With their breakout hit song “Feel It Still” recently being dubbed as the biggest rock crossover hit in five years, Alaskan alt-rock outfit Portugal. The Man have just announced new music video for their latest single “Live in the Moment.” The track is, like “Feel It Still,” a single off of the band’s well-received eighth full-length record, Woodstock.
Having released fantastic albums since around 2004, with albums like Waiter: “You Vultures!” and In the Mountain in the Cloud, Portugal. The Man has been enjoying some well-deserved mainstream success. “Feel It Still” had dominated the Alternative Songs chart at No. 1 for 17 weeks and even crashed the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.
Unlike the consistently funky hit track, “Live in the Moment” opens with a nice hazy synth that envelops your ears. But soon, the band gets back into gear with the head-bob inducing percussion and bassline, propelling the song into its catchy pop songwriting. In the direction of In the Mountain in the Cloud and Evil Friends, both the song and Woodstock represent a continuation of the band’s radio-friendly trajectory.
In comparison, the band doesn’t seem to be afraid of throwing fans into a bizarre, surreal scene in their new music video. Directed by Aaron Brown, the video… Well I could explain the video for you, but I don’t think I could describe it better than Erik Fahrenkopf, the creative director for the ad agency that was behind the video:
The guys from Portugal. The Man asked us to create a music video for their single “Live in the Moment.” We said, “Yes!” Then we said, “Hold on, when’s it due?” And they were like, “I don’t know; you should talk to our manager, Rich.” And Rich said, “Real soon.” We said, “What if we worked with Lance Woolen* to build a 10-foot puppet and had him ride around on a Cadillac like it was a skateboard, and then he gets chased by a 10-foot cop on top of a giant Segway?” Rich said, “I don’t know, lemme ask the band.” They said, “That sounds pretty stupid. Can we shoot it next Thursday?” We said, “How about Wednesday?” And they said, “Wednesday’s actually better.” And we said, “Let’s shoot in Portland, with a local crew. Even the stuntman.” And they said, “Stuntman?” And we said, “Yeah, we’re gonna kickflip a Cadillac.” And they said, “If we don’t total the Cadillac, can we have it?” And we said, “Of course.”
To clarify, they totaled the Cadillac. And the backup Cadillac.
Check out the video below.
Photo Credit: Pamela Lin
Leave a Comment