Third

Beth Gibbons can take a shit in a lightbulb and start blowing it like an empty beer bottle, and I'd still give it 5 stars out of 5.

Summons the masterpiece and while this album had some high points, it didn’t consistently deliver in comparison.

It's an interesting listen. I remember liking Dummy when it came out although I never owned it. This is maybe not as good but maybe it's because I'm not listening to it in its time.

Kind of a revelation. Much more varied and interesting than Dummy, even bordering noise rock at times.Hard to rate after only one listen, but I’m intrigued

Forgot how incredible this album was. Like blown away incredible. Proof that Beth Gibbons just never missed. A little less cohesive than dummy but also more adventurous. I need this on wax.

Strange ange and alluring, perfect to seek inspiration from

Random cut off in the first song. It was a good song why just stop with out an ending? Has some weird sounds. Kinda sinister. Nice album but really not my vibe. Some songs annoyed me so much I had to skip (plastic,we carry on). Had one nice song the rest was just not it for me.

Good sound. One of the last songs (I don't really know) is incredible.

First time listen, although I am very familiar with Dummy. And it was excellent. Clearly a decent band, this, along with the rest of their back catalogue, will be listened to again.

Portishead are one of those bands that release music almost frustratingly infrequently, but when they do, oh boy do they mean it. This one is definitely the most different of the three, taking a step back from being the pioneers of trip hop. They explore a much more organic and experimental style, as opposed the the more dark electronic style of their previous two albums. But it's still unmistakably them, as they make their new sound absolutely amazing and mesmerising in a whole new way.

This is somewhere between Radiohead and trip-hop, two things I really dislike. This is not for me.

I listened to this yesterday and now I don’t recall anything about the album.

I like dummy, I think I’ve tried to listen to this in the past but didn’t give it much time. I didn’t like it at first, wierd melodies against purposefully uncomfortable chord progressions, but the underlying groove and production of the album made me lock in with it. Halfway through I was enjoying it more, by the end I really enjoyed it. Another one I think I’ll like more with re listens

Bien.

Experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic rock.

Title is a bit harsh. This is a 2:1 at least.

Ehhh. Im not huge on Portishead and this is a low point for me. Its just too formless. I need some structure to hang on to. This is meanders atound where ever it wants to go and I see the appeal I just dont have it. I will say that it starts to give me something in the last 2 songs but even then its too whispy and ethereal. Its hard to care when it has the energy of not caring too. I know they are passionate musicians and do care it just is hard for me to see. Its a record I didnt hate hut I was checking to see how many more songs there were constantly. And thats not good. I was happy when it was over. That sucks to say but I would rather have almost anything else.

A far denser and less accessible sound but the Kid A era Radiohead they aim for misses the target on all but 'silence' and 'the rip'.

I didn’t remember Portishead as being so far removed from other things going on at the time. Maybe it’s this specific album — I should go back and listen to others. I like Beth Gibbons’ voice quite a lot.

I never thought I liked Portishead but this was great. Really atmospheric and brooding. I'm not a massive fan of the drumming style though and a few of the songs ended too abruptly for me though.

Nope. Whiny. did not finish it. one star.

The second this album popped up on the generator for today, I knew I was going to have a good day. Dummy is my second favorite album of all time (Isis' Oceanic being #1), and easy the best album on the entire list. This is just an absolutely amazing album. Especially during this time of year. Portishead has always kinda felt vaguely autumn/Halloween-y in sound (Dummy had Mysterons which is peak Halloween vibes). The self-titled album is also much darker (Although a little too consistent in sound, weirdly enough. Still amazing though). But this album is just hitting right now. The opening to Hunter is amazing. The Rip with it's more folk vibes developing into a kinda Tron-like electronic synth portion. Plastic also has some Halloween-y vibes as well. We Carry On with it's militaristic beat yet also kinda feeling like the song could explode into insanity at any time. And of course Machine Gun with it's John Carpenter worship. Obviously the rest of the album is absolutely amazing as well, but yeah. Before getting this (It's been a long time since I've listened to this album) I was thinking it could be a 4/5, but no. Two songs into this album, and I knew in my heart it would be a perfect score. Portishead are easily one of the best bands of all time. Just wish they would make more music and tour. I've never got to see them live. Might have to settle for just seeing Beth Gibbons live if she ever tours. Also, apropos of nothing, gotta imagine this album was a huge influence on Chelsea Wolfe.

Portishead crafts tapestries of mood and sound, exploring how to make electronic evocative. Beth Gibbons has a generational haunting voice. It’s almost disembodied, floating in and out of chords. I can’t say that I really enjoyed this one though. The feeling is relentlessly melancholy, the sounds foreboding and filled with dread. Nothing lightens the mood. I found it to be a sonically interesting slog.

