One look at the cover of the latest album from longtime indie favorites Starflyer 59 makes it pretty obvious that this album is a return to their 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 sidetrip 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.

— loconotion