Sin necesidad de campaña publicitaria, sacaron a la luz el single Glory Box, que les catapultó de inmediato a la difícil barrera de los grupos de culto. Después de publicar un segundo disco homónimo (en el que por cierto estaba All mine, incluída nada menos que en una de James Bond), decidieron grabar sus mejores canciones en directo y a lo grande, acompañados de una orquesta. Elegid un sinónimo de impresionante y ese será el resultado de ese concierto que terminaría finalmente siendo publicado en DVD.

¿La esencia del trip-hop? Es mejor que lo comprobéis por vosotros mismos:

Massive Attack - Teardrop en directo, incluida recientemente en una popular serie con un médico drogadicto.

Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy

Portishead - Roads, una pequeña muestra del concierto de Nueva York

Poucos fãs poderiam esperar dois álbuns do Portishead no mesmo ano, mas os músicos revelaram que isso pode acontecer em 2008. Menos de três meses depois do lançamento de "Third", terceiro álbum da banda, os ingleses anunciaram planos de lançar um novo disco no fim do ano.

Em entrevista à uma rádio da BBC, o guitarrista Adrian Utley revelou que os fãs não vão ter que esperar tanto tempo por um novo trabalho da banda. O intervalo entre o lançamento do segundo álbum, "Portishead", e "Third" tinha sido de onze anos.

Em maio, o produtor/instrumentista do Portishead, Geoff Barrow, escreveu no blog da banda que o trio estava animado para gravar novas canções. Por causa desse trabalho, o grupo de art rock encurtou a turnê do terceiro disco.

"Começamos a discutir isso outro dia e fizemos um planejamento. Todos nós vamos trabalhar. Nós terminamos a nossa turnê para esse ano por causa de todas essas coisas que queremos fazer", disse Utley.

GERARDO SANZ (La Luna de Metrópoli) / El mundo, 25/04/2008

Diez años de sequía creativa y el éxito mundial del 'trip hop' no acabaron con Portishead, que publica por fin su tercer CD, uno de los discos 'indies' más esperados.

Morir de éxito es una manera bien ridícula de perder la vida. Sin embargo, el cementerio del pop rebosa de artistas sepultados en la efímera gloria de quien comprende demasiado tarde que la felicidad no consiste en obtener lo que se ansía sino en disfrutar lo que se obtiene.

Responsable de dos referencias clave de los años 90, 'Dummy' (1994) y 'Portishead' (1997), Portishead estuvo muy cerca de acabar a dos metros bajo tierra. 'Third' (08), su primer álbum en diez años, demuestra que Geoff Barrow (Somerset, 1971), Adrian Utley (Bristol, 1957) y Beth Gibbons (Devon, 1965) han superado el trance: el personal y también el creativo, trascendiendo los confines de un sonido híbrido de melismas 'soul', bases 'hip hop' y atmósferas cinematográficas que la moda, el remedo y la costumbre transformaron en convención.

"Lo peor del 'trip hop' fue que alguien encontrara las palabras y les diera carta de naturaleza, acuñando una etiqueta que metía en el mismo saco a un 'punk' como Tricky y a una fantástica banda de 'brit-soul' como Massive Attack", explica Barrow en una entrevista concedida a La Luna de Metrópoli. "No obstante, la única razón por la que hemos permanecido tanto tiempo callados es nuestra incapacidad para dar con un repertorio que nos complaciera. Nada tiene que ver con la pereza o las ganas de seguir adelante; de hecho, lo intentamos dos veces y la chispa no prendió".

Aunque insiste en que Portishead nunca se separaron oficialmente, a Barrow no le duelen prendas en afirmar que, a lo largo de la última década, su existencia se convirtió en un jaque perpetuo. El cerebro del grupo (siendo Utley el corazón y Gibbons el alma) lo escribió en su blog, comparando el parto del que será su tercer disco de estudio con un capítulo de Perdidos. En sus propias palabras, "un viaje interminable con muy pocas respuestas" que comienza tras la grabación del deslumbrante directo orquestal Roseland NYC Live (98).

"Pasamos de actuar en salones de té a tocar delante de 50.000 personas, erigidos en atracción del circo festivalero. La salud de Beth se resintió y nos vimos obligados a cancelar las últimas fechas de la gira. Cuando volvimos a casa, éramos juguetes rotos. Mi relación se había ido al garete, estaba emocionalmente destrozado y no quise saber nada de la música durante dos años. Necesitábamos parar y nos tomamos un respiro hasta que, en 2001, recién publicadas las bandas sonoras de 'Accelerator' (1999) y 'Signs & Wonders' (2000), Adrian se vino a Australia para olvidar su divorcio trabajando conmigo".

