Third

This was cool, does a lot of interesting weird things. I think I enjoyed this more than the other Portishead record we did.

It's a two-fer: boring *and* tedious.

trip-hop, 2008 -> 3

Beautiful album. Lots of ear candy.

Portishead took 10 years between their last release and this and there's always a fear that a prolonged hiatus would ruin the bands chemistry.... but no, this is a swirling, brooding, bleak, anxiety ridden masterpiece.

While I do like Portishead, this album is kind of a bummer. But a more aggressive bummer than I was expecting.

This was a slow burner, in part because it makes poor background music and is often quite challenging. But thankfully over time it revealed its plentiful qualities and I now think it's rather good. Not sure when I'll listen to it, but when I do, it'll be marvellous.

'Third' represents a significant departure from Portishead's earlier two releases. Although it retains some trip-hop elements, the band largely shifted towards a sound characterized by experimental electronic music. Beth Gibbons delivers strong and often ethereal vocals, accompanied by a few notable hooks and rhythms. However, much of the album is filled with jarring and distracting sounds, resulting in an overall dissonance that detracts from an enjoyable listening experience. Considering the 11-year gap between albums, it seems obvious that Portishead reunited with the intention of creating something new. While I appreciate the effort and artistic intent behind the album, it ultimately does not resonate with me on any level.

Interesting and innovative.

My parents were big Portishead fans during the 90's when I was a child, and I remember very well when this album came out and I did a deep dive on the band's discography and became a huge fan as well. We then went to see them live, it was the first show of the tour and also the first 'big' show I went to. All of it a very formative experience for me. I also remember when "Machine Gun" first came out and how abrasive and strange it sounded. This was certainly not the Portishead of the 90's. It's as though the band were dismantling their own sound and building it back up in a jagged and disfigured manner. The whole album is like that, each song introduces different stylistic approaches. This very much differs from the previous records, which worked more like unified mood pieces. Here, we jump from brooding to mysterious to unsettling to calm and back to unsettling in true disorienting fashion. With this album, Portishead showed it was possible for a Trip-Hop act to make vital music long after the genre's time has passed, even though not many others, or even themselves, has followed in the footsteps. Key tracks: Silence Hunter The Rip We Carry On Machine Gun Magic Doors Threads

Turns out, I am not a Portiahead fan. Like, at all.

5* What am I, fucking stupid?

This was a disorienting, anxiety-inducing listen. Songs seem to cut off abruptly, instrumentals feel all over the place, and the singing is pretty creepy. Feels like this skewed more towards the experimental side of things. I don't know, I just couldn't get into this one. I won't give it a 1, but feels more like a 2.

I love Portishead, but have spent relatively little time with this particular record that arrived after more than a decade long hiatus. I'll say that relative to Dummy and Portishead, this album is a bit more varied stylistically. There are some tracks that feel familiar in the trip-hop space of existence (Plastic, Hunter), but much of the album strays far from that original mold. Some leaning more towards "electronica" impulses (The Rip, We Carry On, Machine Gun), while others operate in a more psychedelic-forward space (Small, Magic Doors, Nylon Smile). All around I find the album thoroughly enjoyable, but not quite at the same level as their other two releases. For me it is a solid 4. Favorite songs include Hunter, Plastic, and We Carry On. Plastic in particular stands out for its tapping of a similar trip-hop vein with drums and an off-cadence warble in the background that sound like they could have been lifted from RZA's catalog.

Didn't care for the last Portishead album. Silence had me in a bit of a groove, but I didn't care for the abrupt change into Hunter. The rest of the album was fine. Some of the effects and technical aspects were impressive, but musically it's just not there for me. Giving this one a low 3.

That was much weirder than Dummy and not nearly as good. Had some cool sound effects in it but it made me feel uneasy for pretty much the whole album The singer freaked me out with her voice. Not sure if it is intentional or a Spotify problem but the first song ended super abruptly which was not very cool. This is a mid to lower 3

Hell yeah more Portishead. This is their last release and came a whopping 14 years after their debut we had before. Love the uneasiness of this first track. The sharp cut at the end was a bit jarring, had to check something didn't happen. The Rip rippppsssssss. Gibbons definitely sounding like Grace Slick with the white horses part. Love it. From what I remember this is my favorite song on this album. Build up is just awesome. 10/10 song. Machine Gun is a JAM. The synth or whatever at the end gives such a creepy vibe. Love it. Portishead is awesome. Love the uneasiness of them. And while I don't think this is as good as Dummy (hard to top), it keeps their sound fresh without sounding too repetitive. High 4.

This kind of lost me about halfway through. I don't think the vocals were great, although I did like some of the directions the musical accompaniment took.

My 200th album is.......... borderline unlistenable byroncore shite I genuinely was fighting the urge to turn it off when We Carry On came on, oh my fucking god that song was dreadful. I had to skip it 3 minutes in. Every song after WCO I had to jump through and/or skip because of how unlistenable they were. I couldn't stand to listen to this dogshit any longer. I hope this is the only Portishead album on this list. I thought I'd get something COOL for my 200th but unfortunately I got this.

I couldn't tell a lot of the time if this album wanted me to relax or keep me on edge, the vocal segments are really nice and tend to be complemented by more pleasant background tunes, though some of the instrumental stretches feel like they are trying to induce some sort of panic or unease in how odd they are. A down the middle score for something which aptly left me feeling the same way

Strange and haunting music that unexpectedly I greatly enjoyed. Evocative of dimly lit rooms with no windows some time between 1 and 3 AM. Will listen again.

A new a few songs into this album is was probably going to be a 10. I thought Dummy by Portishead was phenomenal and enjoyed just about every song. But unfortunately as time has gone on its faded into the recesses of my mind without a strong compulsion to return. This was different, Geek the Girl by Lisa Germano is a Masterpiece and one of my favourite albums of all time. This album operates in the same realm and is better in nearly every way, somehow. It feels like the forgotten sound track to a Lynch film, the B-sides to a silent hill sound track. It's original, creative and brilliant. I cannot wait to listen again. 10/10

This album tries to do a lot at once, and mostly succeeds. Very adventurous and competent exploration of musical sounds here, it feels like the band is spinning a lot of plates at once and only dropping a few. Small is a microcosm of the album's effort, it feels like three songs at once and they're all fantastic. There is a sonic dissonance in some songs where an instrumental track will stand out A LOT more than others (piano in Magic Doors for example) and gives me a feeling of unease that really gets me in the mood for this album. My major criticism of this album is that it is backloaded, I wasn't grabbed in particular from the first half. The reprieve of Deep Water before launching you into second half is like the small, quiet tunnel leading into an aquarium before you get to look at a hammerhead shark. Also I fuck with the album design. Scratches a mental itch for me, I guess. Highlights: The Rip, Machine Gun, Small, Magic Doors, Threads

Wow it’s tough to rate this one. I’ve had a week or two of really dull albums. This one is NOT. It made me take notice, and I appreciate that. The problem is I can’t really say that I enjoyed the majority of it. I do appreciate that I wasn’t bored for a second.. I would give it a 3.5 if I could.

