 | Portishead |
Portishead – Third – Mercury Records – 2008
This past week saw a return after a long absence of Portishead with the release of their third album appropriately titled “Third”. They released their previous two albums in the 90s, and were part of a group of bands that were all lumped into the area of “trip hop” or “acid jazz” around that same time. I always saw them as head and shoulders above the rest of the bands that were dubbed “trip hop” and their music certainly had more substance than a lot of those other bands, and a lot of the bands in that genre were just awful. I think those labels kind of hurt their popularity, despite two fantastic albums, but that whole movement came and went, so that isn’t really an issue anymore. Their sound back then was very mellow, chilled out kind of grooves with a very hazy, tripped out kind of feel. For this new album however, they have updated their sound to be a lot more modern and there are more kind of uptempo songs in this release than their previous records, and I think it certainly works to their advantage and they have put together what I think is a truly awesome album. The sound is not what you would expect based off of their prior albums, and is quite different, but I think it works very well.
The album starts with “Silence”, which is an absolutely great song. The driving drum beat and salty guitar hooks really show where they have changed from their previous albums. This is just a song that would not have existed on their prior albums, and kicks the record off showing the new direction they have taken. Songs like this are really where the album shines, and really embracing this different kind of sound is really its strength. The second song, “Hunted”, really is more in line with classic Portishead jams, in being a really slow mellow song, but has more of a dreamy kind of sound than older songs, and the little instrumental breaks in the song sound really awesome. “Nylon Smile” is really a great mix of the old and new sounds for the band, and while it is similar to some older songs, the instrumentation in this kind of song is what sets it apart. Whereas previously they relied heavily on record scratching and hip hop kinds of sounds in these kinds of songs, now they have really gone almost exclusively to full instrumentation, and it really works here. “The Rip” is just a straight up awesome song, and one of the best songs of the year so far for sure. It starts out with the dreamy organ sound that is a Portishead staple, with a soft acoustic guitar and Beth’s voice, but really builds into a driving jam at the end of the song. I have seen video of them playing this on Jools Holland and saw it on the Coachella webcast, and the song just rocks the way they play it live. “Plastic” is more of a traditional Portishead song in terms of the sound, but it just sounds awesome. This is the kind of song they are great at and they just nail it here. “We Carry On” is a very repetitive, driving beat kind of song that at first glance/listen is very unassuming, but it totally gets stuck in my head, and I love the shit out of it. The post-chorus breakdown is just brilliant and shows a kind of energy that the band doesn’t typically show. Great song. “Deep Water” is a nice little acoustic ukulele break in the middle of the album, a short little song that is kind of a nice breather. “Machine Gun” is a very drum/beat heavy song that is also another one of those songs that they did not have previously. Also initially unassuming, but a great song also I think. “Small” starts out as a very cool, mellow song, then progresses into a great psychedelic acid trip kind of break down song in the middle, which is always awesome, and then returns to a chilled out cello & voice section, only to have the psych out organ and guitar riffs come back in to blow it up at the end. Very well done. “Magic Doors” also has a very psychedelic kind of trippy feel to it, and is a great song also. “Threads” finishes the album with a return to a classic Portishead kind of sound, a slow dreamy jam with a great guitar hook and jazzy drums, updated with more fuzz than usual, and is a great way to end the album.
All in all, I think this album is totally incredible, and is an awesome return for this band after a long time off. It is the kind of album that may not initially grab you, but I really find myself loving it more and more as I continue to listen to it, and I think they have really hit a home run here, and this is probably my favorite album so far this year. They have done a great job of updating their sound and giving us something new, but something that is also familiar. I just really wish they would go on an actual tour of the US for the album so I could go see them. Their set at Coachella was completely awesome, and the new songs just sounded incredible live. Anyway, I think this CD will be in my rotation for quite a long time to come, because I just love it. Also, their prior albums “Dummy” and “Portishead” I highly recommend as well, in addition to their “Roseland NYC” live album. Glad to have these guys back in the scene for sure.
