I Am the Portuguese Blues

Last updated
I Am the Portuguese Blues
Iamtheport.jpg
Studio album by
Starflyer 59
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2004
Recorded2003 at The Black Hand
Genre Alternative rock, indie rock
Length27:27
Label Tooth & Nail
Producer Starflyer 59
Starflyer 59 chronology
Old Demos
(2003)		I Am the Portuguese Blues
(2004)		 The Last Laurel
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christianity Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Cross Rhythms Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Jesus Freak HideoutStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

I Am the Portuguese Blues is the eighth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud on bass, Frank Lenz on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums ( Silver , Gold , and Americana ). Many of the songs on I Am the Portuguese Blues were written years earlier as demos for an album to follow Americana. They were eventually scrapped, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus . The old demos were refined and combined with several new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. In regards to the title of the album, Martin, the band's frontman said,

Starflyer 59 alternative rock band from Riverside, California

Starflyer 59 is an alternative rock band from Riverside, California that was founded in 1993 by Jason Martin, brother of Ronnie Martin of Joy Electric. While Jason Martin has written nearly all of Starflyer 59's songs, the band has included a number of different musicians over the years, including Jeff Cloud, Frank Lenz, and Richard Swift. The band's sound was initially identified as an outgrowth of the shoegaze movement of the early 1990s, but the band's music has gradually evolved to the point of little resemblance to that of its early days.

Jeff Cloud is a former bass guitar player for rock band Starflyer 59. He joined the band after the album Americana had been recorded, and remained a member until after the recording of the album I Am the Portuguese Blues. From 1996 until 2002, Cloud was member of the electropop/synthpop group Joy Electric. Cloud currently fronts his own band called Pony Express and has owned and operated an independent label called Velvet Blue Music since 1996, touting bands such as Fine China, Map, and Frank Lenz.

Frank Lenz is a drummer from Southern California who has done work for many bands and artists, including Richard Swift, The Weepies, Everest, Pedro The Lion, Starflyer 59, Lassie Foundation, Duraluxe, Map, Charity Empressa, and his own solo work.

Contents

"I thought the title was odd. There are a couple of proper blues riffs‚ on there, but mainly it is just a rock and roll album – no tricks no gimmicks.... And, oh yeah, I'm Portuguese."[ citation needed ]

Track listing

All songs written by Jason Martin.

No.TitleLength
1."Wake Up Early"2:53
2."Unlucky"2:11
3."Teens in Love"2:53
4."The Big Idea"2:53
5."Worth of Labor"2:48
6."Not Funny"2:34
7."Sound on Sound"2:34
8."Destiny"2:24
9."No Revolution"3:33
10."I Need Some Help"2:44

Personnel

Jason Martin is a musician from Southern California. He is best known as a member of the indie rock band Starflyer 59, one of the first bands to sign with Tooth & Nail Records.

Aaron Sprinkle American record producer

Aaron Sprinkle is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Seattle, Washington.

Brandon Ebel is the founder, president and CEO of Tooth & Nail Records. He founded the label in 1993 in California, United States. The label has since grown to include sub-labels BEC Recordings, Solid State Records and Uprok Records. Ebel has contributed to hundreds of releases the label has put out.

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References

  1. ↑ I Am the Portuguese Blues at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "I Am the Portuguese Blues". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Review: I Am The Portuguese Blues - Starflyer 59 - Cross Rhythms". crossrhythms.co.uk. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Starflyer 59, "I Am The Portuguese Blues" Review". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
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