Portugal. the Man Want to be a Pop Act -- Like the Beatles, David Bowie or Tom Petty

To some, pop music is a way of life. To others, it's the dirtiest of dirty words. Portugal. the Man bassist Zachary Carothers knows which side of that fence he's on. Discussing the band's most recent release, In the Mountain in the Cloud, Carothers minced no words:

"We do want to make pop music," he told Spinner.

Not just any pop music, mind you.

"We want it to be good," he explained. "We do want to make pop music, but we want it to have substance, and art, and have meaning."

The pop music conversation arose while we discussed the Portland, Oregon band's discography as a whole, and how, over the years, their sound has become more accessible. Turns out that wasn't an accident, or a gentle mellowing that came with age and wisdom.

"We started off more prog-orientated and a little bit experimental, but it really wasn't because we were going for that," he says. "We've always been weird and artsy in some ways, but we're striving to make music that's easier to comprehend."

Many might not view In the Mountain in the Cloud as poppy at all, but it does boast a certain quality its forebears lacked. That quality is what Carothers is talking about, and also what certain longtime Portugal. the Man fans have maligned. Carothers sees what the band's doing as an attempt at carving out a spot in history. As opposed to bands who went broader to sell more records and play bigger venues, he insists Portugal. the Man's aims are honest and true.

"There are bands that you can't deny are just timeless, and that's what we're going for," he says.

Some, especially those that deride pop music, may think this shift has made songwriting easier for the band. Apparently, it's been the complete opposite.

"In the scene that we grew up in, a lot of people would say, 'I could write a three-minute-and-30-second pop song easily.' Not true. I've written seven-minute prog songs and and three-minute pop songs and [pop is] definitely harder," he says. "It's way harder, I know this. Trying to trim the fat and get your point across and everything [else] you want in that short a time is incredibly difficult. People hear the word 'pop' and they kind of brush it off as bullshit and I don't necessarily think that's the case.

"The Beatles were pop. David Bowie was pop, was weird pop. Tom Petty... all these bands that wrote unbelievably amazing songs. Bill Withers was pop. 'Ain't no Sunshine,' you wouldn't think of that as a pop song, but it is. And you believe him, you believe his lyrics, the way he presents the vocals. I don't know anyone in the world that doesn't like that song."

Portugal. the Man play Spinner AOL's free concert at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto at 8 p.m. on June 16.



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