I think Portugal is a bit more restrained than anything from Cedric and Omar et al., and it's all more condensed (3 and a half minute songs instead of 12 minutes...) but the analogy holds true.

Overall it's quite good. Can't wait to see them at El Corazon later this month. Definitely their best album to date.

Comparisons to the Mars Volta are welcome, except this time around Portugal The Man has decided not to use as much electronic interference as they did on their previous efforts. Try the concept Secret Machines has carved out with their pulse-pounding beats. It's more eratic then Secret Machines. The drumming is what carries this album into the world of psychadellic rock along with vocals that don't compare to Led Zeppelin, but easily could be mistaken for them. "Church Mouth" could have easily been a Led Zeppelin album. Indeed, this is a clever disguise... and it's good enough to listen to multiple times.

Church Mouth is weak on riffs and heavy on falsetto vocal melodies. It kind of baffles me why I've seen reviews for it in guitar magazines because the album couldn't be further from a `guitar album.' It seems that the latest trend in the music industry is to hearken back to the trippy, high pitched, funky harmonics of seventies stoner rock. Whether it's successful or not remains to be seen, but as far as Portugal the Man's take on it is concerned; as a vocalist and frontman he captures the ear, but the group itself drops the ball with no real memorable progressions. The focus is too strong on vocals.

this cd seems pretty solid as i listen to it more and more and has a more consistant high level of good songs but its still not anatomy of a ghost which if you don t have it buy the anatomy of a ghost cd because jon is amazing on that album and so is the band as far as the current band its not lack of talent by the other members of his band its just his abundant amount of talent that makes him stand out so much

More overly compensating "Guitar Hero" trash that just brings to mind maudlin alpha-male anthems you've already heard by: Led Zeppelin, White Stripes, Lenny Kravitz, ZZ Top, Soundgarden, Wolfmother, The Cult. This kind of stuff is great for your church picnic or 4-H chicken-plucking festival, but I was already yawning -- mulling over the next Amazon item to trash -- halfway through the opening abomination, "Church Mouth."

Van Halen circa Sammy Hagar has a more original take on rock 'n' roll than this hackneyed outfit's cut-and-paste stillbirth. And speaking of aborted messes, when did so much distortion pumped into the mix that it crackles become a good production trait? Not to mention the warbly, aluminum-thin tinge to the whole mix, making it feel hollow and insubstantial.

Imagine my predictable reaction upon hearing that these Joe Sixpacks are from the same town in Alaska as Sarah "Mad Dog" Palin.