Third

Like it but didn’t love it. Just never really caught me. I like the instrumentals the best.

Atmospherice, dramatic, trippy, all up my alley. Big Portishead fan for a long time and this album is fantastic.

Portishead's ethereal trip-hop with an added splash of krautrock and industrial? Don't mind if I do! Fave tracks - "Silence" is a monster, "The Rip" is cinematic as hell, "We Carry On" is a beast, "Machine Gun" has long been a favorite. Awesomeness all round, really.

I really haven't had much exposure to Portishead before. I did enjoy parts of this album. It's sort of interesting but kind of annoying too. I'll settle for a 3 since it will at least inspire me to listen to more of this band.

This was a good listen and had an interesting style but it grabbed me less than I expected. Gave it two listens wondering if I'd find more but didn't really.

Pretty good. A bit of a 1960s psychedelic vibe at times. The vocals could be better or replaced with a trumpet. We Carry On, Makes me think of Pink Elephants on Parade bit when Dumbo is hallucinating.

Very different than Dummy. Very dark and ominous, really liked it. Faves: The Rip, Threads

Liked this album a lot less than Dummy, I don't gel as well with this one. Instruments clash in unpleasant ways sometimes, can be grating sometimes. Machine Gun was a very cool song.

Ok

Their second best

I was already familiar with the Dummy album but not this one. It is interesting, about what I would have expected it to sound like. Sort of cool and futuristic. I liked it enough to hear it again, but don't know that I'd pick this one over Dummy.

Dang, really good, very much my vibe. This might be my first time listening to this album. I was pretty into their first two albums in the previous millennium, and those were also great.

Pretty good Portishead, I gotta say. I didn’t know this one as well as Dummy, but I really liked the different sounds this one explored. Good stuff!

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did. Admittedly, I know very little about Portishead, though. Not a 5, but a solid 4.

01) Silence - 8,5 02) Hunter - 8,5 03) Nylon Smile - 8,0 04) The Rip - 9,0 05) Plastic - 8,5 06) We Carry On - 8,5 07) Deep Water - 7,5 08) Machine Gun - 9,0 09) Small - 7,5 10) Magic Doors - 8,5 11) Threads - 8,0 TOTAL: 8,32 (83/100) 16 years after its release, I'm finally starting to understand the hype surrounding "Third". I guess as a person gets older, some things just fall into place. Maybe it depends on the place and the time, because "Third" sounds like a perfect soundtrack for a cold September Sunday evening like this one.

Easily (and surprisingly) the best Portishead album and one of the biggest revelations on the list. Even though the best songs are from first album, this one is extremely solid and enjoyable. Different style than last two records, we have a more chilled, more trip, less hop. Basically electronica with few additional genres as a soundtrack to a trippy movie. Amazing album, will listen to again. And again.

Sepulchral, ominous, pessimistic, hopeless, down-in-the-mouth, overwhelming, daunting, charcoal-painted, tormented, fragile, layered with so many levels of darkness, haunted and haunting... How many adjectives can I pile up to express how much I love this record? Portishead was already a project worthy of this list by the mid-nineties, thanks to the immense success of their first two seminal albums, triggering a whole genre Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley had actually not much interest in. Then, moving far away from "trip-hop", and after a somewhat long period where they felt creatively drained, Barrow and Utley joined their forces with the ever-moody and melancholic Gibbons again, and the result is this masterpiece. One that is to this day often misunderstood, sadly. *Subtly* ripping off rather obscure vintage acts such as The United States Of America or Silver Apples ("We Carry On" basically shares the same premise as "Oscillations" for its rhythmical pattern, for instance), Barrow offers Gibbons perfect jewellery cases for her rough diamond of a frail voice, her genius vocal lines, and her despondent lyrics. Drawing from a lot more of Krautrock influences this time around, Portishead thus manages to outdo its already iconic legacy. They might have lost some "casual" fans in the process, but to hell with them. *Third* is the one album in the Bristol band's discography that proves that trends and lucky strikes are not all that there is to make you fall in love with a band (again). The ever-cinematic soundscapes are various, but also uncompromising. The arrangements offer a treasure trove of unforgettable melodies for listeners unafraid of dark subject matters. Adrian Utley's electric guitar moans and winces like an injured animal licking its wounds. And the emotions expressed are so intense that *Dummy* and *Portishead* could almost sound like innocuous albums made by The Verve or Spiritualized in comparison. I exaggerate, of course, those albums are still perfect gems in their ephemeral genre, yes. But *Third* is the moment where the project reaches a whole other level for fans of all the styles used here. It goes *beyond* trip hop, through the looking glass, and brings back so many dark surprises to us. And the songs, goddamnit! Sure, some of them are impressionistic, so to speak, in keeping with narrators too crushed by life and failed love relationships to shake a leg again. But honestly, there are a vast majority of highlights. And they start with the long-winded-yet-fully rewarding opener "Silence" and its curiously lively rhythms, preceding the devastating entrance of Gibbons on the scene, soon backed by a sinuous string section. Yet the song is just an appetizer here. "Hunter" and its frantic, worried beeps ensues, then "Nylon Smile" and its echoey, chiaroscuro guitar lines. Stretching its delicate wings like a butterfly soon engulfed by the twilight, "The Rip" builds a carousel of emotions over its core melancholic arpeggios, leaving a moving imprint in your soul forever. A couple of tracks later, relentless "We Carry On" gnaws you just like life and old age do. After a sweet interlude, comes the other centerpiece, minimalistic "Machine Gun", where Gibbons' cries of wonder, pain and worry into the night contrast with a merciless electronic beat blasting your ears into oblivion. And when a suddenly luminous, John Carpenter-inspired synth line suddenly surges, it's as if frail sun rays pierced into the black clouds and the overcast sky at last. Not long after, surprise, "Magic Doors" actually *grooves*, thanks to its cowbell-addled drums and bouncy bassline. The song manages to make an accordion of sorts sound *good*, its chorus is an emotional rollercoaster, and the whole offers one glimmer of hope, barely dirtied by a short off-kilter free-jazz sax. Yet that ephemeral light soon gets covered by "Threads", probably the darkest composition ever penned by Portishead, WHICH SPEAKS VOLUMES. Beth's anguished cries towards its conclusion... I don't even have the words to describe such a hellish closer. *Third* is hands down Portishead's best LP, and the fact that a lot of people aware of its existence fail to see it (pussies!) only adds to its dark legacy. Here Gibbons, Barrow and Utley explored black pits where even The Cure, Bauhaus or Sisters Of Mercy feared to tread. A black diamond indeed. Number of albums left to review: 69 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 402 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 231 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 299

Decent listen, but docked a star for the author’s compunction to include a band’s entire discography. “Dummy” is a clear 5-star entry, and this album should appear as a footnote.

I liked this one a lot! I might have to rate it a 5 just bc anything i listen to twice in one day gets a bonus star.

Lots of beeps, and bops-a bit too many, actually. It was definitely a unique experience, but at the same time, not a very enjoyable experience. I certainly hope "Third" isn't ranked their first best album. Favorite Track: "Nylon Smile".

A bit too acid not enough jazz

Way too experimental, I felt attacked by the machine gun. Great voice.

