Portamento
The Drums
Year: 2011
Genres: Indie pop, Surf
Descriptors: Lonely, dark, melancholic, male vocalist, anxious, autumn, LGBT, sentimental, bittersweet, romantic, somber
9/10
Vocalist Jonny Pierce and bandmates create an catchy, atmospheric, and nostalgic masterpiece that feels both inviting and alienating.
Admittedly, I may be somewhat biased, as Portameno is, without exaggeration, one of my favorite albums of all time. Part of my love for it stems from my nostalgia; growing up, my parents would play it in the car as they drove me to guitar lessons. Although I didn’t understand the album’s lyrics for a long time, I was always enamored with Jonny’s beautiful vocals, the album’s jangly guitars, and its beautiful chord progressions.
As an adult, I find myself relating to Jonny’s lyrics even more. Passages like Those days when I would sit around with you / Oh, there's nothing like it... I don't know how it ended, I don't know where you ran to / I'll always be right here (“How It Ended”) provided me great comfort throughout various heartbreaks. The album is definitely melancholic, no question about it, but it maintains undertones of compassion and forgiveness that demonstrate hope for a better future. The first track, “Book of Revelation,” provides a perfect example of these attitudes: And it's over now, you can pick yourself off the ground / 'Cause you're cool now, you're nothing like him. The more despondent and depressing lyrics on the album about relationships falling apart contrast with the catchy melodies and Jonny’s perfectly-executed vocals in a way that conveys negative emotions with a bittersweet air of hopefulness. Everything will be okay in the end.
Additionally, Jonny Pierce is publicly out as a gay man. I actually never knew this for many years, but this made me more attached to his music than I ever was before. I started listening to Portamento a lot in 2020 to comfort myself through the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this was around the time where I began to come to terms with my sexuality and embrace my attraction to men. Reframing Jonny’s lyrics through the perspective of his LGBT relationships makes them even more meaningful to me in the context of my own forgone LGBT relationships. This album has provided me so much comfort throughout my life, and I’m sure I’ll always find a lot of solace in the embrace of the album’s comforting vocals and instrumentals.
Favorite tracks:
- Book of Revelation
- Days
- Money
- How It Ended
Misses:
- Searching for Heaven
- If He Likes It Let Him Do It
