One look at the cover of the latest album from longtime indie favorite Starflyer 59 makes it pretty obvious that this album is a return to its roots. With a solid off-blue color and no text, the longtime Starflyer fan is immediately reminded of the days of silver, gold, and red. Of course, those days could never be returned to in full, but Jason Martin and company make a pretty good go at it here.
I Am the Portuguese Blues is ten tracks of highly listenable rock music. The guitars are loud, the melodies are sweet, and the tunes are cranked out. The closest comparison in the realm of Starflyer is Americana, but this really isn't noise rock. It seems to mix the pop sensibilities of Old with the dark rock and roll joys of Americana. This is something new, but at the same time, singer/songwriter/guitarist Jason Martin has made it clear that this album is just a side trip for the band.
But it's quite a nice little side trip, that's to be sure. There is not one song here to skip through. This is one of the best examples of ear candy in recent history. It's fun to listen to, but it's also really good. "Wake Up Early" takes the album off to a blazing start that doesn't let up during the 27 minute ride.
27 minutes? Yeah, that's the downfall here. The music is great, but it really goes by fast. I'm pretty sure it's just as much music as most Starflyer albums include, it's just played a good bit faster. The lyrics can largely be ignored. At least so far, I haven't picked up anything that important. Honestly, this is just a rock out album. Can I pick a favorite song? I've been addicted to "Teens in Love" lately, but it is one highlight among many.
I Am the Portuguese Blues exists mostly as a guilty pleasure, but good golly is it pleasureful.
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis May 2004Reviewed by Mike LeechThere comes a time in the life of anyone who's ever heard Starflyer 59 where they realize the truth... This band is way better than everything! Better than stuffed-crust sausage pizza. Better than winning the lottery. Better than your wedding day or the birth of your first child. Way better!! I wish I could say that I came to this realization at a fairly young age--that I have grown up listening…Decapolis May 2004Reviewed by Tyler BaberSo ten years ago, when the world was young and fresh and most of this website's readers were still watching good non-anime cartoons after school, Jason Martin and co. were gearing up to release their first album, a self titled minimally packaged cd which was basically several tracks of the wall-of-noise guitar sound with 7 words per song, give or take. Much has changed over the past 10 years.…Opus 2004Reviewed by Jason MoreheadThe monochromatic covers are back! When Starflyer 59 first arrived on the scene in the mid-90s, as part of the much-needed Tooth & Nail "revolution" that took Christian music by storm, the only thing as astounding as their music (I still remember the first time "A Housewife Love Song" cleaned out my ears) was the band's album covers -- solid sheets of metallic color that immediately jumped out…The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Kevin MathewsSF59 fans disappointed with the epic stadium-rocking stance of Old and are still waiting for the fragile shoegazing Americana of Leave Here a Stranger will not be pleased with this ten-track quickie release. However, I would encourage you to scratch beneath the hard rock veneer of I Am the Portuguese Blues for you will discover that Jason Martin and company have taken the current modern rock…Similar sounding releases
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