Some interesting stuff here, but some pretty weird stuff too. Not really my cup of tea

Nice album

Good album, not quite up there with "Dummy" but very dark, grimy and enjoyable. 4/5

Interesting album doing a lot, even if it didn't all connect with me on first pass. Reminded me of a shoegaze-adjacent sound without any distortion. A little too abstract for my taste, but I didn't hate listening. Top tracks: The Rip, Threads

Ethereal techno avant garde bullshit? Yeah sign me up for ALL you got.

Portishead is everything Radiohead wished it could be.

Nah

I absolutely adore portishead, fuck that’s good

Head

Not bad

Extraño, triste, vibra bajo, diferente

I was initially pretty surprised to see this come up here. I own it on CD and always thought it was a decent but not spectacular album. Re-listening has made me realise it's very good! The instrumentation is as good as anything on their first two albums, and I really like the singer's voice. I didn't think the songs were quite up there with the first two albums so 4* for me.

Surprised to this on the list as it is, in my opinion, the weakest of Portisheads albums by a long way. The first two albums are fantastic, and I still regularly listen to them, but this one very rarely gets any airtime with me. Phenomenal live band, when I saw them I couldn’t believe how strong Beth’s voice is live. I’d give this a five if it was one of the earlier offerings, but as it stands it’s really only getting a 3 on the strength of the memory of those albums and my love of the band.

I think I gave this a couple of listens when it first came out but not since. I only remember Machine Gun. I really struggled to decide between four and five. The sound of a lot of it is wonderful but I find Beth Gibbons' voice a bit of a challenge for a whole album where the mood is pretty dark. That's not to say I don't like it but it nudges it to the four.

This was a suprise it's very prog and I enjoyed that.

Perfect

I’ve always thought Portishead wasn’t for me. Old band. Trip hop. Not my thing. But this was great. Excited to listen to more.

I like Portishead a lot but this is not their best effort. Dummy is fantastic as is Roseland Live. This album being more than 10 years after their best work really shows. There are good parts to this but it isn't as great an album as they had done in the past. The high spot for me is Threads, the rest I could do without. 3/5

Auf der Tour zu diesem Album waren Portishead auf dem Hurricane Festival und haben parallel zu Rammstein gespielt und der halbe Campingplatz hat sich danach aufgeregt, was denn da für verstörende Musik lauter war als ihre Pyroshow-Muppets. Dafür, vor allem aber wegen der wunderbar strangen , perfekten 00er Musik

Probably a 3.5 for me. It’s good, it’s just not to my taste that much. It has a brooding, melancholy vibe overall. Lots of ambient textures.

Pre Listen: Another group I've never heard of. 2008 is modern enough to make me wonder why. Low expectations as such. Notable Tracks: Silence - The Portuguese at the start made me do a double take, thought this was an English album. After finishing the album, I certainly wish it was Portuguese. Might've been better! The Rip - Best track on the album. Has a really weak start, but the most solid finish out of any other song on here. Not anywhere near playlist worthy, but it's the best of the worst. We Carry On - Least favorite track. Droning airplane warning sound, zany romping drums, and the discordant guitar were just too much. Skipped halfway through. Post Listen: That was a weird album in a bad way. Feels like that album embodied the "xd so random xdd" energy of the early 2000's internet. They just threw shit at a wall, and even if it didn't stick they just kept throwing it. Biggest issue is that horribly vocalist. She sounds so fucking whiney and quivering. It's like she's on the verge of crying or throwing up on every track. That's not vibrato in her voice, it's fucking fear for some reason. The instrumental elements of the album are wacky too, mostly shit. No single element shone through as prevailingly good overall, it all varied heavily, mostly on the side of bad. Again, lots of random elements in the album that add absolutely nothing. Just random for the sake of being weird. At least the theme of the album being somewhat melancholy and spooky is consistent, which is worth some merit. 'The Rip' is quite literally the only thing keeping this album from a 1. Portishead? More like Portajohnhead. Shit sucks! 2/5

Vaca catch up

I loved 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 when I first heard it, and I still do. Portishead could have returned with a safe update of their old sound, but instead they made something harsher, stranger, and more restless. The electronics are rougher, the rhythms feel almost mechanical, and Beth Gibbons sounds as fragile and haunted as ever. What makes the album so good is that all this unease never gets in the way of the songs. There are still strong melodies underneath the noise and tension, and Gibbons’ voice gives the whole record a human core. It sounds unmistakably like Portishead, just pushed into a darker and more abrasive place. It is a shame that Barrow, Gibbons, and Utley never followed it with another full album. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 showed that they could disappear for years, come back completely changed, and still sound like themselves. Eighteen years later, I’m still waiting.