Loved it!

Beats are interesting but I can't quite hear the lyrics.

Def very Portishead 😅 -- too whiny/droning for my tastes. One of the few more modern albums on this list encountered so far.

This is such a classic album. I miss Portishead so much. No skips, all bangers.

This album really reminds me of Radiohead in a way. Like if you swapped out Beth Gibbons' vocals with Thom Yorke's vocals, it could totally work. I think Portishead is a little more experimental and less technical and meticulous than Radiohead. The Rip was a sick song. I love the electronic aspect of it.

This was one of my first albums I listened to on this project and I very much disliked it.

Portishead is just always perfect. I rarely listen to them and I’m not sure why. This album sounded scarier than the ones I’m used to.

The Rip still gives me chills.

"Let's take our electronic instruments, where the possibilities are endless, and make absolutely no interesting sounds at all" - the writers of half the albums in this book, apparently

For the first few moments of the album, I was anxious that this was going to be a basic indie album. The first track, Silence, had a slight indie feel and the vocalist seemed to have a distinct indie feel. It sounded like it was heading in that direction, but thankfully not for long. I love how uneasy this music makes me feel, between the electronic elements and the eerie calmness of the vocalist. It’s this weirdly unique blend of music that sounds like… foreboding surf music that went to bed with Nine Inch Nails at times. That’s the best way I can put it. I hope that’s not too weird of a mental image. Wikipedia tells me that this album was a departure somewhat from Portishead’s previous work, so I hope this being my first album doesn’t lead me to be disappointed by the band’s other works. Honestly, kind of a shame they went on a second hiatus after this album. Who knows what else they would have made after this. Favorite track: Machine Gun Other hits: Magic Doors, Nylon Smile, Threads, The Rip, We Carry On, Small

Triphop. rock/electronic instruments

Fav artist Portishead at their prime. Too good.

Truly a mix of good and bad for me. The Rip was excellent so that slightly redeemed it.

This frequently reminded me of one side of St. Vincent (though very blatantly missing the guitar virtuosity I love in her music) and even the one song I know by Massive Attack. Unfortunately, this is the only side shown on this album, and it is hard to stay engaged with it through its 49 minute runtime.

Fed, meget bedre end den sidste vi havde med dem

17 år siden den her plade udkom og resten af verden er stadig ikke halet ind på Portishead. Forstår godt de aldrig har udgivet flere, det ville ikke rigtig være fair mod andre musikere!

This was just great. Really grew on me.

Not my choice of music

I didn't hate it but it just never grabbed me. Just kinda was.

Me li ricordavo male e invece sono ascoltabili

Maybe Dummy has better songs, but I like the more detached moodiness this album offers. Still, I find Portishead very personally hard to get into, mainly from particular design choices.

Much better than the other Portishead album we listened to on this project. Some interesting sounds. Wish the vocals weren’t so breathy though.

Such a complete great album. These group didnt play around. I dont think Ive ever heard a bad song inside a whole album concept. Maybe stand alone they are not as good missing context of concept album bit when you hear this bands albums they are as good as experimental albums come. Still Dummy is the best album by them

Who listens to music to get nightmares?

Never really listened to Portishead. Futuristic, vibey music if you're stoned.

I love Dummy and have listened to it a lot over the years, can’t understand why I’ve not investigated their other stuff! This is great, I particularly like the krautrock stuff. I will be playing this again.

Production: 3.5/5 Lyricism: 2/5 Sound: 1/5 Enjoyment: 2/5 Overall: 2.1/5

Impressive

ekaa portishead ja on mahtavaa…

3.5

3 is aggressive and subtle in the same breath. Beth Gibbon's voice is so haunting, ethereal, filled with despair and sorrow. So good. It is such a great album The distortion of the album adds to a sense of urgency that there is some unknown terror lurking, waiting. No time to waste, make haste.

Definetly the darkest album.

weird

- veldig kule rytmer og elektroniske instrumenter, føles som tidlig 2000-tallet. - ikke så bra vokalist. Treffer ikke tonene man skulle ønske. Høres lite engasjert ut i sangene. - rytmene blir irriterende etterhvert, når drum-loopen aldri bryter.

Not the one trick ponies I thought they were. Impressed!

Although I was very happy to see that we'd get to listen to Portishead in this collection, I literally had to double-take on this album to make sure it was really Portishead that I was listening to, as this sounds *nothing* like their previous albums, at least the ones I own (neither of which, curiously, are in this collection). And yet there's a thread of continuity, even beyond Gibbons' distinctive voice. I think my favorite tracks were "Silence" (partly just from the shock of such a different and distinct wave of sound), "The rip" and "We carry on" (both with compelling animated videos that reminded me of aspects of some of the animation in Pink Floyd's "The Wall"), and the almost vintage-Portishead-style "Machine gun". I also enjoyed the video to "Magic doors", although the song itself was almost too out there for my tastes, at least on first listen (but very cool that it used a hurdy-gurdy, which I had no idea was even an instrument). Listening to the album, I felt like they had somehow internalized a band like Radiohead's desire to experiment, well beyond their earlier sound and feel; they almost out-Radioheaded the source, as I'd enjoy Radiohead a lot more if they'd produced more albums like this. This definitely seems like an album that (a) is best listened to as a whole, and (b) likely gets even more interesting with repeated listening. I'm not sure whether I'll spend that re-listening time any time soon, but hopefully I'll feel like it after this project is over. And what a fascinating reinvention of a band that I already enjoyed and admired.

Thanks to this project, I now know what the love child of Robert Wyatt and Bjork sounds like and it is this. I will pay you to turn it off.

Quite enjoyed

How come nobody told me Portishead was so good!? This is the second one I’ve had on this list and it’s even better than the first one! I love the dissonance juxtaposed with the singers lovely voice. And the off putting samples that are unexpectedly clipped always keep you guessing. I was thoroughly impressed by this album.

Sometimes stirring, often dreamy. A style all of its own. Definitely worth listening to again.

Ils ont décidément bien fait de se réformer cette année là !

Gloomy and disjointed but intriguing

This is clearly Portishead style but it does not make me travel like the sounds of the previous albums. I did not like it as much as previous ones.