Durante siete semanas de intenso codo a codo, el trío de Bristol recuperó sus constantes. Y, aunque Utley regresó a Inglaterra para ultimar los detalles de 'Out Of Season' (2002), el brillante debut de Beth Gibbons junto a Rustin' Man (seudónimo del ex bajista de Talk Talk Paul Webb), su futuro prometía. Un espejismo, porque de aquellas estériles sesiones de estudio no quedó ni el rastro: devaneos instrumentales sin 'punch' que, pese a algunos hallazgos estructurales, posponían 'sine die' su ansiada cita con la inspiración. 24 meses después, la segunda reunión fructificaba y, con su estructura de 'torch-song', su dramática trama percutida y su interludio 'free-jazz', 'Magic Doors' señalaba la divisoria entre el ayer de Portishead y su posible mañana.

Hoy, el cerebro de Portishead sonríe. Sabe que las circunstancias que rodean la gestación de 'Third' pueden eclipsar su contenido y no parece importarle. Confía en la seguridad de la cumbre 'Silver Apples-Joy Division' que ilustra 'We Carry On', en la puntería clásica de 'Hunter' y en el indudable poder de seducción de 'The Rip', un quejido 'folk' singularmente traspasado de 'krautrock' electrónico. Apostado en una descarnada honestidad, Geoff Barrow ha ganado algunos kilos pero se ha quitado un enorme peso de encima.

Pregunta.- Las rutinas de la producción y el consumo de música han variado mucho a lo largo de los últimos diez años. ¿Han cambiado también las de Portishead?

Respuesta.- En absoluto. Lo que nos lleva a escuchar y, sobre todo, a componer son las mismas emociones, las mismas frustraciones y la misma angustia. Evidentemente, la industria está en crisis, pero nosotros jamás nos hemos considerado parte de ella.

P.- Si 'Dummy' no hubiera vendido tanto, ¿habrían sobrevivido sin publicar?

R.- Claro que no. Estaría currando de albañil pero seguiría conectado. El éxito nos ha dado libertad de movimiento y margen de maniobra para dedicar al nuevo álbum el tiempo preciso.

p.- En algún momento de este largo paréntesis, ¿llegó a sentirse prisionero?

R.- Sí, pero no tanto de las expectativas como de las limitaciones de la producción 'hip hop'. Cuando un género que amas queda absorbido por la música comercial, experimentas un tremendo vacío. Esperé y esperé a que otros sonidos me atraparan, leí un montón y tuve una idea de bombero: fundar un sello, Invada Records, que me permitió descubrir un montón de propuestas en las antípodas de la radiofórmula, las estrategias de márketing y los clubes para ejecutivos. Un día, viendo en directo a Gonga, una banda de 'doom-metal' que acabábamos de fichar, mi cabeza hizo un clic: percibí una dureza casi redentora, un imparable flujo de energía y, sobre todo, la voluntad de hacer algo distinto. Es decir, lo que, en su día, percibí en Public Enemy y lo que, últimamente, percibo en grupos como Silver Apples, Can, OM o Sunn O))).

P.- Es decir que, mientras el 'drum’n’bass', el 'grime' o el 'dubstep' surgían en Reino Unido, usted se movía en dirección contraria...

R.- Nunca lo había contemplado desde esa perspectiva pero te juro que escuché soul hasta que se me cerraron las orejas. Por un lado, detecto una evidente influencia de James Brown en el 'krautrock'. Y, por otro, los breakbeats de la música de baile programada no me interesan en absoluto. Admiro a Madlib y a The Neptunes por haber restituido mi fe en el rap, pero estoy seguro de que, en lugar de pagar una recompensa por la tecnología, hay que tirarla por la ventana: ¡paso de los ordenadores portátiles! Prefiero trabajar con 24 pistas que con 100, precisamente, porque me obliga a decidir. Ten en cuenta que, antes de que Run DMC se cruzaran en mi camino, yo aporreaba la batería en un pésimo grupo de rock. El concepto del ritmo en el marco de una preciosa canción ha hecho de mí lo que soy.

P.- Durante la concepción de 'Third', ¿primaron las texturas sobre las canciones?

R.- No. Beth trajo la mayoría de las melodías y se trabajaron de dos maneras distintas: como antes, es decir, con guitarra, 'sampler' y voz; y como ahora, incorporando teclados, 'beats', batería, ruidos. Ella tiene un don especial para interpretar armonías comerciales, signifique eso lo que signifique, desde extremos nada convencionales. Hay mucha tradición en este disco, pero enrarecida.