Some of the production was cool, but I could not STAND the vocals. Overall, the project felt pretentious as hell. This was my 100th album and it was a let down lol. 2/5

This album is so impressive on so many levels. It's a great album, and even though I love their first two, this one feels more modern to what music became after the initial trip-hop days. And, after 11 years since their second album, for them to make such an incredible follow-up is so impressive.

Not nearly as good as Dummy. Some decent at times atmospheric music, but in my opinion not worth the listen.

Portishead innit

Really interesting album, very different from Dummy which is also excellent. Definitely an album to revisit

Tedious more often than not

enjoyable album with good beats and vocals

Fascinating, dark, introspective, unbalanced, and difficult. Art, without question, but not for everyone. Managing our emotional pain is one reason music exists. Portisehead is really good at framing that world in a visceral way. Nothing is tactile, everything is just out of reach in a way. By that I mean the sound - almost drums, almost guitar, then it fades away or explodes off in the distance. THe sound of lonliness is really palpable in the vocals. Often it feels like you're the only person in a very large, very empty, very dark room. A little frightening.

Liked the animation on the Rip Video and the rest of the tracks were a bit of folk, rock, and some kind of trippy synthesizer and electric instruments that were disinteresting, disconnected.

Definitely interesting but not for me. The album feels so futuristic and retro.

Random ambient noises gave this one a strange sound.

I really like Portishead, especially the album Dummy, but this one didn't quite grab me. It lacked the musicality to tie it together and was more a collection of ethereal and experimental sounds without a common thread.

I reviewed Dummy a few months ago, and I really loved it, but that was my first exposure to Portishead, so I’ve never listened to this album before. With as much as I enjoyed Dummy, I’ve been excited to review this album. I’m curious to see how this album sounds, especially since it came out 14 years after Dummy. Overall, Third was fine. This album has a very different sound than Dummy, but like Dummy, it manages to have a specific atmosphere and mood that slips into every crevice of the album. I really loved the trip-hop sound of Dummy, and I knew not to expect that same sound going into Third, but musically, Third was really hit or miss for me. The highs on Third were great, but the lows felt dull and unnecessary in a sense. I really didn’t enjoy the first three songs on the album, but with “The Rip,” I started to be a lot more interested in it musically. The more grating and experimental the sound got, the more I enjoyed it. I felt like the more grating and jarring sounds created a better mood that meshed really well with the darker lyrical themes of the album. While Dummy had a more laid-back sound, I liked the anxious energy of Third quite a bit. I enjoyed the darker lyrical tone of this album, and Beth Gibbons’s vocals were a great vehicle for those lyrics. Her singing didn’t have much emotion on this album, but it I thought it worked well, because it gave her the quality of being an observer to the narrator’s emotions and experiences, and that detachment made the mood even more pervasive. As much as I loved Dummy, I could take or leave this album. It’s certainly not bad, but it doesn’t feel as essential as Dummy does.

She can’t sing. Not for me.

I love Portishead and I know a lot of people like "Machine Gun" but personally I can't stand it. Dummy is a better album anyway. 3.5 rounded up Standout: Plastic, Threads

4 stars

The parts where it feels like they're stabbing my eardrums are my favorite.

They're great. First time hearing this album

I prefer the earlier albums, "Portishead","Dummy" and the Roseland NYC live album.

Very unique sounding album, We Carry On was amazing.

Didn’t enjoy the vibes of this one. Not my thing.

I’m on a train and some of the sounds in the album confused me bc I couldn’t tell if it was the song or the train. I think the combo of the instrumental and the voice is interesting and I like it.

2/10 - I absolutely despised this album. It was just so off putting the entire time. I also listened to it while quite stressed so that definitely did not help. There were no songs that I enjoyed listening too and just wanted it to end.

I love dummy but I had never listened to this whole album. Pretty good

This is pretty dope. Beth Gibbons doesn't reel me in when it comes to her style and melodies, yet the atmosphere throughout the album keeps things interesting.

This album is really good. Didn’t know what to expect. I like the experimental sounds blended with melody

I feel like I was haunted by a beautiful ghost. It was really a lovely experience.

It is a very interresting album with various vocal and instrumental tones. Some recognision apperes during the album, and I can here other newer bands have found some inspiration here. I like it, although it might not want to here it that often :)

Psychedelic isn't really one of my favourite genres, most of the time I don't really connect with it a lot however Portishead hits a good mix for me with the more experimental and electronic elements. I found the first part of the album pretty enjoyable and then as I progressed through the tracks became more grating which I think was on purpose. I respect that, but I did enjoy those tracks like 'Magic Doors' a lot less Standouts Nylon Smile 3/5

Honestly portishead is hard for me, idk im just not a huge fan. Couldn’t get through it. I can see why people like them but it’s just not for me

This is very dark music! Not advised for people who like to be positive or happy. Not foe me

I love portishead and while Beth gibbons can carry any album on her vocals alone I was mildly disappointed by this one. It seemed a lot more experimental and less cohesive than something like dummy in a way that didn’t quite work for me. Deep water was my fav.

Discomfiting and challenging, this is easily the most interesting Portishead album that I’ve heard.

Trippy... It's really cool and maybe there's a few tracks in here for me to pull for a few playlists but honestly a lotta the album blends together. I appreciate the haze it puts me in its almost on the same level as Glass Animals. If I smoked this would be the soundtrack.

They had a vision and they executed it uncomfortably well, but it didn’t click with me

I really liked the music but not the vocals. Bummer.

Absolutely sublime ethereal trip hop! A magnificent album, by a magnificent band! It’s just sublime.

Tough listen. Really hampered by the vocals. I'm sure there are people out there who are into this but it's so mopey and dark. The instruments aren't awful (albeit maybe a bit boring) but yeah, not great. 3.5/10 (1.75/5)

Just not my kind of music or mood at all. Super slow and hard to get through.

i definitely enjoyed the second half of the album much more i think it was a lot tighter and more interesting overall

tem umas músicas boas e é uma boa vibe, mas tb tem umas que pqp

3.5/5. Portishead III.

A capital-I Important album whose release cycle I can remember pretty vividly since 'Third' served as my proper introduction to Portishead. Influenced by Krautrock and the hypnotic synth scores of John Carpenter, 'Third' is not so much an album as it is a horror film. Right from the opening spoken word manifesto in Portuguese - a musical equivalent of a title card letting viewers know this is inspired by a true story - the album plunges right into an underworld and rarely lets up (except in one instance, more on that later.)The guitar(?) in "Nylon Smile" sounds like the wispy tingle of a spider crawling on your skin. Gibbons never sounds as close to you as when she is pleading about her struggles with herself, her disconnect with her body as she refuses to conjure a smile let alone a laugh. In some of my favourite horror films (such as 'Lake Mungo' and 'Rabid'), there is a moment where the protagonist feels there is just something not right with her body. In 'Lake Mungo,' this is meant to signal that the protagonist intuitively knows her death is imminent and inevitable. Which brings us to 'The Rip' (or R.I.P). Is 'The Rip' the best song of 2008? I don't know, but it's gotta be up there for sure. British folk that suddenly turns into a violent maelstrom with some of the most haunted and conflicted images on the record: "wild, white horses, they will take me away/and the tenderness I feel/will send the dark underneath/will I follow?" The question is never answered directly, but given the rest of the record's sound, it's clear that we've crossed the rubicon of the macabre. "We Carry On" has a bass line that sounds like Peter Hook in a black cape trying to summon the undead. I know lots of people have a problem with "Deep Water," but if we are to run with this horror film analogy, then this feels like the moment when we see something that at first feels totally wholesome, only to be met with a flash jumpscare of something really horrifying, like older people on rocking chairs listening to the radio only to notice that they're dead and rotting and maggots are dropping from their orifices. It's this juxtaposition that makes "Machine Gun" all the more powerful. Play this record on Halloween. A

I love Portishead’s Dummy and selftitled album from 1997 - I never really got into this at the time of its release. It’s good, but not totally on par with the two mentioned albums.