Terrible

I like its darkness and creativity, even if it still carries a lot of what I used to hold against Dummy back in the day : it rarely takes off and tends to stay locked in the same mood. Still, there are some nice guitar touches, and the atmosphere manages to move beyond the band’s original trip-hop roots, which keeps it from being just background music. Despite that evolution — and the 14 years between the two albums — you immediately know it’s Portishead. That’s one of the marks of the greats.

Born as I was in the late 80s, this was the first Portishead album that came out when I was of an age where I could appreciate it. As you might imagine, I came to their discography in reverse order, which might actually be the best order? Anyway, the point of all this is that Third holds a special spot in the development of my musical taste, and I still love it, nearly 20 years on.

Portishead may be one of my favorite bands relative to how little they’ve actually done. Maybe that’s their secret weapon, maybe it isn’t. Beth Gibbons seems content these days to relive the past for 3 minutes a night while otherwise jamming out to increasingly elaborate folk rock arrangements, while Geoff Barrow seems content these days to bitch and moan constantly on Twitter. But for a few cosmically perfect moments, they created some truly impossibly perfect music. Dummy and s/t will get the (rightful) credit for defining a singular sound that, perhaps tellingly, no 90s nostalgist has really tried to revive since, but Third may still be my favorite Portishead album: a group so hellbent on doing something new they threw so much sonic spaghetti against the wall and basically all of it stuck. Please listen to “Machine Gun” again, maybe one of the most conceptually insane recordings of our era that should not work but does anyway, and the listen to how it’s followed up by “Small”, which sounds like 90s Portishead reduced to its most simplest terms: a simple guitar figure without any notable effects followed up by what I assume that’s a synth that sounds like a violin before bursting into a 60s keyboard/drums arrangement that sounds like ‘traditional’ Portishead but with the melody all wrong.I could play this game forever. It’s so easy just to describe how unique and wild every arranagement on this album is. But then what’s point? That’s the more interesting part: for all the despondency of the first albums, maybe nobody has ever come together to sound more alone than these three people on this album. Let me revel in the darkness again.

Listened less than 24 hours ago, can't remember a thing about it.

Moody as hell and expertly brings you along with some fun along the way

Not the biggest Portishead.

too electronic

point9.

While not particularly engaging in each moment, Porto’s head has mastered the buildup and combination of strange sounds. Very unique and eye opening.

Appreciate the artistry but i don’t think portishead is really for me

I think this starts really well but really goes downhill in the second half. Generous 3.

Was close to giving this one star. It’s a right load of old shite

This one feels like it’s trying to hypnotize you but keeps forgetting the spell halfway through. There’s a gray fog over the whole thing, and it never really clears. Listened to it twice (background, while cleaning) and still couldn’t tell you if I liked it or just tolerated it. There’s texture, but not much shape. I kept expecting it to hit a gear it never shifted into. Good for spacing out, but it never asked me to care. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Nylon Smile - The Rip

Kobiecy

The rare album that builds and builds. Machine Gun is an amazing song and a total standout. 4.5

weird and spooky, great arrangements, but some vocal work that really rides the line between being weird and being annoying

Somehow I don't think I have listened to this album even though Dummy and their self titled have a lot of spins. At times this sounded surprisingly like Mitski? Obviously it came out first, but it was a little jarring here and there. I liked it though. 3.5

"Third is the third studio album (...)" shocker!

I am disappointed. I enjoyed "Dummy" very much but that one is not fun at all.

Wank

3 out of 5. Some good stuff here and I appreciate what they're going for.

This shit is so cool

oy vey

Heresy to say this, I’m sure, but I found this album much more interesting than Dummy. It’s not as monotonous and drone-y. The different stylistic twists and turns make for a more enjoyable record and there are some legitimately cool moments, like the doubled up synth solo at the end of Machine Gun. Portishead is still not my cup of tea, but this record gets closer than Dummy does.

Little weird. Albums has ups and downs.

mood.

Anxious music

Sounds a lot more dramatic than their debut album. I really like how it seems to build and build into some very unnerving noises. There isn't really a song structure or tangible instrument to latch onto here, unsettling stuff. That said, I think this album teeters on just being random sounds a bit too much at times. This will probably grow on me with more listens. The album cover is great in its simplicity as well.

This may secretly be the best album on this entire list, but I’ll never say that.

Brilliant individual elements of sonic experimentation and haunting atmospherics that for whatever reason just doesn’t all come together for me.

I never really listened to Portishead. I knew them from Glory Box which is a tune, but I never felt the need to explore their other work And wow, turns out I've been missing out big time! This was proper experimental, I actually went 'what the heck' out loud at one time. But it's not so experimental that I disengaged (which I tend to do). Lots of stuff going on, plenty of variety. I enjoyed this start to finish.

Good album. It's really different from their previous stuff. Very listenable and creative.

I kind of dig it

I might like this even better than Dummy?? 4/5

A whole lot of randomness. The clashing sounds and odd melodies are off-putting. The minor chords are somewhat haunting. Soft vocals, but harsher/grating instrumentals. Also why are the vocals so often out of tune?

„Third“ ist das dritte Studioalbum der britischen Band Portishead und erschien 2008. Es markiert eine deutliche Weiterentwicklung im Vergleich zu ihren früheren Arbeiten. Das Album wurde in verschiedenen Studios aufgenommen, darunter das berühmte Real World Studio in Box, England, unter der Leitung von Adrian Utley und Geoff Barrow, den beiden Hauptmitgliedern der Band. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album weit von dem klassischen Trip-Hop-Stil der ersten beiden Alben weg und integriert Elemente aus Industrial, Electronica und experimentellem Rock. Diese Mischung sorgt für einen dunklen, atmosphärischen Klang, der jedoch nicht mehr die vertraute Melancholie der Anfangsjahre transportiert. Die Songs sind oft minimalistisch und in ihrer Struktur unvorhersehbar, was das Album weniger zugänglich, aber dafür tiefgründiger macht. Zu den herausragenden Tracks zählen „Machine Gun“, das mit seiner düsteren Atmosphäre und der schweren Industrial-Instrumentierung auffällt, und „The Rip“, das durch seine emotionale Tiefe und den sanften, fast hypnotischen Sound besticht. Auch „Threads“ überzeugt mit seiner ständigen Spannung und der druckvollen, doch subtilen Produktion. Das Album wurde von Kritikern positiv aufgenommen, jedoch wurde auch seine weniger zugängliche Natur hervorgehoben. Fans von Portishead dürften die Weiterentwicklung des Bandsounds schätzen, während Hörer, die an den früheren, sample-basierten Trip-Hop gewöhnt sind, etwas enttäuscht sein könnten. Insgesamt bietet „Third“ ein spannendes, aber herausforderndes Hörerlebnis, das die Band in einer neuen musikalischen Richtung zeigt. „Third“ ist ein mutiger Schritt weg vom klassischen Trip-Hop-Sound und bietet eine komplexe, düstere Klangwelt. Das Album ist weniger eingängig, aber für Fans von experimenteller Musik durchaus lohnenswert.

