Third

nope

"Third" is the third studio album and first in 11 years from Bristol UK band Portishead. This is quite the intense listen. It was a move away from trip hop on their previous albums and influenced and incorporating Krautrock rhythms, breakbeats, cathedral, Morrocan drums, soft rock, doo wop and science fiction/horror soundtracks. I can attest to that; there is so much going on throughout this album. In a nutshell, it's experimental electronic music. The one constant is Beth Gibbons' vocals giving each song a mysterious feel along with the music. And, Portishead is Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley. Each band member seems to play every instrument at some point: various keyboards, dums and pecussion, bass, guitars and more. The album start with "Silence" and a Potuguese vocal sample and foreboding keyboards. Some sort of drum loop going on. Maybe about the Golden Rule. "The Rip" was the second single and begins with a weird acoustic guitar. The vocals are haunting and seem to be about a broken relationship. The music transitions with synthesizers coming upfront sounding like the "Stranger Things" intro music. The albums' second half has two more of their released singles. "Machine Gun" was the lead single and starts with a mechanical rhythm, definitely sounding like a machine gun, which eventually gives way and builds with synthesizers and keyboards. It has cryptic lyrics and appears to be another one about a broken relationship. Their last single " Magic Doors" has a weird drum beat beginning and background synthesizers which eventually come to the forefront. Beth Gibbons' vocals dominate the song and again have a mysterious, cryptic meaning...sexual orientation? depression? Every song is unique on this album; I think I could listen to this 20 times and find something different each time with everything going on. I found this album fantastic and recommend it to anyone willing to take a deep dive into experimental electronic music.

I hoarded this trip by way of a couple of listens, partly because it’s good, mostly because it’s only on YouTube. Awesome contrast of the singer’s soft vocals with the harsh industrial sound

So familiar with Dummy but have never given this a listen (knowingly). I could see it being written off as Portishead is is an acquired but I know this is a great album, just need a few more listens to bed it in

Creepy vibes, weird instrumentals, jarring transitions. I get what the album was going for, and it isn't enjoyable to listen to. Each song has a theme and they all suck. The music is painful to the ears, and the vocals sound stagnant and bland throughout. I thought maybe the premise alone would keep it from a 1 star review, but the longer it went on, the clearer it became that wasn't the case. I certainly won't be going back to this anxiety inducing melodrama anytime soon.

Not as even an album as the first two, but after a near decade's gap still a remarkable return.

Not to my taste, not like anything I’ve heard before. Very experimental, can see why it appeals to some, like those with absolutely no taste in music 😁

Atmospheric, creepy, discordant. Sounds like an album of soundtrack pieces from "Killing Eve" or "Handmaid's Tale".

I was curious to know where Portishead would go in the 15 years since their album I had heard previously. I initially felt some promise and excitement as I found the sound of this album intriguing and cool. However, as it dragged on it felt both ponderous and uneasy, as though I'd been slipped a mickey and was struggling to fight its effects.

This was a bit off the mark for me, and I was disappointed in that. There were some captivating moments, but they did not really last...and then there were quite a few grating moments.

Nice and ethereal background stuff again. Nice.

Talk about bleak... this seems like the perfect accompaniment to my increasingly frequent moments of despair. The lead singer ranges from worn to desperate accentuated with occasional banshee moments. Some highlights: “The Rip” has a lovely vocal performance and really wonderful synthesizers. I love this song. Ends in such lushness. “Deep Water” is an odd ukulele piece in the album that still felt strangely in place as the most positive-feeling song here. I like it. “We Carry On” is a fast, relentless song that may be the best option if you wanted to dance to something on this album. I loved it. The out of tune guitar strumming leads into a section where the song feels on the verge of flying apart, but I found it very satisfying when it did not. “Magic Doors” feels like one of the more personal feeling songs on the album. I love its odd beats, the accordion, and the vocal performance. What a brilliant song! “Threads” closes the album with the lyrics “I am one, Damned one, Where do I go?” It’s got quite an ending with a lone bellowing, evil horn. Chilling. Where their debut album “Dummy” was something I could listen to as I worked, “Third” might be a little too ominous for that. It has now been 14 years since this album was released. I don’t know if Portishead will ever release another, but it would be interesting to see where they go from this dark place. I was very unsure initially how I felt about THIRD. On the second time through it came together for me and I fell in love with this album. THIRD is exceptional - and perfect for the world I’m living in.

Gloomy and dirgey, maybe a bit dark for a summer's day

Not really a fan.

Absolutely love this album.

I completely forgot about portis

Solid Vibe.

A lot of layers of sound that I didn't enjoy

Too many weird noises , some bits were ok though

Cor, very good

Anxiety.mp3

Love their first album, but this was a bit more of a challenging listen, and i just couldn't really get into it.

