Dummy

Har ikke så mye å si. Det var bra, men ikke helt min greie. Tror ikke jeg ga dette albumet den oppmerksomheten jeg skulle ha gitt det. Skal uten tvil høre igjen, mulig det er bedre ved flere lyttinger.

Ville veldig gjerne like fette, men tror jeg må høre mer. Vibet ikke helt, av en eller annen grunn.

This album checks off a lot of my favorite music boxes: moody? yep. ethereal? oh yeah. haunting voice? for sure. steady but not overpowering backbeat? give me more! This album has mastered the art of the chill vibe. And yet. It's just not really my thing. I can appreciate it, I'm enjoying listening to it now, but I won't come back to it. A little of it goes a long way. For me it's kinda like Mazzy Star - someone would put it on, I'd think ooh I have to check that out at home, and then I would never follow up because it's just a little too precious.

Cool style

Good start, but got slow and depressing at the end

Different. Enjoyed it!

Super chill. Not something i would normally listen to but really good. 3 stars.

I liked it! Nice background music.

I dig the lo fi hip hop beats and the scratching. Her voice is also nice but I'm not sure if all of it put together fully jives with my white boy sensibilities

Decent

This album cover looks like it was taken straight from The Poughkeepsie Tapes. On top of the synths and electronics of this one, it made for a creepy but cool listen. It felt a little repetitive as it went on, but I enjoyed it.

Very good listen. Smooth, funky, and untraditional.

Electronic, ambient, trip hop, I'm not sure what to define this as, a mix of a few genres. It wasn't bad. The songs sounded similar, overall it was a decent album

Wandering Star slaps. It gives early 90s. It's a bit slow and creepy, but I can listen to it while I work. Fun record sounds.

First time hearing Trip Hop. I didn't even know such a genre existed. When I heard this genre I imagined it would be kinda like mgmt songs for some reason. I didn't t expect this at all and more that a trip it kinda felt like a spiritual journey for some reason. I loved it more than the previous album but not as much as other albums I heard. Nevertheless I have a feeling that this album will grow on me as I listen to it more and more.Soo I give it a moderate 3

Some really good tracks and some boring ones.

Great vibe for a rainy day, heard that one song a million times. 2.5/5

Somewhat familiar, very chill and cool. Top tracks Sour times Roads Glory box

Mysterons et sour times sont bien Strangers est claquée It could be sweet et wandering star Bof It's a fire est bien! Numb non Road elle est bien en vrai Pedestal rien de spécial Biscuit non Glory Box incroyable ofc Résultat final 3/5 Je donnerais 2.5 si je pouvais. Vraiment carry par Glory Box, le reste va d'ecoutable à nul donc bon

Wish I liked this more than I do. Feel like this is a fave album for many people whose music I like. + Sour Times + Strangers + It Could Be Sweet + Glory Box

It's a really unique album and sound. Neat that they found a sound that was so tailored to them.

A pretty cool and unique vibe. A understated haunting broody electronic beat with a cool siren of a voice. Sour Times stands pretty far above everything else... the rest maintains the vibe, but everything is samesy enough that the album probably serves best as background music.

I did not enjoy the female vocal on this album.

Very chilled album. Sounded a bit repetitive though.

lofi indie rock, its alright.

Some kind of chill electronic pop. Nice.

I liked mysterons and glory box the most.the rest, while enjoyable sort of blurred together.

Pleasantly surprised although it is reminiscent of walking dark streets at night after suffering some personal tragedy.

Good, but I definitely prefer the triphop we heard yesterday

slow pacing + the singing style makes it an album i’m not super interested in. the instrumentals also don’t really do it for me. i can enjoy some slower songs, but this album isn’t working.

It's fine. For me personally, this album gets let down by the extreme overrepresentation of this genre, because it quite clearly is the best one of all these 90s UK electronica acts. But I'm pretty jaded at this point, and electronica still has a hard ceiling with me.

Her voice is beautiful. And it reminded me of some other music I had forgotten about.

Felt a bit dated to me. Decent enough but I felt a bit forgettable too. Not sure if it was the vocals, or the sultry sexy spy movie vibes, but I think it's probably influenced so much modern music that I unfairly hear it as jaded and dated. Did have some decent beats, synths and songs. 6/10

Very sixth form vibes from this album

Heavy but with surprisingly uplifing female vocals.

Saatan olla liian hövelillä päällä, ja teoriassa tämän asteinen masistelu on liian optimistista, mutta nämä kappaleet herättävät musiikillisia kysymyksiä. Saattaisinpa jopa palata muutamaan.