I find the legacy of Third strange and interesting. I’ve recently discovered to my surprise that it’s highly regarded in some circles and just the fact it made this list shocks me. Portishead released one of the greatest debuts of all time in Dummy, and it remains rightfully a towering work. Then the difficult follow-up did a very fine job of meeting expectations; it wasn’t Dummy 2 but it kept close enough to the formula. It’s another excellent album. Then roughly ten years passed and Third came along. I was bitterly disappointed. Gone are the turntables and heavy, trip-hop beats. The rhythm section is heavily dependent on tinny drum machines and laptop electronics in place of most live instruments. The samples and tidbits from dusty archives are much sparser, less atmospheric and rinsed dry by synths and compressors. Even Beth Gibbons’ vocals, such a stunning feature on the first two albums, feel phoned-in, tired and lacking emotional range. I love Portishead so much for their early work so I just feel like I can’t rate this too low. It does have its moments. But I didn’t choose to listen to it for a good 15 years after hearing it the first few times and even a fresh listen now won’t be changing that.

This was great. Bombastic at times, quiet and delicate at others. I haven't experienced anything quite like Portishead.

Manchmal habe ich vergessen, dass das Musik sein soll

Mint

Really interesting, I was never bored for sure

It's rare an album this experimental is also this listenable. Reminds me of Kid A in ways, but in some ways it's very unique. I was kind of annoyed at a late-career album like this making the list when so many from the 21st century are ignored, but this one is genuinely great.

Some interesting ideas here, but at times I couldn't help but feel like this was more a demo than a studio album. I think there's probably some treasure here if you've got the time to dig for it among the rubble, but unfortunately, I only had time for two playthroughs today, and that wasn't enough to uncover the goods. Regardless, I think the weak vocals and "misery chick" vibe bring it down; so, it's a 2 for me.

I am thinking 1001 albums you need to listen to is not because every album is good, and will be an enriching experience. Maybe some of these albums you need to hear are because they are garbage, and you should be able to recognize that, This was equal parts annoying, painful, and yet boring. For fucks sake.

Loved Beth's voice, the innovative production choices and the atmosphere

Creativity won the 3

Electronic music just isn’t my style

Dark, moody and very experimental. Truthfully, I only know Dummy which is a phenomenal album. Third felt less impressive but also far more unconventional in terms of structure and pace. Some of these tracks create such tension and unease that it is almost astonishing that I kept listening to it. It's very gloomy and lulls you in with dark ballads while cold electronica hits you like a truck. Personally, I didn't like it as much as some of the tracks feel a bit sparse but overall I think it's an interest piece of work but just not for me.

Songs here that I definitely liked, The Rip, We Carry On, Machine Gun and Magic Doors especially, but there were too many tracks that I didn't feel enough for, so it will be getting a 3.

Machine Gun was about as fun as it gets

I loved the first 2 portishead albums. This one is poor by comparison.

I get what the vibe was, just was not my vibe

I am pretty familiar with the album Dummy from back in the 90s. That was a good album and it had a strong sense of self, but I this is really something else entirely. I'm glad they were able to regroup and generate some new original music. This feels complete.

I enjoyed how bold and different the album was. The singer was great. Some of the buzzer-like sounds worked really well I thought, especially in grabbing your attention as they were changing direction. Pretty relentless.

It's certainly different from their first two albums. Doesn't have the same trip-hop beat nor as much of the strings / jazz / etc sounds. But it's still awesome. I recall having the same reaction to this album (especially songs like Machine Gun) that I did to Radiohead's Kid A (with songs like Idioteque). Initial reaction is "wait, what's this, what happened to that old sound?" but then I grow to love it.

Almost went 5 here. This is likely the best album, at least sonically. And it's menacing af sometimes. But, I have a slight preference to their first album just because it made more of an impact on me when it came out.

Even when Portishead is creepy and foreboding, they're still pretty great.

I enjoyed this album overall and it seemed to roll along easily!

Quite unsettling overall. It stressed me out. Stand-out: The Rip

Wow, missed this first time round. Breathtaking in places.

I think this album will grow on me with repeated listens. Unique textures and the lead singers haunting voice are the stand out qualities.

Great electronic album, less trip hop than previously, a few songs are kinda whatever, but pretty good overall.

The rip is one of my top 10 songs but the rest of the album is inconsistent as may be boring to my taste. There are some good stuff as well.

Elektronische Musik Hat was, aber nicht unbedingt zum nebenher hören

No me gusta tanto como 'Dummy', pero tiene su misma onda, quizás un poco más electrónico del ruidoso.

Not a fan of this one and I like Portishead. Meh

This is my first time listening to Porishead. It feels like what you would get if Bjork were to become the new lead singer of Muse. You have the long mystical vocal notes cutting through the rhythmic beats. The more I sit with "Third" the more it grows on me. It is dark, powerful, and melodic.

Nowhere near their earlier work Can’t quite say why but it’s strangely forgettable

Stellenweise etwas hektisch, aber viele sehr schöne Passagen 4/5

I really like Dummy and was looking forward to this album but I was shocked at how little I liked it. Where Dummy was a great trip hop album, this felt... I dunno, not good. It felt like shoegaze meets industrial with trip-hop vocals. Which is maybe the description of trip-hop. but this album didn't feel like a cohesive whole. 2.5, rounding down to 2 because I was so disappointed in comparison to Dummy Machine Gun was a great example of this - the music and her vocals just didn't gel at all

I’m not sure how I feel about this album. It’s not uninteresting to listen to, but it’s also not very exciting. It kind of feels like a video game soundtrack.

Ugh, this just felt like an art rock project. I honestly don't think it was made to be enjoyable listening. A muted attempt at a Metal Machine Music type album? Who knows. But, I won't be back to listen again. Hated the way the drums sounded and the singers voice was super irritating to me as well.

Meh.

I am sad and confused (never liked these guys much).

There is some decent stuff here but it's mostly a bit boring for me.

Some ok stuff on here, but mixed in with some real snorers.

started getting more interested around Rip. kinda lost me after that but i'm back now at magic doors. Reminds me of Karen o and some of the yeah yeah yeah songs i love

Good. Not as good as dummy.

Wonderful soundtrack vibe, moving away from their trip hop sound

I like some of Portishead's stuff, but this album isn't high on that list....