My second favorite Portishead album! There are some really good tracks on this record.

Massive fan of this album...Its a relentless bleak affair. On this (3rd) album they have lost all connections with trip hop and plough a epic sweep of electronica and Beth's vocals sound like she's on the edge of a breakdown. Some of it is downright terrifying. Not for the weak of heart. Great stuff. 4.

Interesting music. Actually love the sound of it.

Another band I'd heard the name of but never listened to. I loved it. I think today I realised that I absolutely love trip hop. Looking at the list on wikipedia a bunch of artists on there that I love: Moloko, Everything but the Girl, Goldfrapp, Gorillaz and now Portishead. I absolutely adored this and it will be added into my regular rotation. I will definitely be checking out their other albums.

3.5

I liked this, but it needs more listens to fully get under its skin.

Love this, my favourite Portishead album - so many thrilling tracks with just the right level of experimentalism

If you've got Dummy, you're sorted.

Generally listenable. Would do it again. Not sure there's much more I can add.

Pretty challenging listen. I don't think the waily/siren singing here works for me. The Rip and Machine Gun are the most approachable sonically, but most of the other tracks feel experimental.

Genre: Electronic 4/5 Another rather pleasant surprise, and my first dip into the Electronic titans Portishead, their third album, Third, is very good. A mix of experimental electronic and rock sounds, vocalist Beth Gibbons lets rip on some of the most interesting soundscapes of the decade. Some jagged and tense, and some with brief but impactful moments of beauty, it fills up its 50 minutes of run time fully with great production and interesting and bold musical arrangements. While the biggest hits from this album, The Rip and Machine Gun, are both very good examples of what Portishead sounds like, and what they execute well, those tracks don't come close to my favorites on this one. The intro, Silence, a 5-minute heavy, experimental rock record that grabs your attention immediately with its dark, anxious sound, is one of my favorite intros I've heard throughout this exercise. Small, another track with heavier rock influence, is another ominous track, full of great guitar work and fantastic vocals. There's no real sag in this album, as the tracklist entertains the entire way through, staying experimental all the while and providing us with some very unique musical twists and turns. Will certainly come back to this one. Very good.

I wanted to like this album and some of it I really did enjoy. Some of it however I just can't get behind. I think that is the genre breakdown within the album, the experimental and psychedelic rock sides of it are great the electronica is where it loses me. I'm just conflicted on how to rate it probably needs more listens to appreciate it or hate it more.

Haunting, ethereal, dark? Yes. Interesting? I'm not so sure. I felt myself waiting for this album to end. A few nice beats but the vocals just became grating in the end, I had no interest in what Beth Gibbons was singing about in the end, I just wanted her to stop.

Interesting sound. Very powerful. I'd like to keep hearing this one so I can get to know it better. For now it is a strong 2.5 /5.

Got a little bored but very cool

There's lots of ground for more than Gibbons's voice to grow. While it remains a unique project, Third lacks the placiness of Portishead's earlier efforts.

Dull

Listened to on 5/3/22 2/5 Favorite song: deep water This album is dark and if it was a person I would be concerned for their mental health - the machine gun song was fun and chaotic

The two songs with ukulele were the only almost half-decent songs. The rest was just atrocious.

Very chill sounding album

solid veisla

After excitedly waiting what felt like years for this album to come out when it finally came out it was a bit of a let down. I remember discussing it with a friend after I'd brought it and lent her the CD, never bothering to get it back. It just doesn't feel like an evolution from Dummy 14 years earlier and music, especially lad back trip hop electronica had moved on. Listening to it again after another 14 years it is unquestionably a good album but I am still just not that excited by it? PS: suddenly halting the songs mid note was a @#&*ing terrible idea and not clever like the band throught it would be

You know, this sounds like something I would like, but they lost me by about 6 songs in. I had several issues with the creative choices taken here, ended up just not enjoying the trip

I think the smokey, atmospheric nature of this album would be great for listening if you're in a certain mood, so the fact that I listened to this during late morning on a work day probably wasn't the best occasion for the initial listen. So it's a "3" during the day, probably a "4" at night.

It's relentlessly bleak, even the jolly little ukulele number. But wonderful. Like the first freezing night in autumn, icy but warm. Standouts are Machine Gun and The Rip.

Not Dummy. But great

It's pretty amazing they went away for 10 yeats and came back with this. Much more adventurous than their 2 90s albums, there's nothing that really sounds like it

Fantastic album. Haunting and somber.

Pointless inclusion to the list. I found the group to lack identity and the sounds were not cohesive as a whole. I did not enjoy listening to this.