Soundelike Kate Bush over an electronica album. I didn’t hate it.

Not my type of music, but I didn't hate it. It reminded me of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, like the type of music they'd play at The Bronze. So I enjoyed the nostalgia. I don't think I'd seek out Portishead in the future though.

I knew Portishead were chilled, but this is pretty stripped back. A bit too stripped back for me, some of the hooks are catchy but it's a little bare and devoid of interest

After a hiatus that stretched into the turn of the millennium, Portishead reformed in 2005 to play a benefit concert. It was subsequently revealed that they were working on new material, which culminated in their aptly-named 2008 release Third. Here, Portishead moves away from the now-dated sounds of triphop into new sonic textures that play around with loops of strings and percussion. Beth Gibbons' vocals are a huge part of what makes these songs so great, delivering a dark tenderness. The result, however, is an album that is always sounding slightly "off", as if it is haunted or possessed in some way.

"trip hop", steady beats with some melody over top, not very interesting

Rating: 6/10 Pretty good album overall. I really respect the experimentation of this album, it is risk-taking while maintaining the group's trademark sound. There are a lot of cool ideas, from the odd instrumentation to the unorthodox song structures. Despite this album being quite unique in sound, I do not find a decent bit of it enjoyable musically. Favorite songs: Nylon Smile, We Carry On, Small, Magic Doors. Worst songs: Machine Gun, Threads.

Quite different form their earlier stuff with more of a rock feel. One that would benefit from another listen

Can't actually believe this is my first time listening to this. Glorious stuff

THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS APP!!! Wow!!! This isn't going to be for everyone, but I loved it!!! I'd heard of the band, but hadn't 'listened" to them before. There is very much a bjork style to the band, and I love the haunting vocals and almost cinematic music.

Moody, interesting, but too gloomy and too weird for my liking

I think we got a portishead album prior that I wasn't a fan of, and while I'm not a huge fan of this one either, I liked it better than the last. Just a little too unsettling for my taste.

Really loved this one! I think our second from Portishead, and I liked the first one too, but this one hit me even harder. Much darker, spookier in my opinion, and functionally some of these beats could serve as hip hop instrumentals. "Plastic" actually reminded me of a song from Liquid Swords, not sure if it's a sample overlap or what. Just really great stuff, bravo gang. Favorite tracks: Silence, The Rip, Plastic, We Carry On, Machine Gun, Threads. Album art: Bare minimum, pretty terrible. That's two albums in a row that I really dig with covers I don't. 4.5/5

Mainiota pyöräilymusaa! 4/5

Hieman epätasainen platta. Joistain biiseistä tykkäsin, osa taas jäi vähän tylsiksi.

It was good, I far prefer Dummy though.

It’s no Dummy, is it.

I’m behind so I can see Amy’s Back to Black is next and it is very much that distracted boyfriend meme: I want to let go of Portishead’s hand so bad. Seriously though, the ONLY song I wasn’t itching to skip was Deep Water. Didn’t like this album

Music to play while you and your friends sneak into a graveyard in high school

Je savais que ça finirait par arriver. Tôt ou tard, le projet "1001 Albums" allait me forcer à me pencher sur un disque qui m'avait complètement échappé à sa sortie. Pire, un disque d'un groupe que j'avais adulé, puis un peu perdu de vue, noyé dans le tourbillon de la vie et des milliers d'autres galettes à écouter. En 2008, quand Portishead a sorti Third et le trip-hop, le son de Bristol, semblait appartenir à une autre époque, une douce nostalgie des années 90. Car il aura fallu, 10 ans soit une décennie entière, pour que le trio de Bristol accouche de ce troisième opus au nom si sobrement adéquat. Une attente interminable, quasi biblique, qui aurait pu signer l'arrêt de mort de n'importe quel autre groupe. On les avait laissés en 1997, au sommet de leur art, avec un deuxième album éponyme qui confirmait la claque monumentale de "Dummy". Et puis, le silence. Un silence assourdissant, à peine troublé par l'échappée belle de Beth Gibbons avec Rustin Man. On les pensait perdus, dissous dans les limbes de la gloire passée, devenus une simple ligne dans les encyclopédies musicales, les inventeurs d'un genre, le trip-hop, qu'ils avaient eux-mêmes contribué à rendre obsolète. Alors, quand "Third" a débarqué, ce fut un choc. Un putain de choc. Un de ces uppercuts qui vous laisse groggy, le souffle court et les oreilles en sang. Oubliez les ambiances feutrées, les scratches langoureux, la mélancolie cotonneuse qui faisait le charme vénéneux de leurs débuts. "Third" est un album malade, un disque taillé dans le granit de l'angoisse, une oeuvre d'une noirceur abyssale. On est loin, très loin de la musique de salon pour dîners branchés que certains avaient voulu voir dans leurs précédents travaux. Ici, la musique ne vous caresse plus, elle vous lacère. Dès le premier morceau, "Silence", le ton est donné. Une rythmique métronomique, froide comme l'acier, presque industrielle, sur laquelle vient se poser, ou plutôt se briser, la voix éthérée de Beth Gibbons. Ce contraste, cette dissonance fondamentale, est la clé de voûte de l'album. C'est le combat permanent entre la machine et l'humain, entre une pulsation inhumaine et une fragilité à fleur de peau. La voix de Gibbons, plus spectrale que jamais, semble lutter pour ne pas être engloutie par les textures sonores rêches, les guitares torturées et les synthétiseurs agressifs. On est à des années-lumière du trip-hop. Le groupe a dynamité sa propre formule, refusant la facilité d'une redite. Ils ont exploré des territoires bien plus arides, lorgnant vers le krautrock, le rock expérimental, et même des sonorités rappelant les moments les plus sombres de Joy Division. "Machine Gun", avec son beat martial et ses déflagrations sonores, est une pure descente aux enfers, un morceau d'une violence inouïe qui vous prend à la gorge et ne vous lâche plus. On se sent oppressé, suffoquant dans cette atmosphère de fin du monde. Et pourtant, au milieu de ce chaos organisé, la poésie subsiste. Car "Third" est avant tout un album d'une cohérence et d'une inspiration rares. Malgré un enregistrement étalé sur trois ans, par des musiciens qui ne jouaient plus ensemble depuis six ans, le disque est d'une homogénéité remarquable. Chaque morceau semble être une pièce indispensable d'un puzzle macabre et fascinant. La production est d'une intelligence redoutable, ne cherchant jamais l'esbroufe mais laissant toute la place à la musique et à l'émotion brute. Comment des gens qui ont pris de si longues vacances peuvent-ils encore écrire une musique aussi angoissante ? C'est la question que je me suis posée, comme tout le monde. La réponse se trouve peut-être dans les épreuves personnelles traversées par les membres du groupe, les divorces, les maladies, cette fatigue du succès qui ronge les âmes. Le son de "Third", c'est le son de la douleur, du désespoir, de l'anxiété. C'est un disque qui ne triche pas, qui ne cherche pas à plaire. Il est ce qu'il est, âpre, puissant, dérangeant. Je suis passé complètement à côté en 2008, et c'est impardonnable. Cet album n'est pas juste un bon disque, c'est un chef-d'oeuvre. Un de ces disques qui vous marquent au fer rouge, qui vous hantent longtemps après la dernière note. Un disque qui, malgré sa noirceur, est une expérience cathartique. C'est le son de la résilience, la beauté trouvée dans les ténèbres. Aujourd'hui, alors que j'attends, comme beaucoup, un hypothétique quatrième album, je me dis que l'attente en vaudra la peine. Portishead a prouvé qu'ils étaient de ceux qui ne reviennent que lorsqu'ils ont quelque chose d'essentiel à dire. Et avec "Third", ils ont hurlé à la face du monde que même après dix ans de silence, leur voix était plus pertinente et plus nécessaire que jamais. Un 5 sur 5, sans l'ombre d'une hésitation. Un 5 sur 5 pour ce disque qui, je l'espère, ne sera pas le dernier. Mais avec eux, on ne sait jamais. Et c'est peut-être ça, aussi, qui fait leur grandeur.