In my opinion this is genuinely one of the greatest albums of all time. The group comes back after a decade of inactivity to create a weirdo art-rock masterpiece with influences from all over the place. Beth's voiced aged into something so haunting and fragile it sounds like it's on the verge of completely breaking, especially on the final track. Part of me still wants them to release another album in the future, but how do you improve on near perfection?

portishead vuonna 2008: jahas kukas tää on.. taylor swift... noh tehääs ablum... ekaa kertaa vuosikymmeneen.. näytetään poppistaralle mitä kuuluu from britain.. from britain with love.. UUTINEN: THEY JUST TRADED HARRI OLLI FOR ADAM MALYSZ.... NO WAY.. generetaatiolinen talentti, heitetty pois kuin hammastikku, hammastikulla hampaita kaivertaa ja sitten peukalo ja etusormi painetta ja naps heitetty HELVETTIIN hammastikku.. eikä edes katsota mihin laskeutuu, mihin törmää, ja missä kunnossa... kaukana ovat päivät, ne hyvät päivät. rip

Don't know what their First and Second were but their Third was an odd hodgepodge that I failed to connect with.

30/01/25 Portishead don't do it for me. I found the album quite boring.

Not keen on the industrial sound but decent otherwise. I feel like I should hate this lot but I can't

I had heard of this band and have friends who like them, but had never listened to one of their albums. I really enjoyed this, it had an interesting mixture of different musical styles and yet was coherent. I'm generally reserving five stars for timeless classics, things that are just overwhelmingly great, so I am not giving this that rating, though I was tempted... it really is that good!

Can't be doing with much of this one I'm afraid. Liked Dummy quite a lot at the time but I'll probably never reach for this one. Bleak

I liked this a lot - especially from the second half. Some tracks hit that near-perfect dark, sad sound (Small, for example). Highlights: The Rip, Machine Gun, Small

I was originally upset this album wasn't a continuation of Dummy or Portishead but it really grew on me.

Three for Third. The original Portishead album was one of my favorite discoveries thus far doing this project, but this one was just…okay. Not sure what it was, but it was missing that special “spark” the first one had. I didn’t hate listening to it, but it kinda felt like a more average retread of the first one. Thus, three stars.

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

I really just don’t think this was a necessary addition. I think it was bleh and I was passively listening to it.

First impressions after about 10 minutes - am getting a strong sense of unease while listening. I like it. Nothing is predictable here - hypnotic. Unfortunately some of it gets a little much and after the first run of 5 or so songs I don't know anymore - e.g. "Machine Gun?" perfectly-titled. Kind of (completely) unlistenable. Which followed the oddly-placed Deep Water (ukelele??). We'll call this a mixed bag - I really really like and am lost in about half the songs which is usually enough to cruise to an easy 4 or 5 but it might be more suited to making my own playlist of half the album. Would i have to call it 1/6th? (....because .... half of a third is..... ...) 6/10 3 stars.

A different vibe than the first two Portishead albums, which I am extremely familiar with. Some tracks connected, but there is something different that misses the mark. They no longer have the vibe of hiding in a dark room, poring out your soul to the heavens.

Some very good tracks on this

Not as good as Dummy, and probably not needed in here as well as Dummy, but still an interesting listening from Portishead. High 3*, The Rip is fantastic. Machine Gun very cool too.

I think moving away from triphop wasn't the best call. That was something that made them really unique and interesting. The production on their album is still really good, though. Even the drums, which I usually hate fake or overproduced drum sounds, I'm actually quite impressed by. The singer's voice is also really nice, and I think is pretty unique. After listening to Dummy, though, I was really excited to hear another Portishead album, and this just disappointed. Maybe coming into this with absolutely no expectations would have changed by experience, but I can't imagine it would have dramatically moved the needle for me. There are still some good songs, but overall, it's disappointing. Favorite Song(s): Hunter, Thread

Tiene letras que parecen profundas y que seguro merezcan un análisis, pero vocalmente e instrumentalmente el álbum suena bastante monótono; tanto que, de a ratos, aburre.

I didn't hate it, and I liked Machine Gun most of the songs. However, I wouldn't listen to it again.

OK, let's start with the fact that I cannot stand Portishead. But this time I tried to really listen to the album to figure out what was it that kmahes it so off-putting -- because I don't like atonal stuff to much, I don't think this is atonal. It's not exactly pretty but there are definitely interesting sounds in here. So after really immersing myself for a full album, I realize my dislike is entirely about the vocalist. And the morr ethereal she gets, the more I hate it. Her consonants tick like a person chewing in my ear; her melodies are fine but her delivery is affected and pretentious and, to my ears, ugly. At times when she is louder or more forceful (while still hardly ever singing with any real force at all), I find her singing more tolerable but still the worst part of everything in listening to. And finally, at times when she's not singing at all, I actually really like this music. I dig the electronic soundscapes, but just cannot get owe how much I dislike listening to the woman's voice on top of it.

I usually like Electronica, but this has a too-dark mood for me. Beth's sometimes eery voice, the disharmonies, and the occasionally a bit too experimental music weren't my thing.

Nice, has a very specific mood which I can’t quite describe. A little bit of tension and stress. Great album though. The rip is an amazing song.

Way different than the first one I heard. I like it though.

didn't enjoy that much

Ok i have one more song to go but i don’t mind this. It was nice to hear a feminine voice

If every song was as fun as the opener, this would have been a 4.

The first half of the album was a bit slow and meh for me besides the first song. The second half of the album from deepwater to threads is a 5 with Machine Gun being the peak. The haunting vocals, creative drums and eerie synth noises create a series of songs that feel like they were designed to put the listener into a state of anxious trance. Until you abruptly wake up to the sirens at the end of threads

I really enjoyed this! The beeping in the beginning of the first song being off-beat with the melody unsettled me. The vocals throughout the album also reminded me of the kinda haunted echoey voice of Angel Olsen. Having never heard any other Portishead I'm curious to see if this album fits perfectly into their normal sound or if this is a departure at all. My hope is that it stands out from the rest because this one is pretty unpredictable, unsettling, and a bit post-apocalyptic feeling, which maybe one album is enough for that

Dummy is one of my favorite albums but I hadn't heard this one. Love Beth Gibbons (check out her album Out of Season) and this album did not disappoint. Maybe not as catchy as Dummy, but they make a great low-fi ambient record with beautiful melodies over eery guitar playing. I loved it. Also, just because I can't help it....the first tune reminded me of the Can song Vitamin C from '72. lol If you like any of this album, you might enjoy that one.

2- kinda cool creepy ideas but most the album falls flat. Favorite song The rip

It's no dummy. Still pretty good, missing the trip hop elements Will I listen to again: 50%

This record is so good. Oddly the love record from New York captures some of the songs better. But this mood is so pronounced.

1st song is a great driving groove of a tune, followed by many songs of aimless singing melodies and droning electronic noises and beats nowhere near the groove, energy, and coolness of first song.