Yet another electronic atrocity. Weird, bad sounding background noise, lyrics that are just there to have them because for anything else they're not good enough....

pretty good electronic sound.

This was nice background music to listen to while working.

No momento certo para aproveitar o trip hop, já que agora tenho a maturidade para apreciar.

3.5/5. This was better than I initially thought it was going to be. At first, I heard the first few songs and was not really into it, but then I started to get into the weird electronic sounds. The is different and it is good.

Full of surprising guitar tones and production choices, this LP caught me off guard as I haven't been a fan of Portishead's earlier works (which I found to be mired in unexceptional instrumentation and mumbled lyrics). The whole band seems sharper here, as the production brings out challenging, unresolved chord progressions that highlight the simmering emotion in Gibbons' vox.

I can't for the life of me work out what the point of this is, let alone why it would appear on a list of albums I need to hear before I die. There's bugger all meaningful structure, no ups or downs, amazingly little substance and it's not particularly musical or even dissionant enough to raise an eyebrow.... it just exists. for 50min. Is anyone out there dull enough that they'd list this as their favourite album ever? Thank fuck I had a couple of other things on the boil while this played, because if I'd had nothing else to do I think I'd still be sitting there waiting for this to finish. What a boring, absolute non-event of an album. 1/5.

Kuulasin enne magama jäämist. Väga mõnusad soundscaped.

Yeah nah. Playing some minor chords on the keyboard than waffling some airy fairy twaddle over the top does not music make.

I was counting the minutes on this one...

I didn't hate it at all, but since I gotta compare it to all the other albums on this list, it falls into the 2 category for me Had some cool vibes at times, I liked the darkness of it Parts to remember: the 2nd half of The Rip, the guitar hook in We Carry On Machine Gun was very reminiscent of NIN

A very strong four

Cool, unique & creepy sound. Still recognisable as being Portishead while sounding completely different from Dummy

Återigen en stark fyra... jag måste lyssna igen efter gossarna for.

Not as good as Dummy. Some of it was solid, some a bit dull. I probably need to engage with it more. I don't think I gave it quite a fair shake today as I wasn't particularly receptive to this style of music today. I'm giving it a 3 for now I guess. I will almost certainly give it a fairer assement at a later date.

Dummy is one of my all time favourite albums. Despite this I hadn’t really listened to this. It is probably suffering from huge expectations that I’m placing on it but this was a disappointment. It’s not bad but it’s not an amazing. No real stand out tracks for me.

Классный альбом, не слабее Dummy. Очень понравились: We Carry On, Machine Gun, Small, Magic Doors

not at all what i was expecting, heard so much electronic stuff borrow from this or this borrows from so much electronic stuff. idk but either way it's very cool and unique and I've never really heard it's like in pop before. I really enjoyed this.

dos

A lot of the same trance-y, etherial qualities of the earlier stuff but just didn't hold the same punch. Wasn't listening critically here but just felt watered down. Still decent.

Genuinely thought this was shit.

First listen through was great, the second wasn't the same. Has a dark and moody atmosphere that suits a cloudy day. Silence and The Rip were my favourites here to play. The singles Magic Doors and Machine Gun were okay. The album itself is alright, but goes on a bit too long. Good rhythms and beats are found plus the vocals here are strong. Just trim a couple of songs and it would be a stronger set. Or even cut some out, then Third would be a threat.

A faixa inicial me surpreendeu, já que começa com uma fala em português. A banda é inglesa. Falava sobre a "regra dos três". Li que é de um capoeirista de Bristol. O som é incrível! A fala também. Várias experimentações sonoras. Rico demais.

Big fan of the first 2 portishead albums, and the live album..... Dummy is probably my favourite album of all time. but this effort represented the point that Portishead disappeared up their own behinds. I was so excited to listen to it on the run up to its release.....and then.....disappointment. Listening back to it now, it's not as dire as I remember it..... but it's still an act of sabotage on everything that made Portishead so wonderful

This mostly didn't offend my ears, but is so, so, unrelentingly boring. Even the fog horn sound at the end of the album goes on, and on, and on. Please just finish so I can get on with my life. It annoyed me. 1.5/5.

This band could be pretty cool if they didn't have a Björk wannabe standing at the front. Best track: The Rip

I'm home from work with a massive headache and I get this? This is the last album i want to hear right now. The music is interesting but her whining is making me want to blow my eyebrows off. Hope to a non existing god this is the last we here from her.

The greatest secret about Portishead is that all of their albums are really good, not just the first one. 14 years since this last one, must be about time for another?

Not as good as the debut but darker in a very appealing way.

2008. The Rip, Plastic, Threads, Silence

Little bit of everything, some uncomfortable feelings with this one, I like it.

