Portugal. The Man's New Album Shish is Built on Community, Hardcore, and Portland.

"John Gourley of Portland-based Portugal. The Man has been quietly dropping heat since the mid-2000s, well before the formation of P.TM and the band's move from Wasilla, Alaska, down to Rip City. It's been all community building of some sort or another: community building with other musicians and creatives, community building between cultures and traditions, and community building with the land and its stewards."

"Though sonically not deeply akin to the music Gourley has been making since, the sound of Anatomy Of A Ghost was in lock-step with the DIY music coming out at the time-their only album, Evanescence, releasing in 2004. Easy comparisons between Gourley's vocals in this project and those of Anthony Green (The Sound of Animals Fighting, Circa Survive, etc.) can be made, as well as the band's musicality to the Mid-West emo of Braid and American Football."

"Hard pressed as one might be to hear similarities between Anatomy Of A Ghost and 2025 Portugal. The Man, it makes perfect sense that post-hardcore and emo is where Gourley came from, as is the evolution of the band's sound from their first release, 2006's Waiter: "You Vultures!", to their new album Shish. Gourley's music has always been tapped in, always of the moment-an artistic practice and philosophy that continues to keep Portugal. The Man at the vanguard of whatever it is Gourley is working"

John Gourley has released influential music since the mid-2000s. Early project Anatomy Of A Ghost featured Zachary Carothers and released Evanescence in 2004. Anatomy Of A Ghost matched DIY post-hardcore and Midwestern emo sensibilities, inviting comparisons to Anthony Green and bands like Braid and American Football. Portugal. The Man evolved from those roots through releases from 2006's Waiter: "You Vultures!" to the album Shish. Gourley's practice emphasizes community building among musicians, cultures, traditions, and land stewards. A childhood in remote Alaskan villages as the child of dogsled mushers instilled an understanding of community's life-or-death importance. The music stays tapped-in and timely.

Read at Portland Mercury