Painful. At some points, genuinely painful. Dummy was one of the 90s best albums. Turns out I can’t say I like Portishead anymore.

it’s really good , wouldn’t t listen to it often since it’s quite bleak . 3 their first two albums would get 5 stars though.

This album is frustrating. There’s some decent music surrounded by the most annoying noise imaginable.

Portishead is pretty sweet

It felt like 3 different bands played on this one crazy album but it was good

Bleak with no redeeming qualities. Portishead can produce great tracks, but this is just a dud in every sense.

Mesmerising

really not a fan of the whole trip-hop thing so the other portishead album i encountered on this journey really did not do anything for me. i groaned when i got this album because i was expecting the same. boy was i wrong. i really dig this one! it definitely has electronic aspects to it for sure, but what i really love is the dissonant, ethereal feel to this one, mixed with a lot of the indie-retro sound. in a lot of respects, it sounds like it was made in 2008, but a lot of spots on the record, you might think it was made in a different era. one of the highlights for me was how the track 'the rip' built into a cacophony of electronic noise. really cool, really interesting, really glad i listened to this one and gave it a shot!

Not as good as Dummy, but an interesting listen 3/5

1,5

The Rip // Small //

This is another album that didn’t fully connect with me when listening to it as a standalone experience. While there are clear influences from artists like Radiohead and Kate Bush, and a strong electronic undercurrent, I found it hard to enjoy as a cohesive album. However, when I started imagining it as the soundtrack to a dark thriller, it clicked in a different way. The music feels tense and frantic, with a cinematic quality that lends itself well to visual storytelling. That said, the album’s deliberately offbeat and unconventional vibe made it feel a little too self-conscious for my taste—more “music for Tumblr girls” than something I’d revisit. Standout Song: The Rip Score: 3/5

Very fun mellow jams. Otherworldly sounds

More like 2,8

Mouais... la mélodie pour beaucoup de chansons semble être composée de bruits et sons d'instruments assez aléatoires, peu de logique, pas beaucoup de lien entre les instrumentales et la voix (qui d'ailleurs ne varie pas beaucoup, c'est globalement une complainte monotone tout au long de l'album...) I dont get the appeal

It's not my top 1 Portishead album, but it's still a beautiful work of music.

Silence 3.4 Hunter 3.2 Nylon Smile 2.7 The Rip 3 Plastic 2.8 We Carry On 3.4 Deep Water 2.9 Machine Gun 3 Small 3.2 Magic Doors 3.1 Threads 3.2 Score: 3.081818182

3.75 Pretty good, vulnerable, beautiful

This may have gotten an extra star for just not being more Britpop, but it still earned it. I always loved Portishead, and this was a good listen after the long gap.

I had stopped listening to Portishead by the time this album came out, though they had gotten their hooks in me deeply with the soundtrack from the cult classic film of the 90's 'Tank Girl' in their earlier years. Some of the first tracks don't hit that hard, but 'The Rip' seems to be a very important song. I found myself putting that on my favs list and wanting to hear it over and over.

It's hard to catch lightning in a bottle and so I don't expect this to be the same band that released the stellar 'Dummy' album, fourteen years prior to this. However, 'Third' is an album entirely unexpected. Expectedly, Third is cautious to retain the band's original sound, but also intent to show their evolution over elapsed time. Something most bands struggle with. Third is able to effortlessly integrate real instrumentation with the drum machines and sampled bits they're famous for. And the arrangements on Third have become more diverse, complex and sharper than anything on Dummy. Beth Gibbons' voice has become less the haunting echos and more overt Stockholm Syndrome while retaining a feeling of soft-immediacy. Third's expanse of darker themes has grown wider, weirder and unapologetic. Some of these tracks play most of the way through like beautiful performance art pieces only to be awkwardly interrupted without notice, just like you'd expect performance art to be. The album plays closer to a Blonde Redhead album of the same era than a Basement Jaxx or UNKLE album of yesteryear. Third is an album that defies category and shows Portishead is not afraid to change on their own terms and challenge the idea of confined maturity. Though awkward at times and seemingly disjointed on the surface, Third is worth exploring deeper and is an excellent evolution for the band that may overshadow their original release, Dummy.

I don’t have a connection to “Third” like I do with “Dummy,” so I’m trying to decide how much of my love of that album is rooted in nostalgia that is missing and unable to hook me into “Third.” When we reviewed “Dummy,” I said that it “flows sublimely from one track to the next, creating one of the most enveloping, haunting, sultry, and mesmerizing musical experiences I've had.” It's really interesting to consider “Third” in relation to that. “Third” also has some of that flow from one track to the next, to the extent that on much of the back half of the album I wondered if I was accidentally repeating a song. But it also has the jarring change from the first song to the second. And in general, it’s not quite as enveloping or mesmerizing because too many discordant moments shake the listener from their haunting bliss. It's a fascinating album, and impressively coherent, but in the end it doesn’t capture me the way “Dummy” did.

I will always and forever love Beth Gibbons' voice, loss of a star for some of the abrupt changes in sound/tempo that were jarring.

It sounds like they were trying to have their music be less accessible than their first two albums. I miss the scratching sounds.

Cool album

Livid I hadnt listened to this before. Total masterpiece, and more up my street these days than their Massive Attack buddies. I always assumed they wouldnt be as good, but this is absolutely class. Love how it goes from subtle to mad. Can hear HEALTH / Low / Kim Gordon in a few of these tracks. Then other times they sound nothing like any of them. I’ll be listening to this a lot going forward!

I was fully expecting ambient dance music from portishead for some reason. They were actually quite dark and strange, reminded me of nine inch nails more than anything else for most songs. We carry on in particular which was class, the discordant guitar bit over the top is in a dozen NIN songs. Singing style didn't work on every song but overall thought this was surprisingly good.

A really pleasant surprise this. The Rip and We Carry On are beautiful songs. I like Massive Attack, but always avoided Portishead (maybe because of the name, sounds like a toilet). Not everything works - Plastic is a bit rubbish, but enough does work. Spooky, atmospheric, haunting, and fresh. Am between a 4 and a 5, but I think I'll give in.

I thought portishead were a bit more rocky than this, but not sure what I'm basing that on. This was interesting though, kinda industrial sounding. I'm not sure it's quite for me but I did quite enjoy it. Think the rip was the best track. Not sure I'll be back but glad I've heard it

This one’s all tunnel, very little light. Which can make it tricky to truly ‘enjoy’, but it feels masterful all the same. The Rip stands out as a moment of aching, airborne beauty amongst the paranoid, subterranean claustrophobia of the rest of the album.