I know this is a big album for a lot of people but I never really came across it until now, aside from seeing the album cover in lots of record stores. I didn't dislike this one but it also didn't hit me that hard. I found that it kind of just played in the background without many standout tracks. Standout Tracks: Sour Times, It's Fire, Glory Box

From the opening, cavernous drums and theremin (!) of “Mysteron” to the fading strains of Beth Gibbons’ iconic “give me a reason to love you”, “Dummy” is mysterious, sensual and serene. In 1994, the album cemented Bristol as the home of trip-hop, three years after audiophile Geoff Barrow had formed Portishead with Gibbons (they recorded demos in Neneh Cherry’s kitchen, while Barrow was working on her second album). Thirty years on, “Dummy” stands as the critical pinnacle of the genre. Aside from the odd drum sample here or scratch effect there, to my ears it sounds strikingly contemporary, not dating much at all since 1994. There are some interesting recording and engineering techniques going on here: all made analogue, the band recorded their own music onto vinyl and then manipulated it via tape deck. Records were walked on and scuffed before being sampled, and broken amps were used, all in pursuit of a vintage sound. The sonics themselves are really well done, with a good use of space: arrangements are sparse and minimal, with a nice focus on the low end to allow Gibbon’s hushed, ethereal vocals to float above. However, despite the impressive technical input, many of these songs leave me cold. It’s a good sonic atmosphere but the smoky, noir-spy-fiction feel doesn’t do a lot for me when strung out over a full album. By the time it gets to the extended trumpet solo in “Pedestal”, or the warped vocals of “Biscuit”, it’s all a bit too much of a snooze. Song structures are flat, endless oceans with little variation in dynamics or tempo. I ended up realising the warmer, lusher tones of Goldfrapp’s early work (which I can now appreciate must have been heavily influenced by Portishead) appeal to me more. This isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy any of “Dummy”: beyond the undisputed triumph of “Glory Box”, I enjoy “Strangers” for its colossal drums and creeping dread. And “It’s A Fire” is an unsung gem, playing out like a moment of clarity in all the fog and haze. Direct and sincere, it keeps a sweet melody at its heart without revealing all its secrets. I would have appreciated a little more of this. “Dummy” deserves its place in music history, but for me it’s more a place to visit once in a while and admire than set up roots in forever.

Pretty niche genre of not quite pop, not quite rock, not quite electronic, even not quite hip hop in some places. I liked it, but wasn’t crazy about it.

Weet dat 't goed is, maar nooit helemaal mijn ding geweest. Toch 3 sterren uiteraard.

Waar is machine gun als je erop zit te wachten?

Nice background stuff.

Rock solid album, one of the best ever

An unusual mix of soulful with dark and moody. Well crafted songs with a restrained use of scratching and sampling, which gives the songs a grittiness without making them feel heavy handed. Not every song lands, but when the get it right, it's splendid. Fave Songs: Sour Times, Glory Box, Mysterons, It Could Be Sweet, Roads, Wandering Star

Everyone can agree on this album. It's perfectly average.

This is refreshing after Steely Dan yesterday. I'm gonna feel bad if I give this the same score, though. I should have rated yesterday's album lower. This is a subwoofer album, that's for sure. The bottom line: Portishead's "Dummy" is a slick rainy night, foggy and crisp all at once.

I listened to this while working on an essay, and it was impressively good study music. It's calm, slightly creepy, and very much the same from song to song. I didn't even notice when one song flowed into the next.

C'était quand même correct, l'instrumentation m'envoyais des petits vibe de Gorillaz par moment.

C’est pas pour moi mais ça m’a permis d’avoir une introspection sur mon opinion de la musique moderne, faque je lui donne un point bonus EDIT DU FUTUR: C'EST VRAIMENT PAS SI PIRE QUE ÇA FINALEMENT, PEUT-ÊTRE QUE J'ÉVOLUE ENFIN

not bad just not what i would listen to

Batter than what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be somewhat painful to listen to but I didn't mind it.

Agobiante... opresivo... Un 3.

This is a great debut from Portishead, there are so many samplings, loops and techniques such as skating with and walking on vinyl to give it a distorted sound, along with playing through a broken amplifier, gives this album such a unique sound. All without the use of digital recordings. With the trip hop sound makes me feel that I'm walking through a laneway on a gloomy rainy evening, coupled with just the sound of your footsteps and the odd passing car. Best: Glory Box Worst: Biscuit 3.5 stars

Review history indicates I really hated the prior offering from this band. This didn't rub me the wrong way nearly so much, thoughbits a style I could simply do without.

Honest review would be 3.5 stars. Reminds me of Bjork a lot

Great in parts.

Good but not great.

Really influential. I can literally hear the Glitch Mob samples and inspiration from this one, but it’s not the greatest sound.

Chill, sleepy at times

Highlights: "Mysterons," "It Could Be Sweet" This was contributing to a very fresh subgenre, maybe piggybacking Massive Attack's Protection, but while it's hard to find precedent (ATCQ, likely), it's easy to see influence. I wouldn't be surprised if this spurred Björk's development on 1995's Post, Beck's move away from Primus and Ween sounds to what we hear on Odelay, and any number of mournful '90s alt hits glazed over a breakbeat -- Dido, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, etc. For all that, though, its striking impression is already spread very thin by 50 minutes. The dusky, plaintive brooding gets monotonous quickly. So at least it's consistent?

Very loud and tense whilst also being quite chill and laid back. Very excellent vocals. Very good use of silence/instruments dropping in and out. The synthesisers all sound very simple, however this very "bleak" landscape does a lot of favours to the duality of the sound that they're going for. Some beautiful use of strings too.