Good but not really my bag

Meh. She's got a couple good songs but not on this album

First time listening to this album, I’m a big fan of Dummy, I don’t think this is quite as good, but still a very good album.

Beth Gibbons' voice is mesmerizing. I don't like this one quite as much as their debut album, Dummy.

Very cinematic but something I will revisit. Maybe Dummy and Glorybox were of their time. This sounds a bit clunky to me.

Not sure why this album is in here. I don’t think it’s their best.

I've owned this for years and initially was a bit 'meh' about it, which I now realise was completely unfair. Having grown up a bit it now speaks to me much more.

This album was really a mixed bag. I was hoping for some nice triphop and then quickly disappointed. Then after a couple of songs of not really feeling this aIbum, it started to grow on me. I really loved The Rip. But then I started to feel like I've had enough of this album again. It's honestly sort of depressing in the way it drags you down as it slogs along. The best parts of this album are 4.5 stars for me, the worst parts of this album 2 stars.

4.5

there was a girl whispering the whole time but it had one good bop in there

Wouldn’t entirely classify this as an electronic album. Felt more alternative. However it has a unique style with the female singing and the various instrumentals and beats. It’s not really my style but it’s interesting at least. 3.7/10

They seem into but but trap is not my thing

I had forgotten that this came 11 years after their second album, 14 after their debut. It was proclaimed a "reinvention" of the band's sound, and it really is apart from the very familiar Beth Gibbons vocals. It has a harshness to it throughout that I unfortunately found grating. Sharp mechanical beats, abrupt transitions, and dissonant instrumental crescendos all contribute to a strange suspense film vibe. Overall I probably won't revisit even though they get full credit for not phoning in another Dummy after so many years.

Just no.

Reminds me a lot of In Rainbows. I don't like In Rainbows

Not my cup of tea. Some of the songs were not awful.

It's ok. There are just much better synth/doom albums. Some good songs but overall not enough variety for me.

Dark, brooding, depressing....what am I missing?

This is a cool ass sound! So unique in its blending of electronic and acoustic instruments, and so melancholy yet danceable. I feel like I'm in Tron.

I kind of like the experimental feel about it, but at some point it gets a bit annoying.

Strange and wide mix of songs, but unfortunately I didn't really like it (notable exception being The Rip).

Some of the sound effects were grating but otherwise I enjoyed this album. Prolly under Dummy

You're in for a real treat if you enjoy bleeding from your ears.

A dark, challenging, sometimes even disturbing album that haunts you long after it ends. It maybe the most haunting listening experience since Kid A, or perhaps even Joy Division's Closer. Ultimately it proves rewarding and bears repeated listens to come to appreciate it's substantial charms. Substantial is an excellent to describe the experience of listening to this album. 4 stars.

Rating: 5/10

Sorry, but I just can't stand Beth's vocal style.

Not this one

-"Silence" is not silence smh -Some very Black Sabbath sounding notes in "Hunter" -Why is "Small" silent for like 3 minutes I literally checked did it was paused like 5 times -The synth riff in "The Rip" sounds like "We're Finally Landing" by Home, which is the song Summoning Salt uses in his videos -"Plastic" seems like a relatively strong song out of these. The cool drum fills and swooshy back and forth sounds and big bass-y synth are all solid. -The drums in "We Carry On" really help change the feel of the song even if the rest of the song is relatively similar to the rest of the album. Just the chugging drums behind it make it seem more stressed or maybe scared than relaxed -"Machine Gun" is also a lot cooler with it's drumline as well -This album was probably gonna be a 2 but "The Rip," "Plastic," "We Carry On," and "Machine Gun" saved it. The first half or so of the album was incredibly boring

Ok album, but a far cry from the pure excellence of Portishead’s first 2 albums.

that was a cool album 8/10

Surprisingly good Achei que tinha colocado o álbum errado quando o cara começou a falar em português kkkkkkk

I genuinely thought I'd really like this album.... I didn't

This ain’t it. Do not want.

not the strongest 2.9

Gloomy, paranoid and sullen. A perfect album for a similar mood.

J'ai bien entendu toujours horreur de Portishead. Rien ne colle entre la voix, les instruments et la mélodie mais venons-en à l'essentiel. Vous savez probablement que la dernière mise à jour du générateur et sa fonctionnalité permettant de voir quels reviews étaient les plus "likés" du site a propulsé mon nom de robbelvédère en haut de l'affiche. Ma notoriété dépasse aujourd'hui très largement le cadre de ce site et il ne se passe pas un jour sans que l'on m'arrête dans la rue. "Robbelvédère ! Robbelvédère ! J'ai adoré ton review d'Abbey Road !" entendais-je encore ce matin. Et c'est là que ça coince. J'ai rappelé à la charmante demoiselle qui prononça ces mots que ma carrière ne se résumait pas à ce simple review et que j'en avais rédigé pas loin d'une cent-cinquantaine tous plus inspirés que les autres. Je me sens aujourd'hui comme doit probablement se sentir Jean-Marie Bigard quand on l'arrête dans la rue pour lui dire à quel point on aime son sketch de la chauve-souris. "Et mon sketch de la merde qui tombe dans la cuvette, c'est de la chiasse pour vous ?" doit sûrement penser l'intéressé. En bref, je vous conseille vivement de ne pas vous arrêter à mon "hit review" et de lire les autres avec la même attention.