not bad

This is way different than what I thought Portishead was. I pictured them as a shitty incubus style band but this is way weirder. Not exactly for me but I respect it.

Not my thing but it was interesting to listen to.

Grabs my attention at the very outset. V. strong start. Yeah, that's an absolute cracker of an opener. And then - BANG - into track 2. Jolted me out of my groove. Track 2: totally different mood, with jarring breaks, but those breaks serve to complement the "main" theme, and to return to it is very welcome. Another great beat to kick off track 3, after a gentler finish to track 2. Gentler groove here, too. The vocals here are almost just an ornament - but a very welcome one. Nice and easy start to track 4 leads into a lovely mellow groove, with somewhat more prominent vocals. Another cracker. We're going slightly up tempo here (in spots!) for track 5 - with some unsettling drum fills. Are they played backwards? Wonderful vocals again. Somewhat more hypnotic here in track 6. Track 7: What an odd mood here. What odd instrumentation. The first track on which Gibbons's voice gets the prominence it deserves. Back to a somewhat more electronic sound on track 8. And the name of the track makes perfect sense. Low point of the album so far. Softer intro again here on track 9, with those wonderful vocals shining again, in ultra-soft mode. Shame they couldn't maintain that mood all the way through. Another very abrupt finish. Very experimental sound here on track 10. Nice laid back start here to the closer, but I'm not fooled. This could go anywhere. Hmmm... It didn't. It dipped somewhat in the middle, became rather generic - but it saved itself at at the end.

1. zilence - 1 2. hunter - 2 3. zmile - 1.5 4. rip - 1 5. plaztic - 1.5 6. carry on - 2 7. uuater - 1.5 8. gun - 2 9. zmall - 1 10. doorz - 1.5 11. threadz - 2

I celebrate their entire catalog! This record didn't reach the highs of their first two but it's a solid record with some really great songs!

Haunted house vibes and not in a good way!!! Yikes!!! 😱

The singer sounds like a ghost Sounds like the type of music you'd hear coming from a dodgy nightclub. No thanks - avoid 2 ⭐️

Some very intriguing sounds build into a very morose album. I do like parts of it, but it's not going to enter my rotation any time soon. I think The Rip may have been my favorite? Reminds me a lot of St Vincent

Really enjoyed the first half but got bored

Portishead is great, could listen to them most anytime.

Wow, what a great album that isn't for me. It's a little down tempo from what I usually listen to, and I'm certain that I would listen to this album if I listened to this genre at all. After reading the Wikipedia page, it seems that this album was partially inspired by the works of John Carpenter, which is super cool. I swear I can hear he influence.

This album sounds like a dream. Sad and melancholy one moment, ominous and frightening the next, mysterious in a way that’s hard to put your finger on. It’s beautifully produced. There are lots of surprising turns and experimental effects but they’re folded into the songs seamlessly. Portishead sound like a hybrid of Radiohead and Björk on this album. At the same time, I’ve never heard anything quite like it. Electronica fused with prog-rock, something like that. Beth Gibbons’s vocals are full of pain and longing. It makes for beautiful and sad music. Very compelling, adventurous album.

Like most things Portishead, this album is great. It has every facet that has defined this band's addictive sound: haunting vocals, pulsing bass parts, slick synths, a wide spectrum of interesting guitar parts from dreamy to edgy, and solid production values. "Cool" permeates everywhere. Somewhat unique to this album is a few tracks that are simplified and broken down to just an acoustic guitar/ukulele riff with Beth Gibbons' singing over it ("Deep Water"). I think this is a nice direction for them to go in, and they balance it well by also having some harsher synthetic songs on this album too ("Machine Gun"). Thoroughly enjoyable.

decent 2/5

It was right on the cusp of something I thought was amazing but it pushed it too far

Portishead is great, but that ukulele song cost them a full point on this one.

Amazing

Ein anspruchsvolles, spannend arrangiertes Album , das nie langweilig wird, aber nicht sofort ins Ohr geht. Je öfter es abgespielt, umso mehr entdeckt man wieder etwas Neues.

I enjoyed it. Nothing stood out but it was soothing to listen to. Would give it another, more thorough listen, perhaps.

якобы уже не такой триппи хоппи, но слишком ветер в камышах чтобы долго слушать

Compelling.

Hmmm..... surprised the ST debut isn't the one on this list. Maybe it is later. I've never listened to this one, but LOVE their OG work back in the 90's. I mean LOVE! so let's see if this holds up to that bar. Huh. More experimental than previous works for sure. Maybe on more listens I'd figure it out, but on first listen it's pretty boring. Not much to hear here.

glorious. 4 stars.

The Rip has a very cool arpeggio. I love how it builds up. I think Andrea Laszlo De Simone was inspired by it for his song Conchiglie

I hadn't listened to this album since it came out - not as consistent as their '90s output but still so good. The second half of this album really shines for me - basically Machine Gun through Threads.

3+

not up to classic ealry Portishead standards

Personally, this album took its time to grow on me. As the tracks passed by, my appreciation increased progressively. I could be very wrong, but at times it would give me a sensation of brutalisme. Highly enjoyed the listen.

Weird ahh music style però no m'ha desagradat. ELR: 3/5

3 5

It's been about two weeks since I listened to this and I can't remember anything about it except thinking that it didn't have much variety and was dead on 2.5/5. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

It’s just too much trip hop on this thing ok. There should be a compilation and that’s it.