Beautifully put together album, good to work to

Skön groove med den rätt unika instrumentella delen av mixen. Ganska moody.

To me, Beth Gibbons is not the hypnotic sex goddess others hear. Don’t remember the music being so rich in drums and scratches, nice stuff but I’ll take prime Tricky over it any day.

Sad but good.

some songs cool

INT

3.5 really enjoyed it!

already listened to it, it's dark, it's good

Never heard of Portishead before, though I realised while listening that I knew their song “Glory Box” from somewhere - I think it was used in an ad or something. Definitely a weird album, I’m not usually into stuff this experimental-sounding. Fav tracks: Sour Times, It’s A Fire, Glory Box Least fav tracks: Numb, Roads, Pedestal While I liked some tracks, most didn’t do it for me.

I was familiar with a few of the songs, but had never listen to the album in its entirety. Favorite songs: Roads, Glory Box. Very trippy vibe. I could imagine listening to this album while driving while it's raining or snowing on the highway at night.

No es mi genero favorito, sin embargo tampoco es un album que aburre, todas las canciones son diferentes y cada una tiene algo que la destaca 6/10

Have known about this album for years, but never got into it. Still not totally into it but it's growing on me. 3 stars.

I haven’t listened to Portishead for a while, good music.

Heard so much good about this one Hmmm I expected indierock for some reason. Wth. This is boring af "Roads" kind of turns it around though. Yeea the strings are so needed on the other tracks. 3 That and "Glorybox" were the only good songs.

Cool slick nighttime music

i want to rate this 4, but the upbeat not dark trip hop stuff just isnt good. it isnt good okay? i dont like it. but, boyo, does the dark stuff slap like a dude slapping the side of a dog. good boy! anyway, i get why youd like it. i like it. the dark shit. strongest thee song opening in a minute, yo.

OK - little bit 'background' but might possibly listen again...

The first time I heard this was late night watching the 1995 movie Tank Girl which features the song "Roads" in a truly magnificent shower scene. I have no idea how the movie holds up today, but the Portishead song stayed with me as one of the best timed songs with great keyboard, spare beats, and a singular voice. I immediately bought the album and loved it. it Could be Sweet is a solid track as well. Wandering Star. There are quite a few nice ones and they are cohesive and flow well together. Portishead is no longer a sound I long to hear often, but there were a couple years when I certainly played and heard this album a lot. The talent is obvious.

Not my thing, listened but didn't pay attention. Well made, good sounding however.

Some amazing songs but overall the sound isn’t really what a typically enjoy. I can see why it’s considered a classic in the genre, though. Standout tracks: Strangers, Wandering Star, It’s a Fire

Decent, a bit weird in a direction I enjoy.

Not sure what to make of this one

it was okay, will probably not revisit again, very haunting vocals

Trip Hop, beautiful female voice

This was pretty middle-of-the-road for me. It wasn't bad but I'm not sure what situation I'd want to listen to this album again. There were parts that I really enjoyed the feel but as a whole, it was just kinda there.

5/10

Dark and brooding

Electrónica.

Not bad, but yet another 90s electronic-type album. Not sure why there are so many

Put this on and hardly noticed or paid attention to it. Trip-hop I just think is not for me. I know this is supposedly to be the best of the era/genre and it seems pleasant enough.

It’s different, and some good tunes, but wears a bit thin after a while

It's ok I guess. 3*

Wanted to give it a 2.5. I liked it but it was slow and kinda not exciting. VERY catchy beats and rhythms and singing. Great songs and they were all unqiue, not some overplayed simular elements or nuthin. It was cool and I always respect the artists that start new trends or that popularize new ideas, just didnt completly catch me like I wanted it to but ALMOST

notes - half secret agent, half alien vibes - big influence on bands like radiohead - used to have this in my library years ago but unliked it bc i wasnt going back to it - definitely “mood music” fav - sour times - cool hammered instrument, great chorus melody - least fav - strangers - repeating dial-tone type sound that got grating by the end, less harmonically interesting than other songs 3.5/5

I liked a few of the tracks but could not get behind the whole project. Going to have to give it another listen.

Pretty good it's got a very unique sound which is cool. Strong vibe and feeling to the album. Some really cool moments but it can also get a bit repetitive and boring at points. Overall still a very competently done album with some particularly strong moments.

Slow, downbeat. Pretty good for sitting back and chilling.

Kinda oldish music, seems to have a cool dready vibe too, perfect for doing anything

Calm and trippy one, not my favorite type of music but still enjoyed it

meh, it's okay.

Wel zin in paddo's gekregen, maar geen fan geworden

3/5 I really enjoyed the first few songs on the album, it got off to a great start and then felt like it didn’t really go anywhere after that.

creepy...

good for background music while working

Some good songs such as It Could Be Sweet and Glory Box. Others were a bit depressing and dark. Not the best but some good songs

Cooler atmospheric electronic than I was expecting. Probably a 2.5/3 musically (a few standout tracks like Sour Times, Wandering Star, and Roads) but feels like a 3.5 because of the interesting style and influence. Definitely something I wouldn't have found without the list.

Kinda boring but not terrible. - a metalhead

Sure? Farmhouse, work annoying, lease stress.