Malgré les coups et blessures portés par robespierre à Portishead, ces derniers ont su garder la tête haute et nous proposer un album qui - bien qu'inférieur à leur immense classique écouté quelques mois plus tôt - ravira tous les fans de trip-hop. Je tiens a remercier Robert qui m'a préparé une sacré liste d'albums pour mon retour de vacances, puisque c'est déjà le 5ème 4/5 consécutif que j'attribue. Robert a essayé de tester notre fidélité au générateur en nous proposant des albums tous plus nuls les uns que les autres à plusieurs reprises, mais maintenant qu'il connait notre docilité, il n'hésite pas à nous recompenser quand l'opportunité se présente. Merci, Robert.

Truly yikes

Just amazing

Quite like Portishead's album Dummy, but never have listened to any of their other stuff. Also very much like this, but slightly different vibes with less electro influence. Strong songs like The Rip.

Was alright, loved the portuguese at the beginning

Just a little bit of melancholy😊

A few nice tracks. Overall too melancholy for me. Would need to be in a very specific mood to enjoy this.

Meh. Not my thing. Well written songs. Didn't love or hate it.

It was funky!

Familiar with Portishead's early material but never got around to this album. Happy to say it holds up for me, this will enter my regular rotation.

Favs: Small, The Rip, Hunter Mehs: Not big on the opening to Silence This is my least favorite Portishead album, but I really love their stuff. I like this, but it's not as lush. Beth Gibbon's voice is still one of my all time favorites, even as it gets more downtempo and bleak here. Their other stuff has a hopeful aura paired with Gibbon's longing keen, but this album never soars to me like their other songs do. Small gets closest, I think.

Didn't love it. Didn't hate it.

I normally like Portishead pretty well. Apparently I like older albums more than newer, but this one was alright enough for me to listen to again. It's still electronic ambient, mostly, but more experimental than my caters to my taste. 3 stars.

Probably a bit too experimental for me to listen to again but appreciated how complex it is. So many sounds packed into one record and her voice is incredible. There were a couple of specific songs that stood out, namely Small and The Rip.

The production seems top notch with interesting tidbits of instruments that pop up in each song. However, overall its not very memorable to me and just too depressing with the haunting vocals and lyrics. Not into it. 2.4/5.0

Not for me

Fine album, still not really my thing.

Intensely disliked most of this. Pretentious but also boring. The vocal delivery... I honestly can’t fathom anyone wanting to listen to singing like that.

3.5

Heeft wel een paar goeie nummers

The third album by Portishead was release 13 years after their debut album Dummy. The albums shows various musical genres (not only trip hop anymore). The music is laid back, slowly progressing and full of grandeur.

A schizophrenic album full of anxiety of what is to come. This is a radical departure from the trip-hop they had led a decade prior, and it's a departure I'm thoroughly impressed by. I really like the haunting vocals that match the nerve-wrecking sounds of doom. Love the album from front to end. Even tracks like "Deep Water" are calming short interludes that maintain sanity even for just a moment. Favorite track is "Machine Gun" (very dub-like), but songs like "Silence" remind me of Public Image Ltd and "Plastic" of Radiohead. I'm a sucker for experimental music that isn't excessively loud or annoying, and this does the trick for me. I'll be listening to this from time and time again when I'm sick of the usual genres.

Really bad

4 tracks in and I am still waiting to grab onto something. I don't find the acid club/industrial rock genre incredibly compelling in album format. I am sure they would be much different live, with a lot of sweaty people doing drugs and losing their minds. Deep Water with the surprise ukulele! yep the rest of the album is the same and I couldn't wait for it to end.

Such a cool and unique sound, so much anguish. Every song can be interpreted differently by everyone. There are some very sweet moments like Deep Water. Singing isn't the most controlled, but contributes to their authenticity

Haven’t heard this one before, but some good tunes.

i really like this damn sound. kind of free jazz pop music.

Ein merkwürdiges Album. Irgendwo zwischen elektronischem Bombardement von Beats auf einem Wandteppich aus renaissanceartigem Gesang. War auch irritiert als 2-3 Songs einfach abrupt enden. (6/10) Favourite Tracks: Hunter, The Rip

boring

pretty boring and felt like they were going through the motions a bit.

