Portishead's Dark Return
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There was a time when Portishead meant a sleepy dormitory town west of Bristol which fronts on to the mud-flats of the Bristol Channel. A poor man's Clevedon, but a step-up from Severn Beach. All that changed in 1994 when Portishead launched their classic debut Dummy to worldwide acclaim.
Now, if you enter 'Portishead' into Wikipedia, you don't get the town, you get the group.
Despite being so famous, Portishead couldn't exactly be described as prolific. It took them three years to follow Dummy, with 1997's Portishead. And that was it for studio albums, until now, with the April 2008 release of their eagerly anticipated third album titled err...Third.
So, what are they up to these days? Some critics have signalled that this album is a quite a departure for the band but I don't think they've strayed too far from the trademark Portishead style and sound. What they haven't done is gone all lightweight and mainstream. Beth Gibbons is still in full-on head-in-hands anguish mode and musically I think this album tends to be darker and heavier than previous material. There are a few forays into '70s style progressive rock and some nerve-jarring percussion, which may not be popular with everyone.
The album's excellent opener "Silence" has a long intro with a bit of a doom-laden repeating chord sequence. This is uplifted and driven along by an incessant driving drum riff reminiscent of the drum beat from Leftfield's "Phat Planet" (you know - the Guinness ad - horses in the waves). Then the beat drops and suddenly Gibbons, the angst queen, is back - and, as ever, she's in no mood for smiling - singing about torment, temptation, fear, loss, and emptiness.
"Hunter" essentially sounds very much like a typical Portishead song - albeit without a strong vocal hook - but with the surprise intervention of firstly a big "I Am Iron Man" guitar riff (what the ?!&$), and secondly a mini Twilight-Zone section.
Then on to "Nylon Smile", a minimalist but pulsating Portishead classic: 'I'd like to laugh at what you said, but I just can't find a smile'. Interesting jangly sounds generate an air of mystery leading to a strong chorus. Excellent stuff.
The first half of the "The Rip" is stripped back to just acoustic guitar and voice, but it's leading us to a soft electro/synth takeover which works very well. A beautifully crafted song (quite similar in style to Goldfrapp from their Seventh Tree album). Next is "Plastic", the vocals on which take me back to Dummy. But the music here is more involved with a helicopter hovering sound and cut-up drum breaks darting in and out as a prelude to a crashing guitar sound. Then on to the relentless driving force of "We Carry on". Another great Portishead track but we're not exactly in easy-listening territory here. A Joy Division-style guitar riff swoops in and the dark swirling mood intensifies and deepens. Compelling.
Suddenly, with "Deep Water" everything changes - apart from the angst (of course). It's a simple ukulele/vocal combination sounding like an American folk song complete with barber-shop-style accompaniment.
Then, on to another extreme. "Machine Gun", the first single from the album, has unforgiving thumping industrial percussion sounds throughout. I suspect that you'll either love this or hate it - no middle ground here. I first heard this track when they did it live on the Jools Holland show and I thought there was something wrong with my TV. If you're playing this album at your dinner party, some of the guests might struggle with this one!
The next track, "Small", is equally challenging but in a different way. Initially sparse but superbly atmospheric, it transforms into 1970's style progressive rock a'la Iron Butterfly, Curved Air, the Doors (at their darkest). The anthemic organ riff recalls both "In A Gadda Da Vida" (The Simpsons church-organ version especially) and also Uriah Heep's "Gypsy" (you don't hear that one very often these days). Excellent stuff, and now those dinner party guests are making peace signs and asking for the spliffs.
An annoyingly high-pitch electronic sound signifies the start of "Magic Doors" and Beth's never-ending anguish continues: 'I can't deny what I've become, I'm just emotionally undone.' Another Portishead classic.
Then the final track, the brilliant "Threads". Superbly moody atmospherics are wrought from a guitar/voice/single-note-synth combination leading to a very heavy guitar-laden (almost early-Black Sabbath) chorus.
And there you have it.
The trademark Portishead angst, moods, atmospherics are all here in abundance. But the album is certainly darker and more demanding than you might be expecting, and it's possible that some people might find the heavier industrial sounds a little off-putting.
But if you like the darker, deeper style then you'll be delighted by this compelling, brilliant album.