I didn’t care much for the other portishead album but this one has a much different feel. The singers voice is a little eerie but also melancholic and relaxed. The production between the beats and instrumentals is pretty good. It definitely fits in its own sub genre of music. Overall though it’s good. 6.1/10

Much easier listening than the other Portishead album.

I don't always trip the hop, but when I do I choose Portishead. I think I like that live dilly of theirs better than this, but I still enjoy the overall listening experience here. Is it the cup of tea I want every day? No. No it is not. But compared to the other stuff we've been subjected to in this space I think this band is head and shoulders above the rest, due primarily to the voice of Beth Gibbons. She is good. She makes this work. I had the "Sour Times" single/EP and a Dr. No shirt back in high school. It was a good combo. I was only a few gadgets and a tuxedo away from starting my own cinematic universe.

Aight

Never really gave Portishead the time of day when first getting into music.. even after attending uni in Bristol..Tbh, not the greatest fan of their slow tempo beat sounds but will definitely save the album for future listening. I think I can see myself grow to appreciating them.

This will never be my thing. But I appreciate it more all these years later.

Cool album with one of the great closing tracks.

I had never listened to Portishead, so I wasn't sure what to expect and it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. Termed as "trip-hop", I thought it would be more electronic and heavier and I wasn't expecting female vocals (Beth Gibbons). The music was nice and her vocals were beautiful, and at some point I thought I was listening to Sade. Not a bad listen, I'll have to listen again to fully appreciate it.

Dummy is good for a dreary wet day, which it is when I'm listening, there's an introspective to it and a pain in the vocals, which will always grab me. Fine, it wanders aimlessly for a while, but you can get away with it in an album like this, and Glory Box is a smashing closer. Easy 3/5.

Liked this a lot - it's a bit miserable and definitely not an album for all times and moods, but it's done really well and consistently good all the way through. Not often that an album ends with its best song, but this one did. Just falls shy of a 4, but not by much.

Not really a fan of trip-hop... most of the songs are just boring and lifeless. A few are actually pretty good (like Glory Box and Roads) but they don't make up for the rest of the album.

Eerie loveliness

There was a wider than usual range of how much I liked the songs on this album (wasn't paying close enough attention to write down the ones I liked, though). Interesting style, glad to have heard it.

I’ve always liked this album. My ex girlfriend played it a lot -1 star

Listened to on 4/11/22 3/5 Favorite song: Wandering Star Heavy emphasis on the beats - good vibes all around but some weird breathy lyrics. Background music for sure

Very moody music. Sounds like it influenced a lot of chill/trip hop today. My favorite song (and the only one I think I’d heard before) is Glory Box.

4/11/22 Background music. Should be in a spy movie. All songs blur together. Favorite song: Glory Box

Highlights: Wandering Star. Another album that was totally new to me, and I enjoyed it.

Entiendo que es bueno, pero aburre.

2.5/5 Not my music genre, still this was not bad. But after a while the songs all sound the same. It has a nice easy vibe and was not as bad as I thought it would be. Favourite song: - Wandering star

I don't know whether this is the best album to listen to while you're working or if it's the worst. Pros: it's very trancelike. Cons: It nearly made me fall asleep for that very reason. Fave track was "Sour Times," but there were quite a few good ones in here. But even with that being the case, there's a certain sameness quality that would deter me from regularly re-listening to this album from start to finish. A strong meh for me.

Quite a good record, and I really enjoy the style (trip-hop) but my preference is to Morcheeba and Massive Attack.

Strangers was sampled in a sick Mac Miller/Vince Staples song

Meh a bit boring

Decent album. I really enjoyed the more hip hop like tracks. Instrumentals for these but also the other ones were really enjoyable. However, slow tempo singing songs isn't my cup of tea but very atmospheric.

Not bad! I don’t really get the triphop genre but whatever this was was fine

It's cool i guess, really sad but cool drums and stuff

I expected this to be pretentious. It was. I expected this to be insufferable. It ... was not. While I'm most definitely not a fan of the gothy lounge-lizard vocals, the album has its moments of brilliance. There are tracks that are evocative of a film score and are enjoyable. The album on the whole, however, it just so very tryhard and the end result is less than satisfying.

Two trip-hop albums in a row. I liked this one a little bit more than Massive Attack, but still not going to go in heavy rotation.

I'm very familiar with this album as it was a favorite of a crush of mine. I a indifferent to it on all levels.

Cool

Just like I remember, Eerie and Mellow. Great Stuff.

One word I would use to describe Portishead's vocals, especially on this album, is "haunting". This album mixes a chamber music sound with what was, at the time, an electronic-forward, trip hop sound, with the occasional record scratch sound effect straddling the line between the two realms. It makes for a very interesting listen! Prior to hearing this album front to back, I was only familiar with the song "Glory Box" off of this album, and I still feel like this is the standout of this album. Ultimately, a very chill listen, and while it didn't stand out in any exceptional way to me, I enjoyed it.

Smooth ellectronic music and trip hop

o álbum é bom, mas o estilo não é muito o meu (muito eletrônico)

Pretty meh, though I liked the last song.

