May 08 2008
Portishead - Third
- Artist: Portishead
- Album: Third
- Label: Mercury
- Release: 2008
- Links: Official Site, MySpace
It was more than ten years ago that Portishead appeared on an episode of Saturday Night Live that was hosted by Sarah Michelle Gellar. I wasn’t watching for Portishead. I was in middle school and had a crush on Gellar. I barely even listened to music at the time, so I just laughed at the group’s unusual band name. Ironically, a few years later I would discover their music and purchase Dummy thanks to a friend’s recommendation. I eventually heard the self titled follow-up to Dummy and thought it was even better.
Since then, I haven’t reached for those records very often because I’ve always felt that Portishead were a band you have to be in the mood for to listen to. When I heard that they were working on a new album, their first in a decade, I kept my expectations low. I learned that the album would be titled Third and when it leaked in early March I downloaded it, but let it sit on my laptop for a few weeks.
When I finally gave the album a chance, I was impressed at how the trio were able to deliver such edgy sounds after being out of the game for so long. I proceeded to order a copy of Third and since arriving it has grown on me with each listen. Third sees Portishead making an effort to reinvent their sound by moving away from the scratching that made them the darlings of the now dated trip-hop tag during the 90’s. Despite this shift, the band sounds remarkably comfortable. Don’t worry, the band’s personality is still intact thanks to Beth Gibbons’ trademark gloom.
I am particularly impressed with instrumentalist Geoff Barrow and guitarist Adrian Utley’s contributions to Third. On the industrial hell of the intense first single “Machine Gun,” Barrow manages to incorporate a homage to the Terminator theme song, a feat that is simultaneously awesome and hilarious. While the trip-hop vibe has mostly vanished, Portishead continues to explore their jazz influences on excellent tracks such as “Magic Doors.”
Beth Gibbons’ voice has aged just a hair in the last decade, but her vocal talents are still an instrument in themself. “Nylon Smile” is classic Gibbons and her performance on “Threads” ends the album thrillingly. Comeback albums are usually either a complete mess or merely tolerable. Third is an exception though. It succeeds because Portishead have adapted their sound on their own terms. Third may not be as innovative as its two predecessors, but even after a decade-long absence, Portishead still manage to rise above most of their contemporaries by simply evolving gracefully.