Third is the third studio album by English electronic music band Portishead. It was released on 28 April 2008 in the United Kingdom by Island Records and a day later in the United States by Mercury Records. Portishead's first studio album in eleven years, it moved away from the trip hop style they had popularised, incorporating influences such as krautrock, surf rock, doo wop, and the film soundtracks of John Carpenter.

Helaas niet hun beste album. Toch een hoge waardering omdat ik hou van deze sfeer en hun album Dummy is echt mega goed.

Mooi, ik kende het eigenlijk niet zo goed. Ontdekkinkje dus.

Portishead was a discovery.

This album gives boring a new definition. It lacks quite some oomph. Why didn't the guitarplayer a tuner to the recordingstudio?

De muziek is weinig bijzonder. Beetje drum-and-bass ritme met af en toe een akkoord. Soms, heel soms een beetje een "Ennio" of "Kill Bill" gevoel. Zang is redelijk, maar beetje vermoeiend om naar te luisteren. Het begin van Deep Water is zelfs zo vals als een zieke hond. Heerlijke muziek als je vroeger naar "de mat" of naar "de zig" ging. Op dit moment val ik echter in slaap op mijn werk. Ik begin bijna de reclame van Spotify interessant te vinden. Hee, daar is dan toch ineens een interessant riedeltje (The Rip). Beste lekker "elektro" nummer eigenlijk. Dat wordt meteen een sterretje meer!

Beetje depri maar brengt toch goede herinneringen naar boven. Ideaal festival materiaal voor de tent of het kleine podium

Fijn album, zeker niet het beste van Portishead.

Niet hun beste album helaas. Maar wel echt toffe muziek. Op festivals een aanrader.

Lastig luisteren. Wat een gloomfest. Halverwege the rip opent het album zich eindelijk. Om zich bij Plastic direct weer te sluiten. Zou zomaar de soundtrack kunnen zijn van een dystopische sci-fi film noir.

this one was pretty cool it sounds like this song from soundtracks for the blind

One of few albums I've heard being so weird yet really pulling it off. Industrial, apocalyptic yet soft. 4.5 on first listen.

Triphop-a-riffic!

I really liked Machine gun but didn't really rate the rest

Great high music

Portishead's latest record, and perhaps the final as it has been 13 years, goes further in experimental rock, with Krautrock's hypnotic rhythyms and ambient influences. Here, I must admit that I dislike the lead vocals on most tracks, when they are too isolated, dreamy and hypnotic. However, the instrumentals with searing synth leads and punchy synth-brass are so extremely good in some tracks that they make them enjoyable. Examples being The Rip, Plastic, Machine Gun, Magic Doors and Threads. A 3/5 is therefore deserved.

ehhhhhhhhhhh

Talent at its finest

This album is so cool. What else sounds like this? It's bursting with ideas! To me this album has a clear point of view, it sounds like impending danger, like fear of the future. It's dark and anxious. I love it

This is Portishead refined. I didn't like Portishead unrefined, and I like them refined even less.

Spooky vibe to it. I like the tone and the style. A mix up of good and soft vocals and electronica. Interesting and certainly unique or at least for that time.

I can only say this so many times, weird foreign albums stay weird. At least this one is in English

Surprised how much I enjoyed this one - Captivated me throughout

I love the vibe and instrumentals of Portishead, but the vocals are a bit grating to me, much in the same way Bjork's voice irritates me. Even though I don't necessarily like the vocals, I can appreciate the Avant Garde nature of them.

I am surprising myself now that I think back about this album because I really enjoyed it. Wasn't the best thing I've ever listened to, but the album flew by. Machine Gun is a great track so is Plastic.

If my anxiety had a soundtrack it would be this album. No thanks.

This was great! Love it, defo on the list! Chilled out ambient trip hop! Gibbons voice is amazing as always!

I thought I was going to hate this but it's actually awesome! Super weird, creepy, reminds me of Radiohead just a little bit.

ehhh. This was a weird album filled with droning sounds trying to disguise itself as experimental svante-garde rock.

I like the simplicity to the playing and the uneasy, eerie feel of the album. the vocals are great yet annoying at the same time. stand outs: Nylon Smile, Plastic,

I get Radiohead, NIN, Björk, and Cure vibes from this. Chill, but cool arrangements. Almost menacing at times. I dig!

a little painful on the ears at times, but the singer has an incredible voice.

It was ok, wasn't my type of beat

The sound of the end of the world. Smiling sweetly, Portishead stuff this album full of a claustrophobic sense of impending doom. And yet there were flickering rays of sunshine, largely through the vocals contrasting the soundscapes of oblivion. It’s a compelling combination, and one worth further delves.