I really liked the first two Portishead albums and I wasn't sure why I had not heard this one. On first listen it was terrible. Largely montone unaffected delivery in a variety of industrial venues. I couldn't believe I couldn't find anything enjoyable about the album. I listened three more times. The album did grow on me and the "music" became less jarring and annoying; It started to fade away better revealing the singing which wasn't terrible. At times it reminded me of their earlier efforts. Ultimately, after four complete times through I couldn't say that it will be an album I will revisit and not one that I find compelling.

Not one for me...

nice enough

Portishead is great, but they are definitely a vibe and yesterday was not the day

The Rip

Some of it was digestable, but for the most part it’s dreary and discordant and an unpleasant listen.

Didn’t hate it nearly as much I thought I would.

Feel like there are likely boxes of unsold CDs in some hopeful and indulgent parent’s basement. It’s like the Doors, except by comparison, Jim Morrison sounds sober and clean. Need to jump into the reviews on this one to see if there are any five star —nay, even one star—in an attempt to understand anything positive about this album.

Polyamorous Portishead couple going to the record store in 2008: hey we’re looking for a Third (This album’s unreal)

not sure ive given this one a proper spin since highschool... its a pretty dense and complex record. I saw beth gibbons last year at Massey Hall and she played some Portishead tracks and it was awesome :).

Wat de fuck is die overgang?? Van Silence naar Hunter, dat is even een flink knal door stilte! Dit zet meteen de toon voor de rest van het album, want ook in Hunter word je best een paar keer heen en weer geschud tussen atmosferische trage muziek en dan opeens zenuwachtig en elektronisch. Portishead staat voor mij eigenlijk altijd al gelijk met oneindig veel sfeer, zo ook op debuutalbum Dummy en Third bewijst dat maar weer. Beth Gibbons haar vocals zijn sterk als altijd en de productie... God de productie is zo ontzettend origineel en gaaf gedaan. Dit is ook echt een album album. De nummers hoor je eigenlijk altijd in zn geheel te luisteren en met het hele album er achteraan. Ze hebben vrij duidelijk een plek waar ze horen. Dit is nog steeds triphop en trippy is het ook zeker. Duister ook en ik gok, of eigenlijk hoop, dat ik hier vaker geen zin in heb dan wel. We carry on is bijvoorbeeld echt naar. Naar als in dat je gewoon niet helemaal op je gemak voelt door de muziek. De vocals bieden nog een soort van houvast, maar de nerveuze doordringende toon op de achtergrond... Ja, Portishead Third is een makkelijke aanbeveling voor mij, ik twijfel zelfs of dit misschien 5 sterren is. Heb weinig als FAVO opgeslagen, maar dat is omdat het echt beter werkt als album, met de sfeer die eroverheen hangt en constant die prachtige vocals. Laatste paar nummers halen me een beetje uit mijn trip, vooral Magic Doors ben ik niet zo weg van, Threads is dan wel weer een prachtige afsluiter. Net niet genoeg voor 5 sterren, maar dit is een prachtig album en ik denk dat ik Portishead ontzettend onderschat heb... FAVO: The Rip, Machine Gun, Threads

I can appreciate the creativity that went into making this, and I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who enjoyed this. I'm just not one of them. The same bleak vocals over all types of genres just didn't do it for me. Props for doing something different though. 2*

All kinds of anxiety inducing.

Was expecting a bit more from this based on how much I had enjoyed Dummy, but the songs from this album were just there and didn't stick out as much as I would have liked. In saying that, some pretty cool industrial textures and The Rip was so beautiful!

Portishead Third is intentionally more difficult and less interested in trip-hop appeal, particularly as the band saw that genre co-opted by West Elm lounging boujee Airbnb owning wankers (not a direct quote, but I bet I nailed the sentiment). It'd rather get your attention through cuts and swerves from pop structures. It prefers to disturb rather than relax. The album bends toward the film score as its compositional guide. Meanwhile Beth Gibbons, ready for the threnody, was made to wait something like 11 years for new material to sing on. She is as haunting as ever. More drama and darkness...more pathos. Tension abounds. Dummy may have a special place in my heart where all the nostalgia-based loves go, but Third is the superior statement album.

