American Ghetto.

Portugal. The Man's new album came out today. (That was once sentence, not two, for anyone unfamiliar with their mid-name punctuation.) This band puts out a new record about every 8 months, they are insane. I loved the Satanic Satanist so much, and the previous two (Censored Colors and Church Mouth) are also excellent, so I had higher-than-normal expectations for American Ghetto. Here's my first impressions, track by track.

The Dead Dog - Solid opener, solid single. Pretty Satanist-esque, a little darker. Of course they released this song a week early though, so I'd already heard it and grown to love it.

Break - I'm all for ambient mid-album transition tracks, but 2nd on the CD is just kind of an awkward place for it.

60 Years - Love love the verse groove, but its melody is a direct ripoff of Work All Day. The chorus is also a bit weak.

All My People - This one kind of threw me for a loop. The intro and verses sounds like a bad 90s TRL-pop ballad. But the chorus rules. So... the jury is out. What the fuck are you doing Portugal?

1000 Years - A pleasant song, but little substance.

Fantastic Place - Could pass for a Satanist B-side. But fairly solid nonetheless. I do enjoy the WTF ending.

The Pushers Party - YES. Their groovinest (yes, groovinest) song to date, I think.

Do What We Do - Kind of a creepy ambiance, but still grooves.

Just A Fool - Shades of their earlier electronic experimentation, but still a pretty accessible song.

Some Men - Very chill. A surprising bit of pop, but its enjoyable.

When The War Ends - VERY YES. They are clearly experimenting with some different directions on this album, and they nailed it to close out the album.

Overall this is an enjoyable album if you're already a fan of the band. But it doesn't have anywhere near the accessibility of The Satanic Satanist, or even Church Mouth. And I'd venture to say Censored Colors is more adventurous. But I definitely feel like this album will grow on me.