Dystopische, intense, alternatieve rock met triphop invloeden. Een combinatie van geluiden die je zowel in slaap hypnotiseren als weer bij kennis beuken. Geluidjes en/of patronen die vaak net even te lang doorgaan, waardoor ze vroeg of laat indruk gaan maken. Bij "Deep Water" krijg je heel even rust om vervolgens bij de track "Machine Gun" weer industrieel gedreun op je hersenpan te krijgen. Die track is qua klankkleur misschien wel één van de donkerste, koude tracks uit deze lijst. Aan het einde wordt het album met "Threads" op een perfecte manier afgerond met die soort scheepshoorns die je na een uitgebreid saluut alleen achterlaten in het donker. Geen album om elke dag te luisteren en ook op feestjes zet je deze niet op, maar wel een dijk van een album. Wat een dikke, gelaagde productie waarbij elk geluid tot in de perfectie gemasterd is. Doe jezelf een plezier en luister deze op een goed geluidssysteem of enigszins degelijke koptelefoon. Ik ben echt bizar enthousiast hierover. Ik heb het album inmiddels al 2 keer geluisterd en sommige tracks los nog een paar keer. Niveautje Mezzanine, oftwel 5 sterren.

zzzzzzz

A seminal work of broody trip hop goodness. Darker and probably more impressively composed than Dummy but got done reason slightly less enjoyable. Doesn’t quite click the same way. Glad it is on the list (as long as Dummy makes it as well).

Man its avantgarde. i dont love it but there are these little golden nugget moments where it all makes sense. i gotta respect it

blehhhhh

Still great

A bit of a snoozer but good for a chill time

Not for me. Didn't get it.

Good mix of ambient and industrial sounds, which for me don't sound like they should go well together but they do on this album

First 2albums are killer. Not this one.

It’s good but not their best

I'm a big Portishead fan and I did like this album, but it came up on a Saturday, the sun was shining and I was due to play a gig that evening. With all of that considered it did make me realise that this one is a "if the winds blowing that way" album where as Dummy is always able to take me where it is.

Same song 11 times in a row. Not terrible but not worth listening too.

After an 11-year hiatus, Portishead re-emerged triumphantly with Third. Although triphop had been dead and buried for many years, the group succeeded in bringing it back to life with influences from musical trends in the 00s - the record is decidedly indie at times with plenty of elements from noise and industrial. It seems Beth Gibbons also spent the previous decade listening to Björk, and the added complexity to her incredible voice fits the album perfectly. 'The Rip' and 'Magic Doors' are just unreal.

Portishead returns to the stage with new musical inspirations and a sense of maturity - especially on Gibbons half. Some of the instrumental ideas are more grotesque and noisier than ever but they still retain their iconic Portishead-sound. It’s not the peak of their career (since they pretty much started out on top); buts it’s more than just a solid return to the stage.

Damn I almost died of boredom ! A meager hope came with the last three songs, but did not manage to wake me up fully.

- sounds like if Bjork and Billie Eilish had a baby - better than Bjork tho at least the beats are cooler - 2.5

- kind of boring to me - she has a nice voice and there are some good moments -2.5

I liked the transition from "Silence" to "Hunter" very much

drifting into HEALTH territory

Much darker than previous stuff. Not as good as Dummy, but still very enjoyable.

great album from a great band

Dreadful and annoying

If you are in crisis reach out for help. In the U.S. you can connect to the suicide and crisis hotline by texting or calling 988.

I have tried to get into this band but it is just not great for me.

i am literally scared to give this anything other than 3 stars like this shit is SCARY but also i appreciate it hella for that. Anxiety: the album

Shite

2008 Genre: Experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic rock 3.5

A wild adventure into the unknown using psychedelic melodies to challenge and intrigue the listener.

A lot of great individual tracks on the album, but it lacks a solid theme or a red thread like Dummy has.

It's a vibe. I feel like I am listening to this record from a very small room. It's dark and it gives me some sort of anxiety. But it's an interesting experience and an interesting record. I kind of enioyed it. I don't know, I am having mixed feelings. But for an experience as trippy as this, I'll give it a 4. There are some parts I really enjoyed. Like some guitar parts that really expose the beauty of imperfection, because they are not played perfectly in tune, but they work perfectly fine.

Never listened to Portishead before and I greatly enjoyed it. I went back through their discography after listening because I liked it so much. After listening to their first 2 albums as well, I don’t really hear this as a departure of their sound. Still great stuff though.

Listened on: 2024/05/11 Track List: 1. Silence 2. Hunter 3. Nylon Smile * 4. The Rip * 5. Plastic 6. We Carry On 7. Deep Water 8. Machine Gun 9. Small 10. Magic Doors 11. Threads -- Very atmospheric and unique. I've never heard something like this before. -- Instrumental and vocals are great, putting me on edge.

Atmosphere, yummy sounds, cool tones, this album is sick. Not everyone's cup of tea and not something I'd listen to all the time but for a first listen this is dope. Fav songs: - Silence - Hunter - The Rip - Machine Gun

Definitely, not their best ;-) But, since I like Portishead, my 3 stars rating

I’m weird, there’s something soothing to me about how on edge and unhinged this album is. I like it a lot! I’ve only listened to earlier work from Portishead, this was a nice find in this list.

Weird, but I for some reason don’t like it as much as other weird stuff on this project. I like the dark feeling on this album, though.

For the whole first half of this album I was prepared to write it off as a bad job. I've got to "We carry on" and it's actually settled into something I quite like. I had hoped that it would continue into the second half of the album, and it kinda does. This is not an instantly accessible album, but then Dummy wasn't when that was released 14 years previous. There's now a 16 year gap between the release of Third, and a 30 year gap since Dummy - and honestly Dummy is the better of the two. That's not (at all) to say that Third is without merit; it absolutely spurs an emotional response. I'm not sure it's a response I'd want every day, but I dare say I will probably listen to this again at some point.

This album is like trip hop, but it sounds like impending doom. Kinda like if anxiety had a soundtrack.... If that makes sense. It's not bad..... Weird as fuck, but solid. Favourite songs: Machine Gun, We Carry On, Silence, The Rip, Hunter, Plastic, Threads Least favourite songs: Deep Water 4/5

Definitely a lot better than when I listened to Dummy for some reason. Will revisit this too

A 4, but a 5 in a world where I hadn't heard Portishead's other albums

Always been meaning to check more of Portishead out. This did not disappoint really liked this one.

Still no where near the quality of their first album. Dark, dirgey and a chore to listen to

Loved it.

This is also one of my favorite albums. Machine Gun is my most beloved song on here.

What an album. 7/10

Meh ...

I really, really hated this.

Mostly non-pretentious electronic inspired rock. You'll probably know within the first half of the first song if this is something you'd wanna listen to for an hour.

Pretty weird but there's some good tunes on that

Bit whiney and tuneless...

This is usually the kind of music I love but it just didn't get me... just found it annoying I'm afraid. Don't get it. 1/5 for me.

A bit of a grower, ran thru it a couple times and my appreciation grew. It’s moody and sludgy at times and Beth Gibbons vocals tie everything together so well. Really cool album starting with the opening track and the sharp snap of the drums. The Rip, We Carry On, Machine Gun were other standouts. Super rad stuff 4 stars

Vocals were lovely. Didn't really shine for me

‘Third’ goes OK, but it’s a bit of a slow burn. There are glimpses of the old magic in songs like ‘Machine Gun’, ‘Threads’, ‘Plastic’ and ‘The Rip’. I also like ‘Silence’ as an opener. Then it goes off into other weird and wonderful psychedelic directions. My initial thoughts were that it’s not as good as Portishead’s first two albums…but subsequent listens suggest that perhaps I am wrong. It's a 3 for now, but that could change to a higher rating over time.