P.- Casi pervertida, ¿no?

R.- En los anteriores usamos muchos cambios de acordes menores y, honestamente, ya no podíamos hacer más. Así que miramos los temas desde otro ángulo. A Beth le gusta provocar: si tocamos demasiado normal, y puedes apostar a que no es la tónica habitual, nos empuja al borde del precipicio. Le apasiona llevarnos al límite.

P.- Aunque Dummy sorprendió por el sonido, ha pasado a la historia gracias al repertorio. ¿También sucederá con Third?

R.- No creo. Las canciones están ahí y tienen todo el potencial para llegar a mucha gente pero, tal y como está hoy el mundo, me pregunto si se molestarán en encontrarlo.

P.- Tras dos tentativas fallidas de grabar este álbum, ¿no pensó que se le iba la mano con la autocrítica?

R.- Hubo una tercera porque interrumpimos la segunda para producir 'The Invisible Invasión', de The Coral. En 2006, nos reunimos con la compañía y con la editorial. Les enseñamos siete cortes y, como les encantaron, nos comprometimos a entregar otros dos en un par de meses. Nos esforzamos mucho, la verdad, aunque, un año después, sólo teníamos seis: ¡uno menos y sin parar de sudar! Ni yo mismo lo entiendo.

P.- ¿Cuándo fijaron la fecha de lanzamiento?

R.- Tengo un hijo, Rodney, de tres años y una hija, Leah, de 13 meses: fue en algún momento entre el nacimiento de ambos. Llevo todo ese tiempo sin dormir, así que no te lo puedo decir con certeza... No, en serio, nos alucina que el público siga pendiente de nuestra evolución y continúe acudiendo a los conciertos. Estamos donde queremos estar y nos sobran motivos de orgullo.

P.- Aparte de actuar en directo, en diciembre comisariaron la última edición del festival All Tomorrow’s Parties. ¿Cómo valora aquélla experiencia?

R.- Probablemente, ha sido lo mejor que he hecho en mi vida. De todas las bandas con que las que contactamos sólo faltaron Public Enemy y Dick Dale. Los organizadores aman la buena música y se nota: no quisiera parecer elitista pero el ambiente es extraordinario.

P.- ¿Y qué pasará en Primavera Sound?

R.- Tengo entendido que actuamos en dos escenarios diferentes. Espero que eso no implique dos repertorios diferentes...

---

Portishead | El disco 'Third' sale a la venta el lunes 28 | Conciertos: Jueves 29 y viernes 30 de mayo en Barcelona (Primavera Sound)

.....

In a way, Portishead are the music industry's time capsule, coming off of such a long, self-imposed hiatus that they have shared their creations with a music industry that barely resembles that of 1997, the year of the band's last, self-titled studio album. Despite being a group known for their reluctance at being in the public eye -- Gibbons refuses all media requests -- the band has had some interesting things to say about the changing landscape of music in recent interviews.

When their new album leaked to a number of bit torrent and file-sharing programs in early March, the band was quick to voice their displeasure, and their record label, Island, was quick to shut down the efforts. "We're definitely pissed about it," said guitarist Adrian Utley to MTV News. "But I suppose there's nothing you can do about it. You can only hope that it's not going to fuck everything up for you, because I think, in this world, there are downloaders and people who buy. I don't know if you can convince downloaders to buy. If we don't sell records, we can't make any more records. We're just not rich people."

Though this response to the changing landscape of leaking albums is common among many musicians, it is a stark contrast to less-established acts, many of whom also voice a certain degree of frustration over losing funds, but also appreciate the increase in buzz that it provides by more efficiently meeting customer demands. Frustration with the "old-fashioned, out of date, suffering entity” was emphasized by Nick Thorburn, of Islands, in an interview in the UW student paper, the Badger Herald previewing their show on campus earlier this month. “It’s basically people wanted to hear the record, and we weren’t able to meet the demand (sigh) and get it out to people in time and, you know. The record industry is a little slow to adjust, I think, but… We had a deadline for when the record was gonna be released, and we’re adhering to that deadline. So, the people who wanna listen to it before that, I guess, have that choice now. It’s inevitable.

In addition to the growing proliferation of music piracy post-Napster, Gibbons and company have also entered unfamiliar territory in terms of the blogosphere of amateur and recreational music reviewers -- an entirely new force to reckon with, in addition to the already vast array of music journalists in traditional media. Just a quick search of the Google Blogs database for "Portishead Third" wielded over 12,000 results -- 12,000 self-anointed music critics and dedicated music fans. Now, thousands of reviews can be written by bloggers on leaked tracks; establishing a reputation for the album before it even hits record stores, a trend which comes with many pros and cons.

