Portishead - Portishead
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Free Music Notes for Portishead
Free Music Review: Window Into Another World
Hit: 5 Stars
It is pretty widely said that Portishead's self-titled second album is okay but not as good as Dummy. Let me say that my point of view tends not to be so wide.
If you were a lover of Dummy tracks like "Sour Times" and "Roads", you will be disappointed with this album. But if you dug the styles of tunes like "Wandering Star" and "Pedestal", then you should do yourself a big favor and buy this album if you haven't yet. There's absolutely no way you'll regret it. Because, for me, Portishead's Portishead is one of the greatest albums ever released.
Dummy was filled with creative "songs". You know, song-like structures and things you can listen to out of context of the rest of the album. But what separates this from Dummy is that you won't find "songs". What you'll find is about an hour of beautiful, haunting, mind-altering MUSIC. There's no better fuel for meditation, creativity, conversation or even tripping than "Portishead". This music puts you into another world against your will to have you chewed up and spit out. Listening to this album in its entirity is more of an experience than you'll be able to find in most places. And those who have not had this experience are sad, sad people who stare at the floor when they walk and pass you with an aura of uncoolness.
The eclectic beat (changing from pure trip-hop in Undenied to an indie garage flavor in Half Day Closing) keeps you moving through its swaying motion into its abyss of uniquely layered melodies and sounds (oddly distorted guitars, a heart-rumbling bass, morbid pianos, and effects lifted straight from old noir flicks and 50's sci-fi vibes) with the great icing of Beth Gibbons vocals that you'll swear is a ghost living inside of your head.
Now, that being said, this album is definitely not for everyone. Impatient people and shallow listeners will not be able to properly absorb all of the textures and oddities of this masterpiece. Some who listen at face value may find it to be repetitive (although it isn't in the least bit repetitive, definitely less repetitive than the often compared Tricky). It is imperative to listen to this album with both a relaxed and open mind.
Also, as a little side-note, if you're a fan of the filmmaker David Lynch, you'll probably dig this album a lot. I don't know why. It's just one of those truths.
Free Music Review: Natural Progression
Hit: 5 Stars
Not as friendly to the ears as the first album, this second attempt begs the listener to let oneself be slowly digested by this new, more mature, slightly different sound. Beth Gibbon's voice shows extended range and changing textures, sometimes lulling the listener to believe more than one vocalist collaborated to the effort. Gibbons' songwriting improving with experience, the first album's black and white composition and contrasts gave way to subtle shades of grey, resulting in a deeper, more refined blend of the vocals, lyrics and arrangements. The trio definitely seemed to connect on a higher level in the creation process that gave birth to one of the genre's most memorable albums, which consolidated its reputation and propelled the band to a rather strange underground iconic status after gaining a cult following.Free Music Review: this is great!
Hit: 5 Stars
as good as dummy! 8 years on and still sounding fresh!!!
cant wait for their new album that should be out pretty soon. XD
Free Music Review: A step forward
Hit: 4 Stars
Portishead's eponymous second effort is, for me anyway, the superior example of their sound. The LP is more of a slow burn than their debut, the beats are more thoroughly cultivated high drama which work beautifully with Beth Orton's delicate delivery. I know I will receive some detractors but, here goes, ahem...'Dummy' was a bit too reliant on gimmicks and obvious "hip-hop" cliches and I think the tunes fly by a bit. Thankfully on "Portishead" they opted to go a bit deeper and the result is a more engrossing listen. Recommended. Also check "Live at Roseland".Free Music Review: Soundtrack for a movie Noir
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is almost a soundtrack of a fictive movie Noir. Let me say first that I like this second, self-titled album by Portishead even more then their ground-breaking debut 'Dummy'.
Sssh! The movie is about to start...
It's night. The creepy silence is giving you shivers. Suddenly a man appears.. 'Cowboys' is starting in the background. The creepy intro and Beth's voice cut into your flesh. Now you see the man's face covered with blood. It seems like he's on the run for someone or something. The volume of 'Cowboys' is rising every second. The man looks right, then left. Did he see a man standing in the shadows over there? The man starts running. He's hearing footsteps following him. Suddenly someone grabs him by the arm and pulls him into a building. They got him. The building seems to be a stiptease-bar. The enjoyable 'All Mine' starts playing. It's pleasant, yet also very dark, just like the bar. A man sitting in the corner talks to him. He says that he needs to get his money back, but it seems like the poor guy doesn't have any. While 'Undenied' is playing in the background they beat him up and torture him. Afterwords they throw him in a dark, mysterious room. He can't see anything, he can only hear something. It seems like there's some kind of radio in the room. It's playing 'Half Day Closing' on mid-volume. It scares the man. He wants to get out of there immediately. After a few tries he gets out of the building. It's cold and creepy outside. No lights, only the moon. The scary, but also mysterious'Over' is played. He hears voices inside of the building, they must have already discovered he escaped. He starts running again, with the song 'Over' buzzing in his head. He stops running when he sees an old, spooky house that seems empty. He opens the door and enters the house. When the door shuts, you hear 'Humming' in the background. He's in an extremely dark hall. He gets upstairs. All the windows are opened and a fresh 'Mourning Air' flews truh the windows. He looks out of one of the windows. He sees some shadows moving in the garden. He gets out of the house as quickly as possible. The sounds of 'Seven Months' echo in the background. He's running truh the streets and steals a car. He drives as fast as he can. He puts on the radio and 'Only You' is being playing on the radio. The sound relaxes him a bit, but it's quite spooky.
Suddenly he gets a flat tire and moves over. He sees some cars coming close, he has been followed. He runs into the forest. But some men grab him and throw him on the ground. 'Elysium' starts playing. One man talks. 'You have to pay. If it's not with money then it's with your life'. 'We warned you, Port!' says another man. The man takes a knife, grabs Port and cuts off his head. His head falls on the ground, with his eyes pointing to the west. The tunes of 'Western Eyes' end the movie. The Movie is called Port's Head.