Pop music in Portugal

Rafael Toral: Experimental guy. Saw him at Tonic in NY a couple years ago.

Don't The Parkinsons come from Portugal?

- David Fonseca - Ex-singer of one of the most popular Portuguese acts of the late 90s (Silence 4), this guy is of our best singer-songwriters, and surprised everybody by breaking with his mainstream fanbase by releasing an record influenced by 80's indie pop and the 4AD sound.

- Madredeus - One of our international stars, this band crosses the sounds of popular acoustic instruments and the "fado" approach with more contemporary styles, creating an unusual fusion of old and new that is completely theirs. You may compare them with Cocteau Twins or Durutti Column, but I don't think you'll get close enough.

- Mão Morta - Not exactly "pop", but a very good alternative band, probably our best at the moment. They exist for about 20 years now, but are still as fresh and pertinent as before. Just released a new record, based on the works of Allen Ginsberg.

- Xutos e Pontapés - As almost everyone calls them here, they're our "Rolling Stones". They're not as old (25 yrs now), but are based in a almost instantly recognizable style of rock'n'roll, and have not touched that sound for more than a decade. Biggest fanbase ever.

- Moonspell - Probably more known in Germany than in Portugal (and Siegbran can probably tell you more details about them than I), they're our best internationally known band, though their brand of heavy, black-influenced gothic metal is not exactly mainstream, so their success is never recognised at home.

Stewart: the Parkinsons are indeed from Portugal, though their drummer is English. They evolved from a band called TÉDIO BOYS, which, before breaking up, still managed to tour and release an album in the USA. After the split, each fragment of the band formed a new project, among which is the Parkinsons.

In my previous post I have committed some criminal omissions, so...:

Toranja - Great new hope. Indie guitar pop, well done. Just attended to a concert of theirs, and they evolved a lot since the last time. A lot of dynamics, good lyrics.

Gomo - Another newbie. Pure pop this time, not Britney-style but Fountains of Wayne-style. They use a tad too much of electronics, but it helps getting that artificial, bubblegum sound.

Ornatos Violeta - In my opinion, the best Portuguese band of the last years. Unfortunately, they imploded after releasing two albums, but are already a reference to the new generation (Toranja covers them live, David Fonseca has their lead guitarist on his support band). They played an intense brand of indie-pop, with manic or dense personal lyrics, and had references of everything from ska to RHCP, from the Violent Femmes (whose Gordon Gano appeared on the 2nd album) to the Smashing Pumpkins.

Blind Zero - One of the few Portuguese grunge-inspired bands that has grown up to achieve bigger things. They are now a well-known indie-inflected rock band, with a well-established fanbase.

More República Masónica - See study case above. The problem with More is that they never achieved the popularity of Blind Zero, in part because of their will to experiment. One of our most interesting indie-rock bands.

Man, I love this new David Fonseca track!

This whistle hook >>>>>>> "Young Folks"

People should discuss this song.