Despite being so famous, Portishead couldn't exactly be described as prolific. It took them three years to follow Dummy, with 1997's Portishead. And that was it for studio albums, until now, with the April 2008 release of their eagerly anticipated third album titled err...Third.
So, what are they up to these days? Some critics have signalled that this album is a quite a departure for the band but I don't think they've strayed too far from the trademark Portishead style and sound. What they haven't done is gone all lightweight and mainstream. Beth Gibbons is still in full-on head-in-hands anguish mode and musically I think this album tends to be darker and heavier than previous material. There are a few forays into '70s style progressive rock and some nerve-jarring percussion, which may not be popular with everyone.
The album's excellent opener "Silence" has a long intro with a bit of a doom-laden repeating chord sequence. This is uplifted and driven along by an incessant driving drum riff reminiscent of the drum beat from Leftfield's "Phat Planet" (you know - the Guinness ad - horses in the waves). Then the beat drops and suddenly Gibbons, the angst queen, is back - and, as ever, she's in no mood for smiling - singing about torment, temptation, fear, loss, and emptiness.
"Hunter" essentially sounds very much like a typical Portishead song - albeit without a strong vocal hook - but with the surprise intervention of firstly a big "I Am Iron Man" guitar riff (what the ?!&$), and secondly a mini Twilight-Zone section.
Then on to "Nylon Smile", a minimalist but pulsating Portishead classic: 'I'd like to laugh at what you said, but I just can't find a smile'. Interesting jangly sounds generate an air of mystery leading to a strong chorus. Excellent stuff.
The first half of the "The Rip" is stripped back to just acoustic guitar and voice, but it's leading us to a soft electro/synth takeover which works very well. A beautifully crafted song (quite similar in style to Goldfrapp from their Seventh Tree album). Next is "Plastic", the vocals on which take me back to Dummy. But the music here is more involved with a helicopter hovering sound and cut-up drum breaks darting in and out as a prelude to a crashing guitar sound. Then on to the relentless driving force of "We Carry on". Another great Portishead track but we're not exactly in easy-listening territory here. A Joy Division-style guitar riff swoops in and the dark swirling mood intensifies and deepens. Compelling.
Suddenly, with "Deep Water" everything changes - apart from the angst (of course). It's a simple ukulele/vocal combination sounding like an American folk song complete with barber-shop-style accompaniment.
Then, on to another extreme. "Machine Gun", the first single from the album, has unforgiving thumping industrial percussion sounds throughout. I suspect that you'll either love this or hate it - no middle ground here. I first heard this track when they did it live on the Jools Holland show and I thought there was something wrong with my TV. If you're playing this album at your dinner party, some of the guests might struggle with this one!
The next track, "Small", is equally challenging but in a different way. Initially sparse but superbly atmospheric, it transforms into 1970's style progressive rock a'la Iron Butterfly, Curved Air, the Doors (at their darkest). The anthemic organ riff recalls both "In A Gadda Da Vida" (The Simpsons church-organ version especially) and also Uriah Heep's "Gypsy" (you don't hear that one very often these days). Excellent stuff, and now those dinner party guests are making peace signs and asking for the spliffs.
An annoyingly high-pitch electronic sound signifies the start of "Magic Doors" and Beth's never-ending anguish continues: 'I can't deny what I've become, I'm just emotionally undone.' Another Portishead classic.
Then the final track, the brilliant "Threads". Superbly moody atmospherics are wrought from a guitar/voice/single-note-synth combination leading to a very heavy guitar-laden (almost early-Black Sabbath) chorus.
And there you have it.
The trademark Portishead angst, moods, atmospherics are all here in abundance. But the album is certainly darker and more demanding than you might be expecting, and it's possible that some people might find the heavier industrial sounds a little off-putting.
But if you like the darker, deeper style then you'll be delighted by this compelling, brilliant album.
Here Is The Writer : Lucho Payne
Lucho Payne works at UBS as an IT Consultant, and has spent the last eight years working in banking and investment management in The City. He regularly attends gigs and concerts, and his favourite venues are the Astoria, Borderline and the 100 Club. He occasionally plays guitar at various venues around town as one half of the acoustic duo "Fagan and Payne".
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