Portishead also bring with them an interesting perspective on touring, often the center focus for recording musicians. Recent interviews have hinted at a certain sense of burnout among the band, even after the long hiatus, as the group's recent blog-approved Coachella performance will reportedly be their only U.S. appearance of the year. "There’s nothing mysterious or sinister about it. We just don’t want to keep touring forever," said Utley in a recent New York Magazine interview. "The more touring you do, the more it informs your music, but it can also kind of thrash the fuck out of you so you don’t really want to see anybody else in the band ever again.

"To us it seems fucking ridiculous," continued Geoff Barrow. "We want to do something creative and interesting, but really, when you play live, you actually just end up on the same stage as fucking Limp Bizkit ... You just keep thinking, What the fuck are we doing that for? Even more so now that we’re playing Coachella, in the middle of the fucking desert with loads and loads of people, and Prince after us. What the fuck are we doing that for?"

And what could this all mean for the future? How much longer will established musicians find it personally and economically rewarding to extensively tour outside of festivals? With the growing impact of blogs and album leaks, how much longer will albums be released in tangible forms at all? Are Portishead just being pretentious Brits? Comment with your thoughts.

--Joe Erbentraut, True Endeavors Communications and Public Relations Intern

I am extremely impressed with Portishead's willingness to return to their trade after a ten year hiatus. It can't be easy to get back into the swing of things, but with all of their live performances running back to their curation of last year's All Tomorrow's Parties to the release of this album, Portishead have proved that they haven't lost their steam and they are still a staple of their genre.

On the first listen, two songs stood out to me especially, The Rip and Deep Water. Both songs have major tonalities and feature acoustic guitars. What this immediately reminded me of was the tenderness of It Could Be Sweet from the bands debut album, Dummy, although lyrically these songs are still dismal enough to be characteristic of Beth Gibbons' style while It Could Be Sweet was a unique departure. The Rip showcases simple acoustic arpeggios before it transitions smoothly into a steady rhythm, with the same arpeggios played with a synthesizer. Deep Water is equally as tender and lovely. The song is a simple ukulele strum played over some of Gibbons' most touching lyrics to date. There is no rhythm, just a fleeting minute and a half of grace and joy.

And then, those dirty little rascals, they use the innocence of Deep Water to highlight the deep contrast of emotions that this album showcases by exploding into its polar opposite. Right when you closed your eyes and fall asleep on the island surrounded by deep water, a B-52 with a giant "P" painted on the side nukes it. Machine Gun is as rhythmically catchy as the band has ever been. It is horny and bass heavy to the point that it is disturbing. Machine Gun is excellent, as it goes back to the vibe of Dummy by succeeding in being tragic as well as sexy, yet this time bare in comparison to the intricate dressings that might be found on the self titled album. A juggernaut of a single, with one hell of a scope.

If that self titled album could be considered a pinpointed rifle shot, Third is a spread from a sawed off shotgun. The years of preparation pay off with a slew of ideas that are successfully pursued throughout. A brutal waltz, gentle elegies, and disorganized shards of emotion are spread throughout the album, yet have several unifying elements. One of them is that they are designed to surprise with various extremes of different musical dimensions. Another is that most have booming bass tones.

The most important element, however, is Beth Gibbons' vocals. Beth has always been the centerpiece of the music. Make no mistake, the group would be nothing without any one of its members. Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley have crafted music that is exciting and effective, but Beth is half of the puzzle. She has progressed stylistically as well. The self titled featured quite violent, wicked vocal performances. Those on Third are instead fragile, withering, and wispy. A defining moment on the album is near the end of the final track, Threads, where her voice seems to meld with the music. It is hard to say whether the sound is actually her, a synthesizer, a horn, or a guitar, so much as a pulsating body of sound. Then, percussion takes over just as the vocals reach their most expressive projection. We hear her fade out and periodic violent geysers of sound take over, separated by silence. Communication is clearly not an issue with the members of Portishead.

Portishead's sense of danger and sexual tension finds new ground on Third. Some songs are left deceptively simple and bare, and others are haunted by instruments the band has never used before. In general, Third is dressed down compared to s/t's dense soundscapes, making the pieces less detailed but more poignant. There are many surprises to be found here. Songs unravel themselves slowly, like on the previous two albums, but it becomes obvious that this album is much less lackluster than it seems at first listen, and it is really more organized, complex, and engaging than either of the preceding albums. Third is, like the other two Portishead albums, a sexy, hip, dark masterpiece, and it completes a triad of excellence.

