Did Portishead actually break up? I'm not quite sure but they haven't released anything since the excellent "PNYC" live album but that was ten years ago! Third is actually Portishead's third attempt and while reunion albums are usually quite disappointing, this one is actually amazingly good! I can't say every Portishead fan would be pleased with this because it represents a new direction for the band. Unlike the trip-hop sultryness of Dummy and Portishead, Third is actually quite dark - darker than anything the band has done before. More emphasis is based on the electronic elements and soundscapes. If previous albums showcased Beth Gibbon's crooning voice, On Third the music takes over to deliver an equal footing. Of course Beth sounds great on this, her voice darker and more tragic than ever before and all the pain and emotion really gives life to the album. There are facinating songs to be found, it's too bad the albums first couple of songs represent the weaker aspect of Third, but when the album reaches the lullaby-esque ballad "The Rip" things really take off. "We carry on" and "Machine Gun" represents the harsher side of the album , "Small" is somewhat experimental and the beautifully dark "Threads", a number reminiscent of their older stuff, closes out the album on a high note. I just can't recommend this album enough.
Check out the video for Machinegun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKm-OkHj-VM
and The Rip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPJJSCFdVd0
No comments:
Post a Comment