A very good early exemple of trip hop. A lot of good references, expecially in the choice of samples. The sample of Isaac Hayes' "Ike's Rap II" elevates "Glory Box" to another level and the singles are the best tracks - all trip hop classics.

Meio deprê, meio sexy: give me a reason to be a woman. Impactante.

Enkel het laatste nummer van dit album kende ik. Verder vond ik het weinig speciaal, maar wel oké

6.7

meh

Ok

I like this more now than I did when it came out.

Super good, very 90’s female led dark electronica, massive attack/ mazzy star

It was aight for a bit, got annoying later

The album has highs and lows, but ultimately, the highs are pretty interesting, and the album as a whole is memorable, after all

Didn't mind this one. Mostly haunting songs that I wouldn't normally seek out.

As gray as Bristol weather...

was ok for the day

Idk about this

I really enjoyed the first two songs of this album with the theremin and the cimbalom in each respectively. "Sour Times" had a very cool James Bond feel to it, was my favorite, and raised my hopes. But as it went on, however, the songs seemed to get less interesting and less distinct. I think the album as a whole was ahead of its time, and I think has had many imitators since.

This is not what I expected Portishead to sound like. But it turns out I was confusing them with Pigeonhead. Very different. Portishead's Dummy is pleasant ethereal background sound, the kind of music that they play to alert me that my time is up in the sensory deprivation tank. I've listened all the way through a few times and, other than Sour Times (which I know from something but I don't know what), not much leaps out at me. I'll rotate a couple of songs into my library but I'm not going to rush to find more.

Their best!

very chill

This whole thing sounds like a Pierce Brosnan bond movie...

Trip-hop's peak? Brooding synths, breathy vocals, bug atmospherics. Even the dinner party patchouli oil crowd couldn't ruin this album. Best Tracks: Mysterons; Sour Times; Glory Box

Idk man ja ha lyssna på dehär albume typ tre gånger å ja ha nog viba men ja kommer ändå int ihåg någo från de

Closer to a 3.5. Has some really incredible moments, and is very unique, has some really cool noir vibes to it. But I think it drags on a bit in the first half, and as unique as it is, it lacks sonic diversity. Maybe ill look more positively on this album in the future.

Sunday 26th September 2021 Run through Thackley to Carr Lane and back up main road.

Canciones relajadas, sosegadas, perfectas para un ambiente tranquilo. Buena voz e instrumentación no muy compleja. Algo de pop.

Nice beats. The lady singer is a bit much sometimes.

Lofi hip hop was much better when I was diving home in the dark rain

It was ok

This debut album from Portishead is an adventure into the trip hop / downtempo universe. A clash between hip hop and electronica with tons of instruments being used and samples scattered around. The music can be described as experimental/avant garde, sad/introspective, ambient/soundscapes, classy/cool, and chill yet comfy. The amount of time and work it took to play instruments, sample recordings, scratch the records, and mix the music must've been immense, but it paid off with a platinum album. This album is timeless and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it - probably because EDM is my favorite genre.

Def liked this better than the last one. Still not my thing.

Decent. 5-6/10

Unexpectedly interesting. A lot of texture and color to these tracks. A cool mix of ambient and dark. I like Beth Gibbons' voice. Not a style of music I've ever spent any time with -- kind of hard to fit into a "genre," anyway, and I like that about this album; I'm glad this project introduced me to it.

A sometimes listen, good but I have to be in the mood for it.

Solid album

Theremin out the gate! Each song on its own has a good chill vibe, but to listen to straight through was too much. Put me in a trancelike state, and I mean that in a bad way. Still has my respect though.

Okay but uneventful

Easy to listen to. Similar to Bjork without as much variety. Not quite my thing.

A beautiful conglomerate of jazz, electronica, R&B...my first introduction to "trip hop," and the best way to start off. Beth Gibbon's voice is sensual, the beats are smooth and the instrumentation is diverse and chaotic. It feels like a more euphoric experience than a record. Something I will definitely come back to listen to. Favorite Song: Roads Least Favorite: Biscuit

Unoffensive, but not my thing.

Mediocre. Not my type.

Your on a roll now keep them coming. Talking of coming, I once came all over bindy (ask Rolf)

Cool vibe. Not my vibe. But cool.

If you're going to make weird droney music with very little in the way of tune or melody, this is how its done. Had a surprisingly good time with this, even if I probably won't touch it again.

Interesting experience. Some of it is painful to listen to (probably because wearing headphones). 50 minutes long and 2/3 of the way through I was really bored of it though. Would not listen to again but some of it was compelling.

Thought it was OK. Her voice put me off a bit.

When I was 5 I set my baby brother on fire. He now looks like a melted welly. Not the most handsome of the Spackmen. That's me. As voted for on 8 separate occasions at Spackman family gatherings.

Not bad. 0RS

Haunting and much better than I expected. We both enjoyed listening to it. ***

I like how this kind of music makes me feel like I’m slowly drifting into insanity...

Lo-fi downtempo.

Started off a bit spooky, ended with a few very listenable songs. Would consider going back for another listen through.

Meh

Agobiante... opresivo...