Na last.fm pojawiły się wszystkie utwory z najnowszego albumu Portisheada pt. Third. Można ich za zupełne darmo posłuchać w całości, a następnie kupić jeżeli komuś przyjdzie ochota. Na recenzję płyty przyjdzie czas później, bo osobiście właśnie się w niego wsłuchuje. Zapowiada się nieźle, bardziej psychodelicznie niż Dummy, ale na swój sposób intrygująco. Mocno nastrojowo na pewno. Więcej refleksji na temat Third w dalszej części wpisu, a sama płyta do posłuchania pod tym adresem.

Zgodnie z zapowiedziami, w nowej odsłonie muzycy Portishead zdecydowali odejść od romantycznych melodii rodem z poprzedniej płyty. Third to o wiele bardziej zróżnicowany materiał. Więcej tutaj żywych instrumentów i elektronicznych efektów, a mniej kojarzonych z hip hopem dźwięków i bitów. Wydaje się, że jest też trudniejszy w odbiorze i po jednym przesłuchaniu kawałków trudno się je kojarzy, nie zapadają w pamięć od razu. Mają jednak swój niepokojący klimat, który urzeka nawet w słoneczny kwietniowy ranek. Nie wiedzieć czemu, pod wpływem nowej odsłony głosu Beth Gibbons i nowych melodii łapię się na skojarzeniach z dokonaniami Bjork.

Mimo dość chaotycznego charakteru powyższych impresji i niepewnego póki co stanowiska, Third mogę spokojnie polecić chociażby do przesłuchania. W końcu, nikogo nic to nie kosztuje. Bardziej skonsolidowana opinia z mojej strony być może niedługo zawita na tym blogu.

The Measure for Measure blog on the art of songwriting continues with Darrell Brown.

The Guardian interviews the premium baller currently playing and maybe, just maybe, the new Michael Jordan, LeBron James.

Acid-house survivors relay their tales.

Andrew Kuo creates a chart to explain his enjoyment of The Boredoms.

Here's an interview with Gervais.

The Boss came out for Barack this week.

Bob Forster donates a loving tribute to his songwriting soulmate, the late Grant McLennan.

Pitchfork highlights a few new indie hip hop records that almost escaped its radar.

Robert Greenwald portrays the attack being made on Iran by, who else, Fox News.

Colbert serenades Mrs Obama.

Metal fandom with John Darnielle.

Also from PopMatters the post-masterpiece malaise which impaced The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Sasha Frere-Jones shows the love for Portishead's Third.

I also want to point you folks to Pitchfork TV which really is darn tootin' good.

Back in what I guess would have been 1995, I watched, on TV, a live performance of the band at Glastonbury, and ever since then I've always wanted to see them in person. Fate, however, was not on my side. First geography was my enemy as they rarely performed outside of the capital or Bristol or places even further away for my non-driving 16 year old self. Then, in 1998 I was given a glimmer of what I was missing out on, when they released Roseland NYC Live, a beautiful album of the band performing with an orchestra. Then... nothing. They disappeared of the face of the planet, and I really thought that I was never going to get the chance to see them ever.

Now, almost a decade later, after the should-I-really-believe-it experience of hearing about the formation of the triumphant and spectacular Third, I have at last achieved my goal and seen them live. You'd have thought that 12 years worth of anticipation would have made it rather difficult for them to live up to my self-created hype, but they gave me everything I wanted and more.

Firstly, Beth seems remarkably shy, and appears to have posture problems, or perhaps no neck, but her performance was absolutely electric. She generally spends time when she's not performing with her back to the audience watching the rest of the band, and frankly I can't blame her for that - they're an intriguing bunch. Creating the sounds that they do with a couple of percussionists (with one doubling as a DJ), a keyboard player, bassist and guitarist is phenomenal. Despite Beth's shyness, she did pop into the crowd near the end to shake the hands of the front row and seemed (as far as one can tell) actually rather moved by the reaction the crowd gave throughout.

The setlist was very Third-heavy, which suited me, the rest of the tracks being the obvious ones of Dummy (Roads, Mysterons, Glory Box et al). I have to say that I don't think I noticed anything from their second album at all, but I could be wrong.

It was a beautiful night, finishing with the two tracks I was hoping for most, Roads and We Carry On, and frankly I don't think the gig could have been much more special. One of my favourite bands performing two of my favourite albums in my favourite venue. Wow.