s erste portishead womer gha hend hani soo geil gfunde. the rip isch recht geil. finds eh bis etz no cool und moody und tasty. uuuh wie s schlagzüg abgschnitte isch uf plastic isch uuuhuere geil. ihri stimm isch seehr geil. so nöd und me ghört jedes knacke vom muul. wie d drums uf small inechömed isch au uuuuhuere cool. so wiit weg aber so präsent. oooh e link wray reference am schluss wie geil!! würklich sehr guets album sie sind halt guet. afoch 10 johr kei musig gmacht und hautmer da use schono muetig.

uii ich hoffe, dass das kein fall vo "berüehmti/critically acclaimed band macht es comeback und es isch eig mega mid aber alli findeds geil, eifach WILL die berüehmti band zrugg isch" isch (looking at you my bloody valentine, m b v isch arsch) de ahfang vo silence het öppis hypnotischs jaa musikalisch ischs iwie ganz andersch aber chli die düsteri stimmig und NATÜRLICH ihri unglaublichi stimm machts für mich scho immerno seeehr portishead (au wenns mich nöd glich mitrisst wie dummy) plastic isch ganz komisch, das ghetzte "poltere" im hindergrund findi huere cool ich finds immerno sehr kreativ aber es fühlt sich chli disjointed ah? jöö deep water!!! aso es isch au fast chli creepy huuuere geil denn de gegesatz zu machine gun weiss nöd wiso aber machine gun isch würkli huere geil OMG JZ CHUNNT NO EN SYNTHI INNE WOWW oke es isch zwüscheme 4i undeme 5i. binmer chli unsicher gsi wills schochli andersch isch, aber ebe iwie so s "fundament" vo portishead isch trz na daa? d atmosphäre gfalltmer eifach mega (au wenni jz dummy scho nomal eis "mystischer" (und besser) gfunde han) bins jz nomal am lose und ich lieeebs es muss eifach es 5i geh fuck

3/5

It's Portishead but without most of the charm. Liked The Rip and Deep Water. The rest my grow on you but it's too abrasive to put the time in.

Some similarities to this week's earlier Yeezus - an industrial-ish album that broke with much of their earlier work, but this more than has the edge for me - greeter variety (even gets Doors-y on Small)more interesting production (those 'Nam war film 'copter sounds on Plastic!) and Gibbons vocals (brilliantly channelling Siouxsie on We Carry On).

Crikey, that was a bit unexpected. Feel like I’ve been beaten up after finishing that on headphones. A real hard Germanic edge to this album with lots of ideas, not all completely seamless. It’s quite a difficult listen and I can see why it could be divisive. I’ll take a seat on the proverbial fence if I may.

moody

Я пытался понять феномен, но видимо мне не надо

Would have preferred a more traditional trip hop

This album is getting better every listen. Much better than their other album on this list.

Here comes the bullshit. Some of it is good bullshit, no doubt, but it is all bullshit in the end, depressive, atmospheric bullshit. 'Unwanted horizons face me instead, / Won't let go.' Beth Gibbons isn't a good poet, but she's also not a very interesting vocalist, a weird amalgam of Yorke & Björk: the droning, the frenzy & fantasizing. But Portishead's failures are not Beth's faults - instrumentally, they're also drama w/o substance or reason. More than most groups, they're a band I wish I could love, but boiling down to a whole lotta symbolism, they miss the mark. On Third, 'The Rip' strikes me as the best tune b/c it tries the least hard. Otherwise, 48 mins of not the absolute pits but something I can live w/o. Too prog for me? Could be this.

Will definitely listen again.

Moody, dark and at times transcendent, I had heard The Rip before but didn't remember - incredible song. There is a distinct vibe that is cool for October/November or that state of mind. Somewhat empty and longing, but very cool.

I liked this a lot more than I expected and actually just saved it to my Spotify library. The vibes are eerie yet calm and oddly relaxing. I think my take on it is also heavily influenced by the fact that it came up on a dreary, gray autumn day and I've been looking for more music to fit this vibe.

I gave this a second listen because I was able to have it on in the background. So, first try I didn't like it very much. Second try it was better but I don't love grading albums that are just background noise on the same scale as others here. Background noise wise, it's a 4. Overall, it's a 3.

Depressing music week. This is not my bag.

The fuck was that shit. Whiny, scratchy, singing like a ghost, whooo whooo oooooo..... Why is some shit made out to be better than it is. Pure shit. Shit cover.

Non il mio genere

Fínasta plata, ekki jafn góð samt og fyrri tvær.

Góð plata, ekki síst í ljósi þess að hljómsveitin var að koma til baka eftir 11 ára hlé. Nær þó ekki sömu hæðum og Dummy.