Lightweight Bjork/ Radiohead vibes. Would be good nighttime driving music.

no

3.75

Has some significance as the soundtrack to a romance of mine many moons ago that died on its ass, but that doesn't make me any more disposed to accept the dreaminess they peddle so insistently as anything more than a cloak for emotional inarticulacy they find too expedient to grow beyond and lethargy they're too comfortable disguising with bursts of what appears to be energy but only because they build to it from a near stationary starting point.

did not like. creepy. 2 songs were good. mitski on acid

Never listened to Portis Head....my mistake. Good vibes.

Special, aber cool

Nicht schlecht und ohne Elektro wäre es meins

Eu achava que já tinha ouvido mas a fala em português no começo provou que não. Bem pior que o segundo que é pior que o primeiro.

Not an easy listen at all. Too experimental and harsh and grating. Didn't enjoy. I'm clearly too middle of the road preferring their first two albums. Beth's voice is still poignant and emotional.

Not really for me

Gorgeous running away beyond the horizon electronic vibes.

Would listen to again.

Do you remember that girl you noticed, The one in the city centre. She was dressed like Stevie Nicks meets Primark, In a crowed of 20 something olds. Shouting at a government with no general direction!. You walk up to this woman with your secret weapon of a medium Toffee latte from Costa. You pretend to care about what ever this collection of sandals are shouting about. You get woman’s name...it’s “Meadow” because why not. “Meadow” will go out for a drink but not for any old drink but for a drink to a little place she knows! . A little place with a band, a band filled with “Meadows” friends. You get to the underground bar literally..it’s a cellar in A 1960s St Katharine Docks ..Taylor Woodrow apartment redevelopment cellar. You sit with “Meadows” crossed legged on the floor, on a cushion, while an Ale in a jam jar is placed on the old cable drum table in front of us. As I start to feel out of place within the weed filled walls, Walls painted with that fidel castro silhouette all over ( because it’s 2009 and it’s original!...from the Gap ) I think even though “Meadows” looks the double of Mélanie Laurent, I can’t do this and her Ecology Degree I have to leave now before it’s too late. it’s too late. “Meadows” friends are on the turned upside down Biffa Bin stage. Celeste...Arlo & Ziggy are on!!! Celeste starts moaning like ET after too many drinks during a Quiet Man convention..Ziggy is kicking a broken wind chime & Arlo is banging his left nut on a burnt out old Tuna can with his woman’s Study’s degree. Just before I leave and go back to my natural resources consuming life, Drinking a Scotch and Back to searching for Tulisa from N-Dubs, “Meadows” informs me it is not about the music and it is about how it make you feel. I feel like Music is about the Music and I have to leave. This Albums makes me feel how you feel reading this about this album about how this Album makes me feel about Music or pretend to like Interstellar

Bit weird. Not for me at all but doesn't deserve to be rated a 1 like albums that have been rated a 1. Doesn't offend my ears but I'd definitely skip their songs.

Great album, their debut is better though

kind of quiet, atmospheric electronica so-so probably improves with more listens didn't like the singer so much, but the sound is ok 3/5

Fine. Not as amazing as in the nineties.

nope

Appreciate it for what it is. But just couldn’t get a feel for the album

Found this boring, I appreciated some of the music throughout but they didn't really get developed much if at all. For what I'd say is fairly minimalist in its approach I'd need to connect more to the vocals but I didn't get much emotion from the singer albeit a seemingly good singer. 2* just not my thing I guess but not awful.

Good enough but lacked the emotional connection of Dummy. Apparently lightning does not strike twice. Disappointed overall due to expectations.

Didn't enjoy this. Found it boring, and dreary. Don't think I am a Portishead fan.

Some nice stuff, but on the whole not one I'd want in my collection.

It's ok

It was okay. Good not great imo, but I can respect it for what it is.

Bleak and not very accessible.

Some of it is a little hard to listen to, but it's not bad

Its the most pretentious thing I've heard. Elements are interesting but fucking hell most of it dull and without redeeming features. A generous 2/5

3/5

drogas

3.5

What a great comeback it was!!

Ecléctico. Hay que saber escucharlo

Agobiante y opresivo.

Straight up garbage. Experimental electronic/rock. One of the worst if not the worst. 1/10.

Raro al principio

Deep water good, rest is kind of 90s matrix oriented baroque electronic with lady vocals

super chill hunter and the rip are bops

Tercer disco de Portishead. 11 temas nuevos que llegaron pasado un tiempo y que se entienden y disfrutan más como un conjunto y como continuación de los anteriores. Un sonido más denso y oscuro. Imperdible. Especial atención The Rip y Plastic.

good songs

J’aime mais j’ai eu trop de distraction en l’ecoutant , a reecouter. 3.5

Electrónica. No del todo mal.

