Portishead - Third
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Free Music Notes for Third
Free Music Review: A Sonic Journey
Hit: 5 Stars
I am loving Third SO much! I'm so glad I decided to give it a chance even though I wasn't convinced by some of the 30 second snippets. There is one track that I'm not crazy about, but the rest are wonderfully crafted, beautiful and yet surprising to the ear in so many ways. I listened to Third for the first time at the gym, all the way through, and wasn't totally in love from the first listen, as there was a lot to absorb and take in. Even so, I was too intrigued to want to fast forward through any of the tunes. By the second listen, I was hooked. I felt like I had experienced something that touched my emotions while stimulating my rational mind as well. If you like music that is (at least somewhat) experimental yet beautiful, and not afraid to tread paths not considered stereotypically beautiful, give this a try! If you are the type of person who can sit and listen to an album all the way through uninterrupted and enjoy the twists and bends, highs and lows in the music, then you will love this album. In other words, can you sit back and meditate and let something new come to you and just experience it without judging it, letting its brilliance occur to you slowly and over time? If not, and if you'd rather be able to have your music fit into a pre-set mold of your own conception that fits with your past experience of music you've loved, then you may not like this. Seriously, beautiful work! Well done, Portishead!Free Music Review: First for Me
Hit: 5 Stars
I think I will be coming at this album from a different perspective to 90% of you...I had not been a Portishead fan prior to this album. I had heard some of their previous work in passing and been mostly unimpressed. I happened upon this album by accident and it has truly blown me away. It strikes me from reading the mixed reviews that the "traditional" Portishead fans are mad that they didn't stick to the tried n' true formula, whereas, more open minded folks are lauding it as a classic. I'm definately in the latter category. This album is very special in a unique, insular, introspective kind of way...the songs are built around odd, somewhat glitchy, off kilter rhythms (or none at all) that kind of ebb and flow...the sounds provide a lush, and yes, sometimes prickly background to Beth's musings which mostly seem to be inner thoughts about the fragility of life and love expressed in a somewhat somber, if thoughful, tone. This is the kind of album you cherish for it's singular beauty and complete unrelatedness to any music scene current or past. It just is... Now for some comparisons (gotta have 'em for reference): if you mix up the following albums into a witches brew, you might come up with something close to this "This is Stina Nordenstam" by Stina Nordenstam, "Soak" by Mimi (Goese), and "When I was a Boy" by Jane Siberry. If you are fans of these artists you will like this album.Free Music Review: Almost too good to handle
Hit: 5 Stars
Sometimes I have to turn off this album because it's too just to good to take. The ten year wait was well worth it. The songs are a bit more grown up than the previous albums, as they should be, and aren't quite as accessible as the first two albums. You won't necessarily get up and dance, you may need a few listens of a song before it really seeps into you, but if you've been growing and developing over the ten years since their last release (and, hey, I hope and expect you have) then you're right on par to accept these more sophisticated songs.
The tone is as melancholy as ever, but a bit more cerebral than the previous stuff, with lyrical nuance that will haunt you long after you've turned it off. The content is a bit more abstract and and poetic than cynically romantic. You get the sense that the musicians are more concerned with the current state of the world than their last tryst. And we agree with them.
There is a great range on this record- some songs are just dreamy vocals, some take on sounds that are totally new to the band-stripped down and folksy, and then there's the beat-driven sonic passion where the singular and powerful rhythm overwhelms in a good way.
If you are a fan of Portishead, there's no way you should hesitate to buy this album. If you're only gonna legally purchase one album this year, this should be it, IMHO.
Free Music Review: Genius re-birthed
Hit: 5 Stars
I honestly got tired and annoyed of waiting for this album. Portishead being one of my muses I was getting ready to write them off. The first track I heard off this album was Machine Gun - I didn't like, I felt frustrated by it. Then I woke up one day and listened to it again and it finally sunk in. I pre-ordered the vinyl. When it showed up I put it on and just finally enjoyed the return of a set of true modern composers.
What makes Portishead such genius is that they are truly composers. They don't just follow the tradition of a four part band. They truly experiment with vocal and instrumentation to form a true composition. Just like classic composers they just use what they are interested in at the time. The scratching and the theremin of the second album are gone, because that's done. It's time to move on.
Instead the have a beautiful use of what I can only describe as analogue, digital. Rather than just using loops Geoff applies programed samples to his set and plays them in real time. This combination of human driven sampling is really what gives portishead their edge. Its also why they are so unbelievable live, they don't try to recreate computerized samples live because that's not how they were produced in the studio.
Drop the needle, kill the lights, lie back and enjoy the best trip hop you can get.
Free Music Review: Let it sink in
Hit: 5 Stars
I originally tried to listen to this album all the way through late at night as I was falling asleep and the first thirty seconds of 'The Rip' originally had me feeling like I was slipping into a bizarre waking dream. It was too overwhelming and I had to stop there. 'Machine Gun' which I heard on their myspace page originally turned me off and I didn't know what to expect but now that I've given the album a chance to soak into my mind I fully appreciate what Portishead has accomplished here. They've evolved and yet still retained the essence of what attracted me to them in the first place - introspection, originality, unpredictability and integrity. The lyrics are phenomenal and I challenge you to find poetry like this anywhere else in music these days. Admittedly, it will not be easy to get into if you are not a substantial Portishead fan to begin with. However, if you are not a big fan but like to be challenged give it a chance and discover a work of genius. The last minute or so of the final track...wow...such an amazing commentary on our current world situation. Sure, the trip hop feel is largely gone with the wind but still there are so many intricate layers here, and so many different interpretations. That is one thing that hasn't changed. The best three of 'Third' in my opinion are:
The Rip
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