The first portishead album is probably top albums of all time for me. This wouldn’t hit the top 1000

Really interesting album from a band that I've heard their name but never their music. Atmospheric and dark, minimal at times. Krautrock and trip hop influences. Really unique.

non lo riesco a sentì....

Люблю эмбиентные попукивания, но эти попукивания меня утомили.

When will the enjoyable music appear on this list?

I really like this album, it has different vibes on it and listening with the headphones is cool. Also the singer voice is very hypnotic

Second album by Portishead. This one is much more depressing. Like the soundtrack to a movie where everyone dies, including the dog. Some interesting sounds but I won’t listen again.

Gloomy in all the right ways

I do quite like Portishead, pretty nice stuff

Can’t really get into it tbh nr/10

This album started with 5 stars because Dummy could be my favorite album ever. But after the listen, I can't say I was impressed. It felt uninspired and at times it was so dissonant that I questioned if I was being pranked. It was a big disappointment for me

Never really been a big portishead fan. Their music is always kind of depressing in my opinion (no offense Adam - please don't unfriend me)

Some parts awesome, some dissonant

I normally like moody music, but this one wasn't for me. They used some really annoying sounds on We Carry On, Machine Gun and Magic Doors for example.

Almost as anxiety inducing as when Len’s mum used to offer to cook when we were jamming late in his garage! God bless her, she was one hell of a woman and so generous but my god she couldn’t cook. She almost wrote off an entire Houmous & Chutney tour wit her devilled eggs! 2.8

absurdly pristine crafted nightmare music. many masterful Just Slightly Wrong But Not Enough To Realize You're Dreaming touches. beth gibbons can be kind of a comfort on dummy, a latchable human element in the misty darkness, here she is somehow more uncanny than she isnt...like something ur trying and failing to forget, but you Did forget why u were trying in the first place, leaving only contextless dread. kinda hot ngl

I agree with the guy who said it's the sound track of their anxiety...

I strongly disliked this album until the very end, then was surprised at the sudden increase in quality. Then I realized that the album has actually ended and Spotify was playing recommended songs from other artists.

This was a fun time with a lot of wacky sounds, exactly what I want from these guys, a little more beach housy than their earlier work which is very cool

Best Song: The Rip. Nicely understated, and I like how it transitions into the heavier electronic section. Worst Song: Small. The distortion was really unnecessary here and clashed with the vocals. Overall: Very nice. Very background. Promotes a particular chill vibe without being too forward or laidback.

Blind album, know the artist by name. Kinda disappointed here. Had glimmers but this dragged on in my opinion. No clue what happened but maybe I'm just in a bad mood from my shitty job.

I love Portishead. This is not my favorite album

Creepysexycool

Lost me a little in the second half but superb opening and closing tracks. Will definitely revisit.

deep water

I respect the experimental sound, but I don't like it. It's fine, they had already a banger album, doing something different is the only logical step.

Not quite as perfect as “Dummy”, but re-listening this time there’s so many tracks I love that I hadn’t really noticed before! So good, so good.

Let's go

Dark and trenchant, but often resonant (especially when listening in the right circumstances [slightly depressed, say, on a grim winter's day]). Ages better than Dummy, thanks to cutting the cutesy (and uber-trip-hoppy) effects. This is music to set you on edge. “Nylon Smile” is woozy and warbly; “We Carry On” grinding (perhaps appropriately) and annoying. The migraine-inducing “Machine Gun” seems to want to be Nine Inch Nails-lite, a most dubious aspiration on multiple levels. And it feels like music singularly subject to the context of weather: the worse it is, the better this sounds. Maybe trip-hop was never one's thing. Or maybe it was overrated all along. Or perhaps it's a curse to win the Mercury Prize, relegating/restricting your work to a moment in time or ensuring your future ambitions will be frustrated. Editors comparing to an allegedly failed effort by The Verve seems like cheap and insecure justification or apology for a record that one finds distinctly hard to get behind. Menacing? Yes, for sure, but not necessarily in an engaging way. Enduring? One just doesn't hear it.

portishead rules lol

Não me pegou.. Mas acho que é o tipo de música que eu gosto. Confuso, mas futuramente eu deva dar uma chance novamente

eita que chatice. "machine gun" é a única música que eu vi uma tentativa interessante e se sobressai.

Not a patch on Dummy, but Beth's voice is as amazing as ever.

Interesting. Don't think I'd listen to it very often, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Never heard this album. But I did own Portishead's first album (which is better than this one). That album is also on this list. Not bad experimental music but didn't resonate enough with me to pull me in. Not sure Portishead needs to be on this list at all, much less with 2 albums.

Correcto. Raro

This is what this list was made for. Obviously I've heard of Portishead, and know a few track (Only You is a banger), but I didn't even know they were still going in 2008. This record is superb all the way through. Favourite tracks: Silence (that abrupt ending is so jarring in a good way), The Rip (damn, what a song), Plastic, Magic Doors (damn, what a song).

Omg so good

Incroyable album, je pense que je l'ai vraiment préféré à Dummy (qui lui a été un tantinet sur-évalué de ma part). Définitivement à réécouter, un magnifique album. 9.5/10

We listened to the first Portishead album recently on 1001 albums, and I think I said that I knew the songs well from "around" but never owned a copy. I liked it but never thought of it as "my music" though it was of my time. I think the problem is I don't really enjoy listening to Beth Gibbons voice. And that is repeated here. This is a "comeback album" of sorts, after ten years and the band being put on hiatus. Or so I read on Wikipedia. I also read that this marked a move from the original trip hop style to more krautrock influences. All of which explains my initial reaction to the first song which was I was really enjoyed the groove until the singing started and then I wanted to skip it. And when the singing stopped I was really enjoying the groove again but then it stopped abruptly. After this, there were grooves I liked and didn't, times when the singing didn't annoy me too much, and stuff. It was okay. I don't think I'll come back to it though.

I remember this feeling a really ‘abrasive’ album at the time, the band deliberately going against their previous two efforts and their softer sound. It’s interesting to listen to again after all these years, still abrasive but also an excellent album… a 3.5 almost 4 for me….

Interesting, but requires the right mood to listen.

more annoying than cool

a little too late

Interesting compositions but overall not my thing.

Fantastic. I'm going to play this more.

Portishead is wel oké, maar deze moest er voor mij niet in. Dummy is genoeg (geweldig album trouwens). Dit album kende ik niet en hoefde ik na het luisteren ook niet per se te kennen. Klinkt soms oké, maar vooral een beetje repetitief en heeft niet de dark Portishead sound die ik graag hoor. 'T is eerder een Bon Iver remix van Portishead. 2.3

Великий альбом великой группы, который, мне кажется, повлиял на миллиард артистов. Очень трудно выбрать любимую песню здесь. Лучшая песня - Machine Gun.

