Portishead Get An Industrial Edge With "Third"
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Portishead have succeeded! When you thought they couldn’t become any more dour than they were on their two previous albums, along comes their comeback, Third. It seems they have been listening to Nine Inch Nails and industrial rock which shows up as a harder edge in their new songs. But there is no question: this album is truly great.
Portishead — multi-instrumentalist/producer Geoff Barrow, singer/writer Beth Gibbons and guitarist Adrian Utley — hit the scene back in 1994 with their debut “Dummy.” The single “Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me)” became a huge success worldwide. They were considered a major part of the electronic trip-hop genre which infused beats from hip-hop music along with down-tempo electronica. The scene was based primarily in the town of Bristol, England where Portishead formed. They took three years to release their second album, Portishead, which built upon their unique sound. Surprisingly, because Portishead doesn’t like to perform live, they came out with an amazing live concert video in 1998 called PNYC which featured the band with a full orchestra and a subsequent companion live CD later that year. Then there was a long ten-year silence, with nothing new from the band.For the most part, Third doesn’t resemble their previous releases. Almost gone is the warmth of the hip-hop beats that made their previous songs so inviting. The uniting factor here is Beth Gibbons’ voice and her dark lyrics. The single “Machine Gun” is a stark assault of rat-a-tat drum machine beats and icy cold minor chords, played on synthesizers. There is no guitar at all, no bass. The only thing that takes the chill off the industrial sound is Ms. Gibbons sad yet lithe lounge-singer crooning, and that doesn’t relieve the dark palette. Her lyrics only add to the mood: “If only I could see, return myself to me and recognize the poison in my heart. There is no other place, no one else I face. The remedy, you will agree I’ll hide from you.” It all compellingly pulls you into the song."We Carry On" Live at ATP '07:“We Carry On” is another driving “industrial strength” track. It starts with a single, rapidly pulsing keyboard note. The booming bass drum kicks in sounding like it’s in a vast cavern, joined by a tapping high hat and then a repetitive, retro Doors-style organ riff. Gibbons bursts into the song with her echoing, tortured soprano that repeats only a few notes up or down throughout. This one includes guitar, although it is quite discordant as it shrieks its initial presence with dreary chiming. Fortunately it warms up some with fiery yet haunted surf guitar as the song progresses.“Silence” starts the album off with a sample of a man speaking in Portuguese which gives way to a solitary piano chord, then pummeling, syncopated drums with a steady snare beat, and a deeply vibrating, almost fuzzy bass. The guitar kicks in with its simple, one-note, squealing guitar lick. The synthesized strings sweep in, lending a grander sound to the song. Beth begins her echoing and mournful singing at the 2:12 mark. It’s mesmerizing.Besides the harder edged songs there are some beautiful moments too. “Hunter,” “The Rip” and “Threads” are all slower paced “ballads” showcasing Beth’s gorgeous, soaring vocalizations. Both “Hunter” and “Threads” begin with sparse jazzy arrangements of guitar, drums & keyboards. But even these have some intermittent, dissonant and menacing guitar and synthesizer.
The song “Magic Doors” is probably the closest sounding to the previous incarnation of Portishead’s music. It has a funky, syncopated hip-hop snare, echoed cowbell and crashing cymbals. A huge, booming bassline accompanies them along with wheezing accordion. Gibbons intones, in her warbly style, “I can’t deny what I’ve become, I’m just emotionally undone, I can’t deny, I can’t with someone else.” About three-quarters through the song, a tortured, distorted oboe screeches out a solo. And even with that the song is the most danceable on the album.The only minor misstep is the flapper-era-style ukulele and voice number “Deep Water.” It’s simply so different from anything they’ve done before and from everything else here. Maybe it’s just the placement between the two most industrial-oriented songs on the album that causes it to seem out of place. Still, the more I’ve listened to “Deep Water,” the more endearing it has become.Surely, some fans may very well be put off by Portishead’s new direction. It certainly isn’t for everyone and I highly doubt most will be playing it for “pleasant” background music. I wonder if Portishead had as their goal to successfully be more dour than before. It is a fascinating direction nonetheless, one in which they let us know they aren’t willing to sit back on their trip-hop laurels and bask in their iconic status. Portishead have come back aggressively and are pushing the boundaries of what the trip-hop genre is about. And I am grateful they have done so.http://www.portishead.co.uk/