We are Portishead! And we are here to make you think of death and stuff!

God damn, if you want to sell me on an album before I even listen to it, tell me that the influences for the album were "krautrock, surf rock, doo wop and the film soundtracks of John Carpenter" because all of that shit is awesome. However, I wouldn't say that those influences were super obvious in this album, apart from perhaps Krautrock, and even that is really relying on the hugely varied nature of that genre. This isn't a bad album, but any means, it's just not the version of Marry, Fuck, Kill with Neu, the Ventures, and the Shangri-Las that I was hoping from the description. Portishead has always been a bit dower for me, and I liked their trip-hop stuff better, but still this album deserves credit for trying to do something different and expand their horizons. Overall it is well-executed, but it could have really used a shit-load more doo-wop 3/5

I want to like it, but it's just a tad too much experimental noise nonsense for my tastes.

Yeah no

I like some porterhead but this really isn't my cup of tea.

Strange

Good album but not nearly as interesting as their first.

It was the first time I liked this strange trip-hop stuff. It's still more strange than likable, but I normally can't stand electronic stuff, and now I believe I maybe can handle things like Portishead.

Not me at all. Couldn't listen to it all.

This is an album which makes me have to consider my rating for a good while. I had to do a second listen through in order to make my decision and it’s going to have to go as a 3/5. I absolutely love just under half of this album…but the rest not so much. With the style of these songs I feel they have to click or not and there isn’t an in-between. The songs which I do dig I put more weight on than the songs which simply do not click with me and so this has to land on a 3/5.

I will trip hop all day.

Imagine a band making two albums that defined a genre, disappearing for 11 years and then coming back with a completely different sound. Few bands could pull that off quite as well as Portishead. 'Third' is a haunting Krautrock and soundtrack inspired record that throws their trip hop roots to the winds. And it works, largely with the help of the flawlessly beautiful voice of Beth Gibbons. She sounds equally strong and vulnerable and it compliments the nervous droning of the music, as well as providing relief from it. If only Portishead would ever give us a fourth one.

Some of these songs are a bit different than their other projects, but still pretty good nonetheless.

Too far out there.

This is one of those albums that I really want to like. The Rip is such a transcendental song and an all-time favourite - the gentle whisper of "wild, wild horses, they will take me away...", that steady build of the drums and synths, you just never want it to end. There are some other really good songs on here - the dark, clashing noise of Silence, the onomatopeic Machine Gun. I've never really given Small a chance and enjoyed the buildup on that one too. But there are other songs that are just a chore to listen to. Beth Gibbons' voice becomes just slightly too discordant, the atmosphere is just slightly too uncomfortable, like on "nylon smile", or with the grating bleeps on We Carry On (basically machine gun but... worse). I can appreciate this as a work that deliberately moves between uncomfortable and sweet, mechanical and atmospheric. +1 for the experimentation, even if I prefer the more classic style of Dummy

good good not my "third" favorite album but that's something

A very hard album to rate. Full of dissonant chord changes and melodies, hypnotic arrangements/loops. The singer captures isolation and trauma almost uncomfortably well. The lack of emotional diversity (it almost all sounds isolated/alienated to me) hurts the replay value of it, this is an album to listen to when in a specific mood. I also think it's a very good album to listen to in small doses. There's a ton of interesting ideas and arrangements and they certainly accomplish what it is they seemed to be going for (capturing said isolation) 3.5 stars for the many fresh interesting ideas, I don't feel good giving the album 3 stars (seems to low for such a well executed album) but 4 seems excessive given that I didn't enjoy listening to the whole album much. Going to give it 4 Do check out individual songs though Machine head, Nylon Smile, We Carry on

Strange album. Switches genres regularly, which really catches you off guard. Just wish some of the songs were more interesting. 2.5/5 Probably won't listen again

What a weird album. Thought I’d prefer this over the other Portishead album I’ve heard, and I didn’t. Not for me. Good atmosphere though. 5/10 Top 3: 1. Deep Water 2. Machine Gun 3. Silence

This is why you listen to the album all the way through! So close to turning it off after the fifth song, Plastic (WOW that song sucks ass), but "We Carry On" - Sick song. Loved the groove, kinda Radiohead vibes. Then "Deep Water" a lovely little ukulele ditty, right up my alley. From there, I really got into the weirdness of the rest of the album. Overall, really don't like the vocals and the only good vocal melody is "Deep Water"

I suppose there was some concept they were going for, but I didnt enjoy it.

Really interesting album with great production but an annoying vocal style. 3.5/5.0: Very Good

“They incorporate the film scores of John carpenter “ IM FUCKIGN READY FOR THIS SHIT LETS GO

This album somehow feels like trying to relax but if the relaxation itself were in a minor key

really good

At first was not super into it but it grew on me as I listened. May take a listen again in future.

Sounds like depression.

Great comeback album - strange, industrial and yet true to Portishead

god please don’t let it be their last…

pre listening notes: ido anything about this band. i have to get some work done today so there will be less notes than usual. their most popular album on spotify looks to be Dummy (1994) but this is the second most popular it seems Silence - def not silence, i like the french at the beginning. kinda giving scary. i would love happy album Hunter - i feel like i’m watching an artsy indie horror movie. i like the weird nano-esque fast paced bits, the musicality is interesting and unique. Nylon Smile - sounds like a song about depression. the sound of this album so far seems divorced from time. this album came out in 2007 but there’s nothing tying it to that time. not good or bad, just an observation The Rip - okay so i didn’t really have anything to say until the synth came in and then i legit got chills. just a genuinely good song. idk if i would listen to it on its own but. slay Plastic - i liked it but not much to say We Carry On - drums. weird! i like guitar riffing that comes in around the halfway point. idk how u come up with this stuff Deep Water - acoustic guitar is wholly unexpected on this album. i like this one a lot. my fav Machine Gun - sounds like a machine gun loll Small - lots going on here but i don’t have anything to say about it. this album is full of droning noises and long high pitched sounds which i do not love Magic Doors - nothing to say Threads - I like this one this album was a hard one because i understand why it would be on this list, i’ve never heard anything like it before. but can i say it was the most enjoyable listen? no. not a terrible listen tho. i’m neutral on it! 3/5

Silence - not into this classic rock sound. By 2007 we’d heard way too much of it. Hunter - really not into this one either. Really uninspired writing imo. Nylon smile - I don’t like the writing here either. The fade into The Rip was cool. We carry on - ok miss ma’am Machine gun - everything about this song is pretentious. This is why my parents hate indie music. Small - I couldn’t finish this one. The asmr was too much for my headphones. If I never listen to this again, it’ll be too soon.

What a terrible departure from their previous success. This just feels like arthouse garbage.

Why is this album something that I should listen to before I die. I wouldn't want to listen to this again if it delayed my death by 10 years.

Vähän taiteellista, mutta ei ihan liikaa. Rokkimaista, melodiat aika outoja mysteerisellä tavalla. Hidastempoista. En kuitenkaan ihan kauheasti pitänyt. Parhaat: The Rip, Threads

Really imteresting!