Painful my dogs are howling in pain listening to this

It's been a long time since I listened to "Dummy" by Portishead in the very early days of this project. Sometimes I wonder if I would still rate albums the same if I heard them now. The data on this site shows that I have been less generous with my scores overall. But here we have another album by the same artist and I feel pretty similar about this one as I do to the album I listened to almost three years ago. This music is dark, moody, and experimental, and I think it has a very strong and unique identity. I enjoyed this album quite a bit, although it certainly isn't something I would listen to every day. It was solid all the way through the ominous foghorn-like outro to "Threads" and full of incredibly inventive sounds. Favorite track: "Machine Gun" makes my playlist, but "We Carry On" is also a contender.

I've got a bad personal history with Portishead. The score I give is no fault of theirs.

Proto-Mitski. I love it. Super slinky and deadly chill.

Pretty good but by far their worst album

I like the first two Portishead albums a lot, but this one is not a must-hear that belongs on the list.

It's 4.5

Well it's different but I can't say I enjoyed it all that much.

yayyyy my sleep paralysis demon is talking to mee :)

bit dreary

I thought this was my least favorite of the three Portishead albums, which is partially just a function of how good the other two are. But after this most recent listen I'm not sure. I mean, "favorite" is a hard word to assign to something this uncompromising; it is certainly a less pleasant listen than either the self-titled or *Dummy*. The band's soundscapes are rougher, less melodic, less tethered than ever to anything resembling a dancefloor. But they are used in the service of something powerful, namely, Beth Gibbons' realization that she's gone too far inside herself and now can't get out. Her previous work has always had an element of arms-length performance to it - the Shirley Bassey affectations, the jazzy coolness that crossed over into coldness, the steadfast refusal to betray anything more than a hint of sexuality. But where the production previously gave her places to hide, here it threatens to bury her entirely; "I am guilty for the voice that I obey," she sings on "Machine Gun," as the beats obliterate her over and over. And what's harrowing is her realization that she doesn't mind it, that she *wants* to disappear completely and never be found. "Sour Times" had deniability; this doesn't. I am frightened for her when I listen to this, and I also can't deny that it's a powerful blast of authentic alienation - something I wasn't sure this sort of music could still do.

Ughhh! Was painful to listen to!

Me after 3 cups of coffee to start the day

Favorite Track: The Rip

I love that it’s dark and nervy. Like it’s saying “DANGER DANGER” in the back of your mind.

music is love

Another really great album. I still think out of the Portishead ouvre, Roseland NYC Live is the best though

Despite loving the first two albums - this release passed me by. Its quite a departure and am very much enjoying the krautrock/ industrial vibes. Have listened 3 times today and loving it more with each listen - particular enjoy the industrial horns with which Threads ends the album.

Third Oddly I’m more familiar with this than either Dummy of Portishead. Dummy kind of passed me by when it came out, but by the time this came out I was more into them. I love the darker, more oppressive feel of this, although it takes some time to adjust to the fractured edges and discomforting rhythms. Much of it has an abruptness and harsh editing, apart from Beth Gibbon’s voice very little flows smoothly, with only little fragments of tunes and musicality appearing and disappearing. Silence’s motorik drumming and nagging bass establish the tension that carries on for the whole album, Hunter’s Kid A-esque cut up gurgles and forlornly strummed guitar give me a sense of falling slowly through the floor, and Nylon Smile follows it with more rhythmic uneasiness. The Rip’s folky arpeggios giving way to pulsing synths is a superb combination, a truly great song, again similar to Radiohead, but it provides one of the few vaguely hopeful melodies, alongside Magic Doors, on the album. Plastic brings us back to the broken gloominess, the synths and guitars weighing heavy. We Carry On starts with some Dandy Warhols-esque toms, before building a thumping, lumbering groove, with some great slightly Public Image style guitar. Deep Water is a welcome, if no less disconsolate, diversion into a gentle ukulele driven mood, before the brilliantly propulsive and percussive Machine Gun. Small’s use of organ gives it a slight prog feel, but set against the urgency of the rhythm track and the sombre vocals and claustrophobic noise. Magic Doors really is superb, the piano chords, although slightly fuzzy, give a welcome human touch, before the awkward, disquieting sax, and it’s also another great vocal and vocal melody. Threads feels perhaps closest to their first album, hinting at 60s soundtracks, rather than the more sci-fi and threatening influences elsewhere. Not necessarily an easy album, and not really that comparable to Dummy, but it is nevertheless a truly excellent album. 5. 3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣3️⃣ Playlist submission: Could be Silence, The Rip, Machine Gun, but I will go for Magic Doors