Very much lo-fi beats. Sounds like coffee shop music, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Not my cup of tea, but enjoyable none-the-less.

Not really my style, found it hard to differentiate between songs.

3

I appreciate this is good, but I don't love LOVE it you know? Like I enjoy certain parts of it but maybe the style doesn't ALWAYS appeal to me. But its not 'bad' is it. Don't kick off Will

good album, wasn't really in the mood for it that day tho.

Inspired trip hop, James Bond vibes

Interesting

Not a trip hop fan so let’s see how this goes 1- the synths make this gold, actually really like this, a little dark 2- one of the classic songs, this is smoother than I remember, can’t see myself ever just turning this on, but damn that hook is fire, nobody loooooves me 3- this is fine, this is the trip hop that is boring to me 6- wait this is bad imo. Hm 7- yeah I don’t think I like most of these. Seems like they’re trying to make a “cool” James Bond soundtrack. Feels like they’re trying too hard 8- did I speak too soon!?!? This shit is so good. Everything is connected on this song. Really really sad, I do love strings so that may be it. This seems like a classic more than anyone so far. Saving this one. Last song - the other classic I’ve heard. It’s good still. This does Bond proud. Feeling like 2.5-3 maybe

Good album. Definitely want to check out the bands other stuff.

Favorites: Mysterons, Sour Times, It Could Be Sweet, Wandering Star, Roads, Glory Box. Debut album of the London group, was one of the biggest artists and albums to make trip hop/downtempo gain prominence in the mainstream (Massive Attack was the biggest).

A compelling mix of angelic lyrics and dark music and lyrics creates an eerie atmosphere. The songs can feel repetitive however as they don't differentiate from each other very much. Fave songs are sour times, it could be sweet, its a fire, and glory box.

It was okay!

Cool. Somewhat of a depressing vibe. Introspective

Fine, not terrible, but not particularly good either. Just not for me.

I think somehow I would have preferred this as an instrumental

Hieno hämyisän raskas tunnelma ja piti otteessa alusta loppuun. En tiedä mitä on tapahtunut kun ko. orkesteri onnistui tekemään toisen aivan ultimaattisen paskan levyn :D

É um belo álbum, vocais muito diferentes, mas o destaque é mesmo Glory Box, uma música absolutametne maravilhosa

It was so 90s.

is that sad-girl trip-hop. That knock knock my life is shit but also lowkey kinda depressingly cool. ya feel?? knoknok!!

Wow the beats were INSANE

Sad girl in a dark room vibes with a 90s twist. It was just ok for me. Really wanna give this more than a 2 but I just can't.

Great soundtrack music, but not personally resonant. Very much just worse Massive Attack for me.

Sounds like same beat and track over and over again. Luckily it's fine background music or it would be a 1 2 stars.

Uninspiring 2

speziell

Really wasn’t a fan of this and was surprised it’s been rated so highly, I feel like I needed a course of sertaline after listening to this

Forgettable

I liked a lot of the beats but I don't see myself picking this album up. 2/5

I am a decently big trip-hop fan, but Portishead has never really done it for me.

I listened to this one, but there was a lot going on so I didn't really LISTEN if you know what I mean. What I heard was interesting but didn't make me stop and take notice... so 2.

Me ha parecido aburrido y monótono. Pero para dormir va bien.

En ole fani.

Der klagende Gesang kippt hier schnell ins dauerhaft Jaulende, das die Stücke eher ermüdet als vertieft. Die düsteren Beats und das verrauschte Vinyl‑Sampling haben zwar Stil, aber das Album zieht sich – zu monochrom, zu nervig,

Just really not it for me… I actually might prefer it without the vocals—which I hate—but then I suspect it would only put me to sleep. :/

Dark vibes

This is nothing I can find myself enjoying regardless of the circumstances. Nothing offensive to the ears, but also nothing very enjoyable. Felt like I was hearing the same song over and over. Not for me. 2

Baustelle, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Stinklangweilig.

Trippy and hoppy. Melodisch teilweise bisschen anstrengend und puts me in a strange mood Favs: it could be sweet, roads, Glory Box

Nah

Showed hints of the vibe I wanted it to have, but never quite got there. It's an interesting combo between electronic music and vocals. Just not quite for me I guess.

Relaxing, peaceful vibe to sonk into although some songs felt a bit boring. Not really my genre 2/5

Just not my style

3 songs in, I don't get it. Very much a sign of the 90s, a bunch of weird homemade beats using "unconventional" instruments, vocals put me to sleep. Seems like it would be a soundtrack to an indie movie or something very slow paced. 6 songs in, still don't get it, the songs all seem too long, an extra 30 seconds of just listening to the beat even though the beats are mid at best. You almost had me on the song "Roads" it had a little more weight to it, then to turn around and put me back to sleep with the next track. None of the songs really stand out, they all kind of sound the same. End of album finish is fine, but overall just not my thing, probably not something I will return to.

You have to be in the mood for this but if you are it’s a relaxing listen. Downbeat. Not really my thing but I can tell it’s quality.

Atmostpheric, moody, interesting. Bit samey throughout.