Disappointing departure from Dummy sound. 2/5

Not great. Dummy is better in every way.

i do really like portishead. i didn’t really like this album. its definitely innovative and has got a distinct sound, but i couldn’t casually listen to it

Really enjoyed this, love a broody atmospheric album. Takes a few left-turns and makes some brave decisions that in my humblest of opinions definitely pay off

I liked this way more than I was expecting I would. I am in general not a big fan of Trip-hop. I had already had another Portishead album, "Dummy" a while ago, and I like this one way more. Enjoyable listen for sure.

Not very good

terrible. what was that garbage.

Não

More Portishead. Not as good as Dummy but better than the self-titled.

Dissonant and unexpected. There’s a time I could/can enjoy it but it wasn’t today.

Very good. Super chill out music but with a sense of urgency and sometimes dread.

There were moments in which I thought, is this cool? And maybe it was true in those moments. Was it good as a whole? Absolutely not. I don’t get the vibe, some songs feel as if they were a draft and man did it draagggggg. I think like this slightly more than Dummy, but it still didn't do it for me.

Dziwne i słabe 2/5

People keep praising Portishead, but I just don't see it yet. 2 Their sound never left the 90s. So disgusted by it, not sure why. Deep water is a banger tho 1

After being very enthusiastic about Dummy and Portishead, I was very pleased to hear that there was to be a new album, Third by Portishead. I quickly bought the album. However, I was disappointed when I heard it. The trip-hop I was expecting was not played. Yes, I thought, not bad, but I prefer the previous stuff. And so I put the album aside and didn't listen to it again. As part of this project, I listened to it again and have to admit that I did the album an injustice. It is great. In fact, it's no longer trip-hop. It's different, more experimental. In the first track in particular, I like the disharmony and arythmia at the beginning, which then dissolves. I also really enjoyed the surprising endings. A nice contrast to the multiple fade-outs. Really great.

the rip we carry on machine gun

Though there are elements for that dated genre 'Trip-Hop' here (well they were one of the first) this album has a much more electronic focus. The mood is still like raindrops on park railings, Beth Gibbons' vocals are still like a broken waif on a moor and there are no real surprises. We only need one of their albums in this list - if it's this one or 'Dummy' it doesn't really matter. Best Tracks: Silence; Plastic; Machine Gun

Dreamy and melancholic, this one hit all the right spots. I like the atmospheric instrumentation and the overall vibe

Can’t love the great albums without something to compare them to. This is one of those albums…

Nope- I remember they had one song and were on SNL but this is post apocalyptic

Heard of the band but never the music. Wish it could’ve stayed that way. Band is named for the town in England that one of band is from…too bad it wasn’t the town of Shitterton. An album that gives and sounds like a headache. Where’s the aspirin?

Wanted to like it more than I did. I’m sure there’s a mood to be in to enjoy it but I wasn’t in that mood

Vraag me toch aardig af hoe dit gezien kan worden als invloedrijk, maar oké wie ben ik

Echt niet prettig om naar te luisteren, aardig vervelend stemgeluid van mevrouw en daarnaast toch ook wel wat rare tonen hier en daar

Really intresting and intriguing listen

A lot of the songs aren’t just slow, are additionally stressful to listen to; there are parts/aspects of Nylon Smile and The Rip that I almost like

Not my thing but ooh, what a sweet design!!

If Dummy was not on this list I’d be annoyed because I think it’s a better album. Beth’s voice is still eerie and ethereal and enchanting but these songs don’t grab me as much. Maybe after more listens they will but I am still agog over their first album 30 years later. This is only a Third as good.

If there had been a little more of her beautiful voice, this might’ve gotten a 4.

These guys are cool. I owned their second album (the studio album before this) and felt like I didn't need to explore more. So this was interesting in that it caused me to explore more anyway. But, I listened to the album via Echo (Alexa) here at my mom and dad's (not ideal, but it's my best option when here). So the album plays without me knowing names of tracks, etc., which is fine. But, I paused the record as I needed to actually think whilst working, and when I resumed, I thought MAYBE I was hearing tracks I had already listened to, but couldn't be sure. Three songs in, I verified, and that was indeed the case. So it says something... I've been listening with intention, and can't even recognize tracks I just listened to an hour or so before. Not exactly high praise. I think it's a little too disjointed for me to truly love.

Wow, this is fantastic. Not as immediately accessible as their first album, but brimming with ideas. And it's so moody and evocative. Is this a 5? Maybe not. But maybe it is. Today, though, we're going with a 4 with the right to give it a 5 later on.

I do like this band’s sound and vibe but a little goes a long way. Time & place particularly important with Portishead.

En "Third" prevalece el misterio aún cuando conserva señales de los dos primeros discos de Portishead: ritmos tenebrosos en bucle y voces que parecen surgir del lamento y la condena. Tras once años de silencio, cuando el trip-hop ha dejado de estar de moda, lanzan su tercer álbum y en él la melancolía ambiental crea inquietud pero también una cierta calidez sonora. Con "Silence" y "Hunter", los temas que abren el disco, recuerdan quienes eran Portishead pero también avisan de que ha pasado más de una década. "The Rip" es todo un monumento sonoro a la tristeza construido en torno a ecos de delicada música folk. Sin duda el tema que más me gusta. Además tenemos canciones discordantes, como "Deep Water", o temas llenos de tensión con influencias del antiguo krautrock, como "We Carry On" o "Machine Gun".

Didnt like it

Two albums in a row called Third

I remember hating this in college so I was looking forward to setting aside my prejudices and giving it a fair shake all these years later. And what I found was that, all these years later, listening to this incredibly pretentious, up-its-butt album is STILL an annoying, frustrating experience from beginning to end.

almost a 4 star. very strong start but the end lost me

Something I have never heard the likes of; I didn’t even know trip hop existed before this album. Radiohead-like in its marriage and relationship dynamics between analog instruments and digital. Otherworldly and chanting. Feels like a rocket ship explosion.

Crisismuziek

Zo’n moker slecht album. Wtf. Echt 1001album generator.. doe me dit niet nog eens aan

Great!!!!!

Favorite YET!

Fun ethereal trap pop. I think they have some catchy drum and bass lines and I like the vocals, they remind me of being in a 1920s speakeasy. I ended up listening to dummy a bit more instead of third. That one will get 5 stats.

The singing scares me a little.

Trip hop classic

Beauty

Red hot garbage.

I really hated this album by Portishead. Loved the earlier ones, but could never get into this pile of dung.

I wanted to like this a lot better than I did. There are some cool synth textures but overall it's just not really my bag.

So today I learned what trip hop is.

Kind of a slog to get through. Far from the worst thing I've heard from this list recently, but not great. Songs went on too long. I did enjoy "Deep Water," but that was about it.

Another in the long list of didn’t real care about them when they first arrived in the 90s. But through these lists I’ve listened to enough to appreciate and enjoy their work.

Not really for me

I love Portishead - both studio albums prior to this especially. This has its moments (Machine Gun especially), and it certainly still has the darkness of the other two, but Third feels more on the bitter side, with less of the sweet. The influences here seem too much like homages - if you like We Carry On, you'll LOVE Silver Apples. And there's a fair bit of Sabbath and motorik in there, too. All of these are good things, but it feels like they overwhelm the essential Portishead-ness somehow. Better than much on this list (imo), but the fourth best by Portishead (if you include the live Roseland album).