Barrow añade que siempre se "han apartado de lo convencional" y habla de la inexistencia del trip-hop como estilo musical. Fue una etiqueta. Aglutinó grupos tan diferentes como Tricky, Massive Attack, y Portishead. Si queremos clasificar este movimiento musical sería más correcto hablar de Sonido Bristol, ya que todas estas bandas tienen origen en esta ciudad inglesa o sus alrededores. A veces las etiquetas encorsetan más de lo que deberían. No sería justo hablar de Trip-Hop cuando los mismos artistas lo están negando. Con palabras y musicalmente hablando.

¿Es correcto clasificar hoy en día a los grupos por estilos? La globalización e Internet permite que la música llegue en un periodo de tiempo muy corto a lugares muy lejanos. Muchos grupos beben de estilos muy diferentes. Portishead es un ejemplo. ¿Hemos extenuado ya las clasificaciones y los estilos clásicos se han acabado? Sería correcto un replaneteamiento de la denominación de muchos otros estilos, como por ejemplo el Grunge. Muchos expertos lo clasifican como sonido Seattle. Este es otro ejemplo. Presentamos una de las bandas más influyentes de los noventa que ha realizado en pleno siglo XXI un giro de 180º. Pasa de la electrónica a ritmos más rockeros y experimentales. Después de Dummy (1994) Y Portishead (1997) llega Third.

Después de atravesar unos años difíciles, con el nuevo milenio llegaron rumores de desintegración, un disco en solitario de la cantante Beth Gibbons, Out of season (2003) y el nuevo sello discográfico de Barrow. Pero los rumores no se cumplieron jamás y han vuelto. Diez años de trabajo y tres intentos de gravación ha costado este disco. Todo un acontecimiento para aquellos que puedan disfrutar del directo de esta mítica banda en el Primavera sound el próximo 29 de mayo.

Oriol Fernández Rodríguez

REM songs this week folks.

Pitchfork reviews the new REM. Doesn't hate it.

The AV Club has a list of fictional drugs.

Viral marketing is hurting girls who are actually called Sarah Marshall.

Take a tour of Scranton's office.

James Wood comments on the art of Richard Price's prose.

The BBC interviewed Goodfellas-basis Henry Hill recently.

Entertainment Weekly list the twenty scariest movies ever.

Liz Phair is reissuing Exile In Guyville.

The Hold Steady are profiled on PopMatters.

Jezebel asks what the least mood-inducing books are?

The debate on Michael Haneke continues.

The Guardian comments on 'Rickrolling'.

Nickelodeon is gearing up to challenge High School Musical.

Diablo Cody's comedy pilot is moving closer to probable.

The final trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV is available.

The Killers will headline Reading and Leeds.

Portishead are planning another record after Third.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin play a session for Daytrotter.

Kiefer Sutherland is to direct the new Feeling video.

Bjork still mental artistic genius!

Portishead
Third
April 28th 2008
Island Records

After a decade-long hiatus, Portishead will release their third record in late April. I was very glad to have had the chance to listen to their new material. At first I wasn’t won over. I went back and listened to 1994’s Dummy and 1997’s self-titled release to contrast where this band has come from with where they are going. It occurred to me that when everyone was listing to Portishead in the States back in 96-97, the band bridged many genres. Their fan base was rooted in so called trip-hop, but had cross-overs from house, goth-industrial, psychedelia, hip-hop, fem-rock, and of course the precocious indie-kid prototypes. You had Alanis Morissette lovers coolly bobbing their head to the beat while standing next to dudes named Wraith with eyeliner and facial tattoos. Portishead had cast a wide net when attracting fans.

When speaking of Portishead, suits working in Manhattan have exclaimed, “Ah yeah, I remember them. I love them.” When listening to their new genre bending concoction Third, remember their predicament in reclaiming an audience. Fond memories aside, can Portishead produce anything relevant to reverse their fans’ genre dispersal or attract new listeners who may not have been around for their first two records? Portishead has answered with a resounding yes.

Third opens with a series of tracks that remind us of their dark experimental heritage. Silence, Hunter, and Nylon Smile are in the best sense traditional Portishead, albeit without the emphasized vinyl mixing. No where on this record will you find the turntable scratching of Western Eyes or Only You. Clearly Portishead is not trying to recapture elements of their past. The lyrics are depressed and relaxed, sexy and sad, and in true form this relaxation is not brought on by contentment or happiness, rather it sounds opiate induced. It conjures the image of a dim room with the yellow haze of a poppy parlor. Hunter would be a great song to accompany the opening credits of a modern 007 film.