Não é para mim. Não sei onde uma música termina e a outra começa.

like the sound is really cool but I hate listening to it 2/5

Mellow. Not what I was expecting but then again, what was I expecting? I guess I was expecting to like it. On paper it sounds great...in my ears on the other hand... I really don't like the vocals. This voice reminds me of a friend I had who would whine about every tiny little thing. Rain on the road? "ooohhhhh oooo ohhhh". Bit of dirt on her dress? "ooohhhhh oooo ohhhh". It was this high pitched, warbling moan. And it grated on my nerves. So this vocalist is not making me feel warm and fuzzy. Otherwise, I found the album completely forgettable. What a bummer. I wanted to like it.

vaag, wel lekker rustig

Not sure what was going on here

Booooring

This list is the first time I’ve listened to this much of this type of music. I’ve never understood what‘s appealing about it. It seems to be largely about the atmosphere, but I know way more atmospheric albums that aren’t so spacey and boring. Like the other Portishead album on the list, Beth Gibbons is the highlight. 2/5

good instrumentals and prduction, unfortunatley really poor vocals.

this was very meh but also i had a headache all day so i appreciate that this one was very chill

Never understood the big deal about this one. Always found "Sour Times" annoying CAUSE NOBODY LOVES MEEEEEEE... Plus, I found the singer's voice very inconsistent. A few songs it was sweet and mellow. Other songs it sounded sharp and grating CAUSE NOBODY LOVES MEEEEEEEE. Felt a very Bjork-esque vibe, which probably is foreshadowing if any Bjork albums show up on this list.

Tiene mucho tiempo que no los he escuchado, creo es la oportunidad perfecta para regresar y escucharlos. Aunque creo que no es un disco para mi, no soy el mayor fan de su voz, siento las canciones repetitivas. Ya recordé porqué no los escuchaba más.

it was nice but no vibe at all

Downtempo electronica with a haunting and moody vibe. It's quite different from what I normally listen to and I didn't exactly love it but I can see it's very effective at setting a mood.

Endra ikkje livet mitt, men heilt ok.

6/10 not that big of a fan. The lyrics are alright i just dont like the genre

I want to like this album. But just does not hit for me. I like Glory Box, but the rest of the songs are very monotone and don’t do a lot for me. I have a similar experience as another reviewer where I’ll revisit this album every couple of years or so because I’ve heard how good and influential it is. But I find myself not finding anything that makes it amazing.

Overrated

Not my fave, especially during a workout. 90’s grunge pop, soft rock. I can see how people would be into this tho.

Ok

Not my jam but easy listen

Not really my jam

Not terrible by any means, just way too soft and mellow for my taste, as is with most trip hop stuff, they lean too much into the lo-fi side of things

This was ok. I remember when they surfaced and lots of folk unnecessarily creaming over them. There were some good moments, but nothing that would stick with me if I’m honest. Listening to it, I constantly wanted them to go deeper and stretch out more but they never did. Resulting in a very safe and ultimately unimpressive experience.

Somewhat painful to get through honestly.

Monotone.

Not the biggest fan

Vahvat ysärivibat, ei voi erehtyä, miltä vuosikymmeneltä tai mistä päin maailmaa yhtye on. Nostalgiaa. Ei ole mun genreäni joten albumin hienous ei aukea. Varmasti ollut genressään ihan uudenlaista tai jopa luonut uutta genreä mutta ei ole mun juttuni kuin korkeintaan biisi silloin, toinen tällöin. Ei kuitenkaan silmitöntä kuraa vaan ihan oikeaa musiikkia joten 2/5.

I don't like their style. Too obscure, but above all too industrial.

Very smelly bit of album, making me remember why I stopped this

Not for me sorry 2.5/5

Dark slow lyrically not my cup of tea currently, struggled to get through it

Atmospheric pop

Not a big fan. Didn’t really like any song from the album. Except the last one. Glory box is a fucking banger and will never die.

It’s fine but also no. In the 90s when I was at a party or a club that played this music the vibe was always gross. Everyone in their own world instead of being together.

I wouldn’t mind listening to this album again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it. Definitely, not my thing. Favorite Songs: It’s A Fire - I like the lyrics of this song, it ends nice with the organ as well. Glory Box - Sensual, great guitar in this one.

Not for me; felt like the same song the whole album

Synes der har været et tema de seneste tre dage ?? denne gang endnu mere emo og melankolsk på en meget kold måde der kun gør mig depressed, og af den grund tror jeg desværre ik jeg vender tilbage. Men glory box er fed

While this was interesting as background music, it was pretty boring as a forefront focus. This is my second Portishead album on here, and I have a similar opinion for both. They just don't really do enough for me to say they're any more than OK. It's probably more an issue of the genre for me. Trip hop seems to be more interested in subtlety in sampling and spinning, keeping it lo-fi instead of over the top, in-your-face production. The rest of the mix follows that lead, causing the vocals and music just kind of weave their way along while hoping you'll come along for the ride. I prefer something a little more aggressive, or at least for it to change up the tone a couple times as it goes. That never really happened here in the 49+ minute runtime. I did think there were some good tracks on the album. Sour Times and Glory Box were probably my favorites, as I found them more engaging than the rest of the songs. Unfortunately there was a lot of space between them that didn't really do much for me. I probably wouldn't listen to the whole album again just to hear those tracks. I can't really remember Third now, four months later. That doesn't speak well for it, and probably reinforces me saying it was just OK at the time I reviewed it. I feel similarly about Dummy here, though I do think I'll remember a couple of the tracks I mentioned. As a result I'll rank it slightly higher. It's still just OK, though. Overall: 2.4/5

Meh 6/10 I like 2 songs after first listen

I saw the vision but JFC the vocals were bad

You know, I had higher hopes, purely because I know Portishead by name. I expected a bit of a trip, but mix-wise this is just too disjoint to suck me in. Needs more vocal processing to leave behind the indie-pop aesthetic and really commit to something unique.