I love the electronic folk feel to this album. The band have clearly moved on from the first two releases. THAT voice cuts through, always on the edge of a breakdown. Wifey said: "What's that bloody terrible racket?" They must be doing something right.

Machine gunissa on hieno ja ikoninen tausta, tai niin on koko biisikin. Muuten levy jää yllättävän tasaiseksi hyminäksi ja musamatoksi, josta mikään muu ei nouse esille. Pitäisi tosissaan keskittyä nyansseihin, mutta mikään ei kutsu mua siihen.

Toivoisin, ettei heidän masistelunsa olisi ihan näin ehdotonta, mutta jään silti kuuntelemaan jokaista levyllä esitettyä ideaa. Ei vakituiseen kulutukseen - vain kulutukseen.

Enjoyed this. Reminded me a little of Massive Attack. Good Listen overall

A lot of very cool songs, not a ton of vocal variety but the instrumental parts were varied and well put together.

Fine easy listening but prob won’t revisit

i dont have the energy for a review

Close to a 4, but i think it just lacked a little edge to push it up

not my vibe

p922. 2008. 2.5 stars. Not their best work - see "Dummy" for that - and it lacks any standout tunes and descends into noise very quickly.

Ikke helt min smak as, for deprimerende

A total vibe. Dark and spooky. Sometimes that’s what you want to hear. I like it.

Nah

Never heard Portishead before. This is mellow, not really my jam with the airy singing. Has potential and similarities to other music I enjoy, but meh. 2*. Enjoyed: the rip (reminds me of Simulation Theory Muse) Did not enjoy: dissonance in we carry on, magic doers

Portishea's songs are moody and emotional, reminiscent of Kate Bush and Bjork. The first three songs on "Third" are rough and ... well ... boring. Some songs are well-constructed: listen to "The Rip" for when you feel that you have reached bottom, and "We Carry On" is another good choice. The rest are like the first three.

Hade deras två första album plus liveplattan. Var så jäkla bra. Denna har jag inte hört förut men visst fan är det bra.

Dyster AF. Lydbillede mindre rendyrket udtalt end album 1+2, og måske derfor lidt sværere tilgængelig og mere rodet. Elsker The Rip

I’ve never even heard of the group and not certain I have heard any music from the genre or related genres. Music of eerie unease, remind me of the most ethereal of Julee Cruse or other singers of similar style. Overall an enjoyable listen, but not something I’m likely to return to again and again. Good to know what trip-hop or whatever this is sounds like. Tunes that attracted my attention: Deep Water, Machine Gun, Small, Magic Doors

My only real previous experience of Portishead was the Dummy album who all the music critics raved about. I never liked this album then or more recently having bought the CD cheaply in an attempt to discover if I was missing something. I really wanted to like them so when Third arrived on this list I was very keen to give it a fair chance. To me Dummy suffered from too much hip hop and electronica for my taste. Third is an improvement but I really want my music to be melodic and conventional. There are one or two nice melodies on this album but just as I think this the music goes off in a way I don’t want or like. Then there is the overuse of industrial sounds interrupting the melodic flow of the album and making it, to my ears, almost unlistenable. Without all the abrasive bangs and clanks this album would have been a whole lot better. One exception to this is the massive vibrating bass sound at the end of Threads (best track) which gave my speakers a real good workout and producing a very satisfying sound. There is enough on this album to liek but not enough to make me return to it.

Wow, not my cup of tea.

Maybe the apex of trip-hop. Solid songwriting and exquisite production from beginning to end. The weakest songs on here are still really good.

TBH, not my style of music, but not terrible. But wait a minute - I accidently played a Portishead mix that was not all (or even mostly) this album. So this album specifically...

surprisingly, not bad. Decent enough electronica, with just enough melodic changes to keep it interesting

Aww like 2.5, some of this sounds amazing, some of it sounds like they duplicated 6 minutes worth of loops and forgot to edit it or finish the song.

I can't really get on with it. I'll echo what I've said about a load of previous albums we've had that fall in the electronica/experimental/weird genre, I find it hard to engage with unless there's a consistent drive and a power and a loudness to it, and this never gets to that point for me, although Machine Gun kind of teases it and is clearly my favourite track on the album for that reason. I can over look some of the weird shit on Silence, Plastic and We Carry on because it never becomes central to the music, just a curious experimentalism underpinning it all. I don't like Beth Gibbons' voice but I also don't hate it like some obnoxious vocals we've had, and there are a few times throughout this where if I metaphorically squint, I'm taken back to Origin Of Symmetry and Absolution and get vibes of songs like Endlessly or Ruled By Secrecy or Space Dementia, I think it's a mix of the haunting falsetto and the style of music reaching a crescendo that gets to that point, though I might just be chatting shit and have Muse on the brain right now. Anyway, I'll give it a 2 because it interested me enough to write this much but didn't make me like it enough to give it a 3.

Not my jam. There are occasions where you get a a bit enveloped and overwhelmed by the sound, which is interesting, but really it doesn't do that enough or offer much of anything else beside that. It's often jarring (particularly combining the harshness of some of the synthy stuff with the floatiness of her voice), but not in a way that gives it a particular direction. 2/5.

Had a lot of fun listening to it! Didn’t know what to expect and was still blown away. Had me in a trance for an hour. Really creative songwriting and production.

I had never even heard of this band until now. This album was terrifying and beautiful. I both loved and hated it for ultimately the same reason: it was fucking weird. Nylon Smile was my favorite song and it will be added to my every day listening.

If you didn't listen to this in college during...adult activities, did you even go to college?! Listened to this so many times but this time I sat down with a more critical ear. The industrial noir, trip-hop beats are well suited to introspection and the clear vocals shine through on each track. So many good songs on this album but surprisingly not my favorite portishead album (Dummy), despite some excellent tracks (machine gun, threads, hunter, the rip). Still, Beth Gibbons can do no wrong and I'll still come back to this album when the mood strikes.

Overall this album made me feel kinda anxious when listening to it, which feels like it might be the point. But I was not a huge fan. I did like Deep Waters though!

Awful, sounded like tom cats howling in an alley. Could not listen after 2nd song.

Damn, those strings, that guitar. What a classic and signature sound. This first track, with it's muted keys melody (three notes ascending), is just so recognisable. Incredible. A really strong album, not nearly as impactful as their original 90's offerings but quintessentially Portishead - which is never a bad thing. This is likely to rise on second listen.

It is a really interesting album. Hard to define genre-wise. I prefer dummy though

I’ve loved Portishead’s first album since it came out. In fact, I think I gave it 5 stars on this very platform. It’s a hauntingly beautiful album. Strangely enough, I haven’t really listened to them outside that album, so I was happy when this one came up. This album is still haunting, but not so beautiful. The melodies are awkward and uncomfortable. It’s interesting but not so enjoyable to listen to. 3 stars.

I like dance electronica, but not this electronica. I can see the artistry, but it does nothing for me. I like Beth Gibbons voice, and I don't regret listening to the whole album, but I'm not revisiting it later.

I tried to like the album, but just didn’t.

Was walking on a big empty parking lot while it slightly drizzled with a terrible hangover. Album matched the vibe perfectly.