Portishead — multi-instrumentalist/producer Geoff Barrow, singer/writer Beth Gibbons and guitarist Adrian Utley — hit the scene back in 1994 with their debut “Dummy.” The single “Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me)” became a huge success worldwide. They were considered a major part of the electronic trip-hop genre which infused beats from hip-hop music along with down-tempo electronica. The scene was based primarily in the town of Bristol, England where Portishead formed. They took three years to release their second album, Portishead, which built upon their unique sound. Surprisingly, because Portishead doesn’t like to perform live, they came out with an amazing live concert video in 1998 called PNYC which featured the band with a full orchestra and a subsequent companion live CD later that year. Then there was a long ten-year silence, with nothing new from the band.For the most part, Third doesn’t resemble their previous releases. Almost gone is the warmth of the hip-hop beats that made their previous songs so inviting. The uniting factor here is Beth Gibbons’ voice and her dark lyrics. The single “Machine Gun” is a stark assault of rat-a-tat drum machine beats and icy cold minor chords, played on synthesizers. There is no guitar at all, no bass. The only thing that takes the chill off the industrial sound is Ms. Gibbons sad yet lithe lounge-singer crooning, and that doesn’t relieve the dark palette. Her lyrics only add to the mood: “If only I could see, return myself to me and recognize the poison in my heart. There is no other place, no one else I face. The remedy, you will agree I’ll hide from you.” It all compellingly pulls you into the song."We Carry On" Live at ATP '07:“We Carry On” is another driving “industrial strength” track. It starts with a single, rapidly pulsing keyboard note. The booming bass drum kicks in sounding like it’s in a vast cavern, joined by a tapping high hat and then a repetitive, retro Doors-style organ riff. Gibbons bursts into the song with her echoing, tortured soprano that repeats only a few notes up or down throughout. This one includes guitar, although it is quite discordant as it shrieks its initial presence with dreary chiming. Fortunately it warms up some with fiery yet haunted surf guitar as the song progresses.“Silence” starts the album off with a sample of a man speaking in Portuguese which gives way to a solitary piano chord, then pummeling, syncopated drums with a steady snare beat, and a deeply vibrating, almost fuzzy bass. The guitar kicks in with its simple, one-note, squealing guitar lick. The synthesized strings sweep in, lending a grander sound to the song. Beth begins her echoing and mournful singing at the 2:12 mark. It’s mesmerizing.Besides the harder edged songs there are some beautiful moments too. “Hunter,” “The Rip” and “Threads” are all slower paced “ballads” showcasing Beth’s gorgeous, soaring vocalizations. Both “Hunter” and “Threads” begin with sparse jazzy arrangements of guitar, drums & keyboards. But even these have some intermittent, dissonant and menacing guitar and synthesizer.The song “Magic Doors” is probably the closest sounding to the previous incarnation of Portishead’s music. It has a funky, syncopated hip-hop snare, echoed cowbell and crashing cymbals. A huge, booming bassline accompanies them along with wheezing accordion. Gibbons intones, in her warbly style, “I can’t deny what I’ve become, I’m just emotionally undone, I can’t deny, I can’t with someone else.” About three-quarters through the song, a tortured, distorted oboe screeches out a solo. And even with that the song is the most danceable on the album.The only minor misstep is the flapper-era-style ukulele and voice number “Deep Water.” It’s simply so different from anything they’ve done before and from everything else here. Maybe it’s just the placement between the two most industrial-oriented songs on the album that causes it to seem out of place. Still, the more I’ve listened to “Deep Water,” the more endearing it has become.Surely, some fans may very well be put off by Portishead’s new direction. It certainly isn’t for everyone and I highly doubt most will be playing it for “pleasant” background music. I wonder if Portishead had as their goal to successfully be more dour than before. It is a fascinating direction nonetheless, one in which they let us know they aren’t willing to sit back on their trip-hop laurels and bask in their iconic status. Portishead have come back aggressively and are pushing the boundaries of what the trip-hop genre is about. And I am grateful they have done so.http://www.portishead.co.uk/
Comments (37)
i remember reading this when you 1st posted it, but i guess i forgot to comment on it. fabulous review, you echo most of my sentiments about the album (or i echo yours, i suppose).
i just love the gritty lo-fi sound of the recording and simply adore Beth's voice on Third. even more-so than previous releases. just goes to show, there's plenty of new horizons left to be explored, even after 10 years in the biz!
Thanks Molli, glad you enjoyed it. Yea it is amazing how some artists are able to surprise after a good length of time in the biz. I love the industrial sounds they conjured up on these new songs. And Beth's voice continues to have that wonderful je nais se quoi to it. I still have this album on my mp3 player since I acquired it late last spring, I love it so.