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Editorial Review:
Portishead's Third has been a long time coming, the result of a lengthy creative topor following 1997's dark, distinctly underrated album Portishead. Importantly, though, they've shaken it. While the core trio of Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley remains, this is quite a different band to Portishead's 90s incarnation: gone is the slo-mo turntable scratching and smoky jazz feel, replaced by heavy, brooding rhythms, vintage-sounding electronics, and spindly guitar. Still present, though, is that sense of emotional fracture and deep gloom. "Silence" opens with a dense drum loop which suddenly falls away to reveal Gibbons' voice, cold but magnificent: "Wounded and afraid, inside my head/Falling through changes". "Nylon Smile", meanwhile, is a fine example of Third's occasional folksy edge, an acoustic song reminiscent of Leonard Cohen that, around its midpoint, lifts off on a propulsive electronic rhythm, Gibbons holding one clear, hard note as synthesisers bubble beneath. At times, it's a harsh and foreboding listen: the electronic drums of "Machine Gun" might put off the listener hoping for smooth dinner party fare. But Third is a brave and forward-thinking return, and one great enough to justify its lengthy gestation. --Louis Pattison
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
THURD This record is rubbish.I was more dissapointed with this record then i was with mogwais last album mr beast(another over hyped album by a once great band).
After seeing all the five star reviews in the press i thought this record was going to be an absolute classic.Its not.The music is just cold and brittle.My advice is buy Beth gibbons solo record "out of season" instead .A thousand times better then this pap.
Anti climax. Quite simply self indulgent plop. Dissapointing after the long wait. Perhaps it would have been better to retire.
Portishead - Third I'll start this review with a) a confession and b) a confession. a) I have never heard Portishead's self-titled second album. I'll rectify this sometime soon. b) I'm somewhat wary about writing my first online music review and giving the subject the maximum score available. But, my god, this record deserves it. This is something that I've been contemplating for a while now. What makes an album great? Does every track have to be excellent? Or does it simply have to take you on a great journey?... more info
A triumph and a landmark It's interesting to see longtime Portishead fans criticising "Third". I can't help thinking that maybe the album isn't aimed at Portishead fans. As someone clueless about "trip-hop" and someone entirely new to Portishead, I can hopefully deliver a fairly impartial verdict: it's brilliant. It's bleak, it's dark (more so than any record I own), and it's not for everyone. It sounds designed for headphones (good headphones), for solitary listening. It's one of those difficult, thoughtful, artful experiences... more info