"The Vice" was a cracking TV show, and Sour Times was the perfect theme song for it. But that's about all this album has for me.

not my vibe, did not know songs, but I get why people like it. From a sound standpoint this album is amazing though.

Too samey.

Moody beats and electronic music with soft vocals. Not as bad as I would've expected. Still not good.

Great album

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

It is interesting but this just isn’t for me. A few moody songs here and there is ok but a whole album is too much for me.

This album felt very slow and plodding. I don’t mind slow, haunting songs…but if the entire album is like that it just feels like it drags on.

Det vokser på mig… størstedelen af sangene var lidt for flippede til min smag. Dog var der nogle ind imellem jeg synes var fede.

Most enjoyable songs ------- ------- not my vibe You need to have a specific time in your life to enjoy this album.

Interesting. I should try again some time

Definitely not my favorite - but nonetheless, I think it had a great production. I felt the bass, it seemed to be the heartbeat of every song off the album. Felt very ominous and often felt like I was waiting for something to drop, added to the suspense of the listening experience. My favorite song is definitely Glory Box, also seems to be the most popular. Glad to give it a listen though, something outside my typical genre for sure.

Not my music

I came to this album with a fundamentally positive bias, largely because of “Glory Box.” That track was played endlessly during my Studio Brussel years, and for good reason: it’s genuinely strong, and it explains perfectly why Portishead broke through with it. The band’s formula—languid electronic beats, sparse atmospheric guitar lines, and Beth Gibbons’ voice floating on top—works there exactly as intended. Call it trip-hop, call it post-club comedown music; either way, it makes sense, and as a hit it’s fully deserved. But that formula really only works once. My first and biggest problem with this album is Beth Gibbons. I simply cannot stand her singing. Partly because she spends far too much time in an absurdly high register, producing sounds that are physically unpleasant at higher volumes, and partly because she almost never seems to sing properly at all—mostly she mumbles into the microphone. Ironically, “Glory Box” works precisely because she finally sings with some force. I would genuinely be curious to hear this album with a different singer—someone with an actual alto voice, singing cleanly. The second problem is the production. Too often this album turns into a parade of “quirky” studio tricks and random noises. Scratching, sound effects, odd textures—it’s everywhere, and it almost never helps. In early hip-hop, scratching made sense; here it just sounds misplaced, sometimes bordering on self-parody. At its worst, it feels like the producers were throwing every strange noise they could think of into the mix, regardless of whether it served the song. Which is frustrating, because when the band chooses a more restrained palette, the music suddenly comes alive. “Sour Times” benefits enormously from its Morricone-style guitar line. “It’s a Fire” is lifted by a simple organ part. “Roads” has a beautiful electronic piano sound, though it’s again undermined by Gibbons’ glass-shattering vocals. Along with “Glory Box,” these form the album’s stronger core—four tracks where the potential is obvious. There are flashes of brilliance elsewhere, too. The muted trumpet in “Pedestal” is inspired—Miles Davis knew exactly why that sound works—but even there, the song is eventually sabotaged by unnecessary sonic clutter. “Wandering Star” is the low point: the gimmicks completely derail it. Interestingly, my appreciation increased significantly when listening on headphones. Over speakers, the album mostly irritated me; on headphones, its atmosphere and textural ambition come through more clearly. It also highlights what trip-hop does well in general: tension, mood, and the occasional use of heavily processed guitars as color rather than force. You can almost hear different strands of early-’90s British music colliding here—shoegaze textures, dance culture, and post-rave introspection. That’s what makes Dummy so frustrating. Somewhere in its DNA is a genuinely strong album. With a different singer and far stricter production choices, this could have been something remarkable. As it stands, it’s intermittently compelling, often irritating, and ultimately hard to digest.

Generally a bit boring. Some great instrumentation, but a bit slow and samey for my liking.

Mysterons - I probably wont listen to this again Sour times - very repetitive again, likely won’t listen again Strangers - less repetitive, still not my vibe though It could be sweet - liking this a little more, sade vibes but still don’t see myself listening further Wandering star - just find myself a bit bored by it It’s a fire - I actually like this one Numb - bored again sorry Roads - I like this Pedestal - back to being bored Biscuit - still bored Glory box - obviously a banger

Glory Box is a masterpiece per se, but this genre is not my cup of tea on the overall scale, not something I would play and listen in my free time, that is, definitely not my #1 choice :)