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Portishead - Third
Portishead have been away for around 11 years since they released their second album, if anyone is expecting them to have reinvented the wheel in that time, then Third will probably come as a major disappointment to you. Likewise if anyone is expecting the same groundbreaking trip-hop they delivered all those years ago with Dummy, then you won’t be getting it.
What they have done though is subtely developed their sound, to the point that now it sounds more like a soundtrack than ever before, less melody and heading into David Lynch territory as they spiral into a bleak and intense black hole.
The overall feel of the album is both haunting and nightmaresque, it’s not happy listening with Beth Gibbons sounding as tortured as she’s ever done, particularly on a track like The Rip which is the highlight of the album for me. A couple of the tracks do leave me a little cold like Threads that closes the album and Nylon Smile, but overall it’s a beautifully constructed album that won’t harm their legacy in the slightest.
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