Rip begins the next series of songs on the record that emphatically asserts Portishead’s attention to modern music trends. A simple acoustic guitar track transforms and builds into a song layered by Nintendo quality synthetic melodies and a straightforward beat. Plastic follows, reintroducing their DJ aspect, but with a decidedly electronic component. The beat and melody line from We Carry On oddly enough seems like something right out of Trent Reznor’s library. Not to suggest that they have become derivative or unoriginal. Conversely, this only highlights the changes in texture and instrumentation that Portishead have made. The series ends with a beautiful track called Deep Water that lasts all of 1:39. It is the musical antithesis of what has come to be expected from Portishead, yet it strongly maintains their aura with the sensuous voice of Beth Gibbons, a ukulele, and the faint backup vocals that hum like a distant steam engine whistle.

Portishead has made an exceptional record that is unconstrained. Earlier records attracted a large following utilizing a relatively consistent and unique formula. Portishead was Portishead. As mentioned earlier, they attracted listeners from a variety of musical subgroups, but they operated within a fairly rigid structure that defined their unique style. Ten years later they have offered a record that is unabashedly multifocal and multimodal. Look out for juxtapositions like the industrial electronics of Machine Gun and the psychedelia of Small, two songs from the latter half of the record. It is this exhibition of range that makes their new music so sweet. Portishead has engaged their audiences outside of their standard form without pandering or over extending their vast talent.

7/9

http://www.portishead.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/portisheadalbum3

Other Music
Dummy- 1994
Portishead- 1997
Roseland NYC Live- 1998

During the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Minehead England in December 2007, Portishead played their first full live set in 10 years, featuring five new songs - "Hunter", "Machine Gun", "Wicca" (retitled as "Silence") "Mystic" (retitled as "The Rip") and "Peaches" (retitled as "We Carry On") which appear on Third.The album was leaked onto torrent sites in its entirety and in high quality (320kbps). I've listening to the album during most of the day while a winter storm furiously beats down snowfall and searing winds. It's haunting, incredible, modern, dark and moody. Beth Gibbons' haunting voice still evokes incredible emotions.

I've got no idea why Third was leaked onto the internet. Millions of fans are waiting for this album. It will be a success. It will go quadruple platinum. Portishead will go on another whirlwind tour of the world, playing to sold out venues and stadiums all over the place. Gibbons, Barrow and Utley came out with a masterpiece. I didn't know what to expect when I got this album. I've started listening to Tricky and the old trip-hop crew once more.

This takes me back to March 1998 when I saw Portishead live in Montreal, Canada. I couldn't get tickets and paid 50$ for scalped tickets. It was well worth the money and I enjoyed an incredible show. I remember that they were playing two nights in a row. I almost went to the second show, but in the end decided against it. That year, I saw Tricky, Björk, Blur, Prodigy and a whole bunch of others.

For a band that defined the trip-hop genre when it started in Bristol, this album is hard to categorize. One thing that I've learned with my eclectic music tastes is to stop trying to do this. Anyone who enjoyed Portishead in the past will enjoy this album.

This album incorporates a lot of samples and synthesizers which might put off some fans. Drum tracks meld seamlessly with violins and pianos.

The new Portishead album will be released on the 29th of April 2008, almost eleven years since their last album Portishead. The album was written and composed from 2005 to 2007.

Right of the bat, The Rip and Magic Doors strike me as really great songs. The Rip starts out as an acoustic sounding ballad, but is transformed into live-drummed piece in which Gibbons’ characteristic “oooooh” extends for up to 30 seconds at a time over melodic and oscillating Moog patterns.

Third begins with rolling drum pattern that sounds muddled. Sequences are assembled and pushed along. Violins and a surfer guitar are added. A strange off tuned guitar laments while Gibbons' voice only appears as the track nearly fades, almost halfway through. Gibbons' voice is modified and instantly brings back memories of their past. Silence ends with a melody played by the off tune guitar, that finally manages to be in slightly in tune. A quartet or an orchestra of strings join in for good measure. Simply delectable. The song ends so abruptly, that you might wonder if this was intended.

Hunter starts off with a slower and moody pace. The refrain appears to be almost off key, but it fits in well with the rest of the song. This song is an evolution of the Portishead's Dummy sound.

The Rip begins with the soft acoustic melody played on guitar starts and Gibbons' moody and distinctive voice. It's an incredibly beautiful piece of music that I could easily listen repeatedly for a few days and not get bored. Before you know it, the song is over and you have to press repeat. There are songs like this. They are like a star or a black hole, and you get caught in the gravity well and it's hard to get away from it. Why would you? The sweetness of destruction or implosion seem to fit the sounds and emotions that well up in me when I hear these songs.