Brilliantly cohesive album. Couples ethereal atmosphere with insistent rhythms, sometimes throwing very 80s dark synth energy. Always great vocals and interesting lyrics.

Dummy is one of my favourite albums ever and maybe my favourite debut album. The other two Portishead albums have never quite done it for me in the same way, but I’m really glad I revisited this one Dummy is quite dark and gloomy on the whole but there are also these beautifully bright bursts of strings and sax and synths that add so much to the tone of the record. Third does not have those bright bursts - it’s just incredibly bleak. The atmosphere is overwhelming and disturbing and I find it a quite difficult listen, but it’s so powerful at conjuring that atmosphere that I can’t help but respect it, and there are some very rewarding moments especially towards the end. Definitely not an album I could put on every day, but when the time and place is right it is so uniquely affecting

Didn’t have the impact of Dummy. A lil bland for my ears

It did take me a few songs to get used to this, but I did enjoy it once I had.

Another classic from Portishead. I love the darker vibe on this album. It's a great spooky season listen.

Portishead is perhaps the best known group that made trip-hop, a term that the band helped define, even as the band was not crazy about being associated with the label. The band's work is a unique mix: Beth Gibbon's haunting vocals, atmospheric electronics, and slow-tempo, hip-hop rhythms. The result is haunting, lovely, and dark. Third is the band's third, and perhaps last, studio album. Like their other albums, it was very well received critically, and found some commercial success. Portishead isn't a band that had hit singles; while popular - to an extent - this is not "pop." This album seems to be better with repeated listens, but of challenging enough that many may not get to the second listen.

Somebody reviewed said: "If my anxiety had a soundtrack it would be this album", and I don't think there's anything else that I would add. Perfect summary.

Certified gold in the UK? I guess that has a different meaning across the pond.

This made me feel a way I've never felt before. In the worst possible way.

Portishead has a completely unique sound. I bought Dummy on a whim during the 90's British invasion and was surprised how much I liked it. This one is good as well, just had fallen off my radar by the time they put it out.

Overall: 10/10 I am incredibly hungover today (not a big drinker but I went to a halloween party) and I found this to be the perfect music for today. This is a very chill album with gorgeous, haunting vocals and interesting uses of different instruments. I've also been a big fan of Geoff Barrow's collaborations with Ben Salisbury on the films of Alex Garland so it was cool to see a different side of him! Update: For the first time since I've started doing this I've not only relistened to an album in the same day but I've now listened to this 4 times today and I'm blown away by it. I love finding a new favourite and this is easily the best discovery I've had with this list! Beth Gibbons may be an all-timer vocalist for me now. Fav Song: The Rip Least Fav Song: Deep Water (only because it's too short)

Great album.

I didn't expect this to be such a tough listen. Dummy was one of my favorite trip-hop style albums and I went in expecting something similar. Instead, there's basically an anxiety attack in album form. Atonal synths, heavy beats, and just LOUD. Not at all a pleasant listen. Pass.

What I like about Portishead is they're impossible to define or put in a box. I guess experimental is the only way you could describe their music because they sure keep you guessing. I heard some similarities with seventies' progressive music, which makes sense with the psychedelia! I can't say I loved this album. I genuinely liked it, but more important than that, my appreciation grew the more I listened to it.

It's really wild to consider that Portishead has been around since the 1990s and yet this album, released in 2008, was only their third studio album (and as of 2024, still their most recent). And yet, it was like they were never gone, as this album embraces the same trip-hop, atmospheric, creepy aesthetic that they were pioneering in the 90s. It's impressive that they can stay so consistent over such a long period of time with so very little in their discography. This also sounded incredibly inspired by horror movie music to me, so I was pleased to see that I was spot on: John Carpenter was a huge influence to them on this album. That inspiration weaves in so well with their style. The John Carpenter style ending in particular was haunting. Was this the absolute best thing on the project? No. But I enjoyed it. And I like the fact that Portishead is so intentional with their work that it produces truly unique listening experiences.

Not heard this before. Really enjoyed listening to it.

Not their best album couple of tracks, maybe had run their course by this point. Interestingly can hear some Beak in this!!!

Awesome, I'd forgotten how good this album is.

Melancholic, raucous, and sublime

Best enjoyed late at night.

I loved this album. The Rip is a 5/5 song. I listen to plenty of portishead but this one came to me in later years and it was a gift. One morning I was in Seattle for work and my son, then 14, made me a playlist and sent it over with that song on it. I’ll never forget hearing it that way too. I just love this album.

some really cool stuff in here! unfortunately also some tough bits to listen to

Definitely did not expect the opening of the album in portuguese! Cool vibes, but a bit too abstract for my taste. Wouldn't listen to this often, but can definitely appreciate that it's good!

Struggled to get through it because of mood mismatch, but I can see this standing out compared to other albums, so I am glad to have ran into this one

Very chill but not Portisheads best

Pretty cool but the vocals all start to sound the same over time

I like Portishesd generally. Machine Gun is the stand out.

My least favorite album by one of my all time favorite bands. I wouldn’t go a week without listening to Portishead when I was in high school. I was so pumped when this album came out - I think it had been 10 years since Live at Roseland. Unfortunately this one just never mustered the same kind of genius as their earlier stuff. Interesting, but not quite top form.

Rating scale: 3 = Liked, won't listen again 4 = Liked, listened again for pleasure 5 = Liked, downloaded Might be benefiting from being good background music while working.

4 - I want to re-listen at some point, I found it really intriguing and not always pleasant, but somehow left me wanting more.

3.3/3 duh

Their weakest to me

I wasn't so sure about this album at first based on the very first song, but it really ended up being a great album to listen to! Has a sort of melancholic and eerie vibe, but it all flows nicely from song to song. It's totally one of my favorite kinds of sounds in an album. My favorite songs are "Hunter", and "The Rip".

4.5

Liked this even better than dummy. So cool and so eclectic. Love her songwriting and voice.

AYO really great stuff here. Gonna get back on this stuff now as callbacks are winding down but wow awesome stuff.

Didn't enjoy as much as other Portishead

I don’t think there’s doing any better than their first album, but this is still amazing. Still original into the new millennia. Unique and experimental while still being enjoyable. Great vocals, writing, instrumentation, and production. This is great. 4/5

Cool experimental development on their sound.

This is a challenging album, no doubt about it, but kudos to the band for taking the risk. Tres chic 90s angst is replaced with 2000s The Great Recession paranoia and despair depicted by a slew of Minor 3rd chord progressions over adventures in multiple genres. I'm not a fan of Gibbons voice, but fortunately the instrumentals and arrangements or so crazy on this album that I have plenty of other interesting things to listen to on these tracks.

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