Good but it’s not Dummy

Creo que no aporta nada nuevo a lo que conocemos de Portishead, no hay un Misterons, All Mine, etc. Se clavan mucho con el uso de Distor y sonidos de peliculade terror de los 50s

nesten fire stjerner. Syntes hele sullamitten var litt lang. Fint stilmessig, gøyalt med blandingen ambience og dance. Klager ikke på de tekniske komponentene, produksjonen virker sylskarp, men blir noe mutt i lengden. Mangler en rød tråd, eller noe som virkelig bryter den noe kjedelige kontinuiteten. Kanskje ikke overraskende at "The Rip" var platas høydepunkt og beste låt.

Masterpiece

Ambient, somber, disjointed, abrupt, weird harmonies and counter melodies. First track has a really abrupt ending which kind of sets the tone for the album. Favourite track: Magic Doors

Okay. 5/10

Perfect 90’s pop alternative, all the 90’s musical tropes

This album immediately grabbed my interest right out of the gate. I had listened to tracks from this band from a past album, and the intro track really set my hopes high. Ultimately, there were several tracks that delivered, but what derailed the album for me was that several obnoxious "washing machine" measures were scattered amongst this otherwise hauntingly beautiful album. I would be flowing with the music only to be jarred out of the vibe with the various parts throughout. It may be something that would ease after a few listens, but it cost them a couple of stars after one listen.

Some songs reminded of evanescense, but too repetitive and annoying in a long listen

Dark, Slow, ...I mean, it's portishead.

Not bad, but not really my style.

Yes please. I love everything about Portishead, it's my kind of stuff.

Les voy a ser bien franco: me gusta más este álbum reimaginado por el noisefloor crew

Chingón...

An eclectic album. Not exactly for the everyday but I'm into it. I can see someone like FKA twigs being influenced by their sound.

SUCKS!

Very different I don’t know how to feel about it initially.

Excellent listen. Silence and Small were songs that hooked me.

Just not for me.

Some very good songs on this album

Niet echt lekker, zal het niet nogeens opzetten

Very uneven. Not something I’d listen again

Noo

Not my thing

Albumazazazazo

Interesting, I guess?

This wasn't for me.

Was ok, probably need more listens

I really enjoyed it. The only thing I'll say is that none of the songs stood out. Everything kind of merged together. But it was still really cool and different, and I'll probably listen to it again.

Not my thing

Cool, kind of dreamy alt pop. Nice background music.

This is the first time playing this one the whole way through and it’s a little jazzier with less turntables than older PHead. Heroin music

unlistenable

Nothing exciting here. Lots of ambient sounds. Not really my thing

Magic doors had one of the worst sounds I've ever heard Jesus Christ

Never really listened to this genre or heard of this band. The album has a good amount of variety in sounds, and I would listen to it again.

Silence- creepy vocals actually gave me goosebumps. head pumpin drum loops. Defiantly weird. Might be just a little too downtempo and a 90's grunge sad with 2000's electronic dissonance.

A bit 'whiny' at times I think? Not bad. (Wish I had actually written better notes right after I listened yesterday.)

Never listened to them at all or even knew what genres they covered. Unique soundscapes, not bad!

Yeah I don't know if I dig Portishead.

mmm not my favorite

don't care for it. Is not something I would listen to for pleasure. Weird without a purpose. Favorite song, Deep Water, 3/8.

Ugh. Skipped most of the album. Sad, noise.

Dark and moody. Right on the nose tho.

boring

I enjoyed the song the big sky

Never listened to a Portishead album. Have now. not the most uplifting and cheery addition to my day. Each to their own. Another one off the list that wont be going back on. I’d rather listen to Leonard Cohen...!

Teki mieli leikkaa korvat irti päästä tätä kuunnellessa...

Dull. Weird. Didn't finish the last couple of tracks, would be surprised if they were any different to all the others

Portishead is just SO sad. It's almost unbearable at times. Like when I need something really sad, I might come back to this, but it's not even peaceful to me, just sad. That said, it's very well done and I'm sure it deserves a 3.

vds

Trip-hop, langsomme rytmer, eksperimenterende

okay

There's not a lot of vocal dynamics and a lot of this album is just so much wallpaper. I got halfway through before I found a song I could remember, let alone could say I enjoyed. Really like it when it gets noisy and dissonant. Favorite tracks: "We Carry On", "Magic Doors"

Better than I remembered

Better than expected. A pleasant surprise with the vocals. Those melodies were cool.

more white music

moody!

4

Solid quality music, if not quite as good as Dummy