The long "oooh" comes from the end of the question, "Will I folloooooowww?" that is just extended for about 30 seconds. At the same time, a steady synthesizer rhythm takes over of the song, with live drums in the background. Merging rhythms almost implode together with Gibbons' incredibly beautiful voice.

"I wonder why I don't know what you see..." says Gibbons that is how Plastic begins. The drum sequence is reminiscent of something out of the Dummy sessions. However Gibbons is interrupted by abrupt and brutal samples. A distinctive slow helicopter like sound is heard rolling around in the background. Synth chaos takes over the end of the track.

We Carry On starts with an alarm like sound. A steady droning is heard as well. The repeating patterns enforce an intense pace. A strange off-tune guitar makes a mid song appearance. Deep Water begins with a banjo. Gibbons sings an almost funny track with robotic voices as backup vocals.

Machine gun features sounds that remind of gunfire. They are in stark contrast with Gibbons' high voice. The droning sharp sounds reach a crescendo midway through the song. The droning sounds take over the song until the end. A high melodic synth appears at the conclusion. It reminds me of Wendy Carlos and A Clockwork Orange.

Small begins slowly. Gibbons sings with sampled vocal accompaniments (of herself?) which disappear a third of the way through. A clear sounding synth starts a new faster rhythm. As fast as these sounds appear, they disappear once more when all but a third of the song is left. Haunting Gibbons reappears. A moody guitar marks the return of the 70ish organ and signals the end of the song.

An off beat drum beat marks the beginning of Magic Doors. Strings and Gibbons' clear voice singing in tune are desperately emotional. "I'm losing myself / my desire I can't hide / No reason in life for..." Magic Doors lead into Threads., the last track of Third. The album ends strong.

If there is one thing that Portishead does excessively well, is that they know exactly when to use an orchestra. Ever since PNYC, it is an great talent to possess to be able to use these incredible instruments along with samples and synths. By far, this will be loved and played by fans, more than any other Portishead record.

Haunting, emotional, moody, raw and modern, Third is an incredible record that will be loved by millions.

The album isn't as aggressive as was hinted by the band in the end of 2007, but it is certainly aggressive for Portishead. Some of the synth sounds resemble helicopters or machine gun sounds at times. The album ends with the blaring sampled warning sounds of a lighthouse. Just like in the past with other albums of Portishead, this will be a disc that you will listen to over and over again, putting the volume up higher and higher until you can perceive all of the sounds and melodies hidden in their beautiful tracks.

10/10

Tracklist

1. "Silence" - 4:59
2. "Hunter" - 3:57
3. "Nylon Smile" - 3:16
4. "The Rip" - 4:30
5. "Plastic" - 3:27
6. "We Carry On" - 6:27
7. "Deep Water" - 1:30
8. "Machine Gun" - 4:43
9. "Small" - 6:45
10. "Magic Doors" - 3:32
11. "Threads" - 5:47

Portishead y otros grupos de Trip hop no están conformes con este término, argumentando que es sólo una invención mediática para catalogar su música inclasificable.

El 24 de enero de 2008 Portishead anunció la salida de un nuevo disco, titulado "Third", programado para el 14 de abril del mismo año.

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Álbums

• 1994 Dummy nº 2 en el Reino Unido, nº 79 en los Estados Unidos
• 1995 Glory Times
• 1997 Portishead nº 2 en el Reino Unido, nº 21 en los EE.UU.
• 1998 Roseland NYC Live (grabación en concierto) nº 40 en el Reino Unido,nº 155 en los EE.UU.
• 2002 Out of Season (Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man)
• 2008 Third (álbum) saldrá a la venta el 14/4/08, contendrá 11 tracks y durará 49 minutos y 13 segundos.

Sencillos

• de Dummy
  • 1995 "Glory Box" nº 15 Reino Unido
  • 1995 "Sour Times" nº 13 Reino Unido
• de Portishead
  • 1997 "All Mine" nº 8 Reino Unido
  • 1997 "Over" nº 25 Reino Unido
  • 1998 "Only You" nº 35 Reino Unido

En Estados Unidos, la posición más alta que ha ocupado una canción, en concreto “Sour Times”, ha sido la 53.

DVD

• 2002 Roseland NYC Live

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Conocí a Portishead gracias a un amigo (ABX) quien siempre me da buenos consejos musicales (Massive Attack, Zero 7, etc) y siempre le voy a agradecer que me despierte a la música que siempre resulta de mi agrado, tal como lo es Portishead.

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REFERENCIAS

Lyrics

Wiki

Oficial

Fanlisting