Portal - July 7"
(Roison)
I was introduced to Portal's music by their association with Yellow 6,
specifically, the two-part series of split 7"s the two bands did on Awkward
Silence.
The series was a well-suited pairing as Portal and Yellow 6 are quite
similarly minded. Both consist of reverb-drenched, guitar-based ambient
songs employing simple progressions and a drum machine.
The first side of this single, "July" is beautiful, shifting, amorphous,
and brooding; it sounds pretty similar to Yellow 6. The drum machine guides
the captivating chord progression while the bass guitar gives it some much
needed definition.
Side B, "Lost" is led by a phased guitar picking a descending chord
progression while a fuzz guitar creates a thick layer to blanket the
straight-forward melody in a little ambience.
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