Dummy

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

Distant weak-ass try-hard samples and beats with histrionic chilly chanteusing. Eurotrash club robo-sex muzak. Guess I am not a trip-hop fan.

Meh.

Trip Hop again. Not my bag

Not terrible, but pretty boring. Not super annoying like most electronic music. 2/5

It's fine. The mid-90s were an interesting time for music. Either the music timeless or extremely dated. Unfortunately, this album falls into that last one. I did not enjoy this album as much. Everything about this album screams 90s. It's not that it's bad or poorly made/mixed, it's just unremarkable.

Decent album but her voice just rubs me the wrong way.

17.8. 2-3 ujutro miha pored mene izvaljen na balkonu vidjela 2 padalice ovo minus Prvo sam skoro odustala na Its a Fire (di pjeva breathe on sisteeer), nisam, onda je sljedeca pocela sa dobrih 30 sekundi pa je ona pocela pjevat i onda sam odustala, to jest vidjela da ima pri kraju Biscuit (zadnja se zove, nakon ovog, glory box ok neznam). Skroz pocetak zvuci kao neki ben10 mystery soundtrack ili nes slicno mozda ne to al neki kurac. Svaka pjesma - pocetak epizode, neki sporedni al neshvaceni i zgodni lik u seriji se budi mozda radi dorucak oblaci se, i glazba je kao moody al tako da ti otkriva da ce on/a taj dan nesto zlocesto napraviti... Biscuit isto evo taman odustajem 2 iz suosjecanja

I just couldn't enjoy this. I know there's a lot of talk about how influential the album is, some of the tracks are traditional songs with melodies, verses and choruses. Whilst others it seems to be just one idea, which is my perennial problem with a lot of these DJ albums. Sour Times was good though.

eroticke, no pulzuje mi z toho len hlava, annoying

A bit eerie but not bad

Not a huge fan. My bad.

Whereas Third was an unexpectedly dark and interesting album, this one was much more what I was expecting from Portishead i.e. ambient fluff. It's got a sort of nice enough background sound but I can't think when I'd ever really want to listen to this, I think this is the sort of thing that gives instrumental music a bad name really. No standout tracks, nothing too offensive either but it's designed not to grab your attention and it nailed it.

Okay

I wanted to like this album, but boy it didn’t hit for me at all. I don’t think it’s actively bad but I don’t see myself going back to it.

Eh, not my thing, repetetive but i see the artistic value as well.

Totally unmemorable

I need no extra reminders that the world is filled to its brim with incompetence, thank you. This doesn't hit quite right at 7am...making a note to listen again when I can't sleep, then I'll update review.

Achei meio Lo-Fi, meio palha e sem sal.

Not great

Très content de découvrir portishead Ça ressemble un peu à gorillaz. Et à bjork aussi. Ça sent les fin 90 debut 2000 Je trouve ça assez plan plan, j’aime pas la chanteuse 33 au classement général RYM wtfff

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

Ikkje så fan

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.

I got sorta bored. I like the synth in It's A Fire

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 :)

give me a reasonnn to love you

eu juro como tiveram umas 3 músicas que eu fiquei "ué, essa já não passou??".

4 - BAD

I give this a two more just from listening to it. When I looked into the "why" behind why this album has acclaim I did not know much about trip hop. The album is very understated but when I understand the influence it does become more interesting. But still I don't really enjoy it, its more academic.

Not a fan of the whiny ninety girl rock

I previously knew one tune and thought I'd like this more. It wasn't so.

Ich bin eingeschlafen

I can see how people like this, but not my cup of tea.

він дуже легкий, але я втомлений його слухав і через це під нього додатково засипаєш

electronic 'music'

not my style but their voices are really good and comfortable

I've listened to this before and it just doesn't leave a strong impression then or now

Maybe you have to be in the mood for it, but I found it very draining and very repetitive

I've tried to get into portishead, I just can't.

Made it 1/2 way

Vraiment pas convaincue…

It's unusual but it doesn't really do anything. Could be just one song and you wouldn't know the difference

First sound so good, last sound so bad. Shoulda stayed on film and in 2024. SOLD!

Ehhh not my tempo

Not vibing with this

Weird album. Strangers and Biscuit were my favorite jams. Loved the bass, groove and faded guitar sounds Controversial, I think the record scratch is actually cool here All that said, I think trip hop has come a LONG way since then. Id much rather put on Pretty Lights when im in the mood

ok, kinda just background music? wasn't the most interesting but there were some decent tracks

Yawn. Actively painful. I mean yeah, you can really produce an album which is a _vibe_, it's just that that vibe is like nails on a chalkboard 85% of the time

not for me

I really don't think this was bad at all, and I thought it ended on it's strongest track with Glory Box, which is an excellent song, but this just wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with it. 2 Stars.

Decent background music. Couple heavy hitters.

I’m feeling pressure to like this. I don’t.

Pole mulle veel see

Yawn

Synths didn’t really draw me in. Felt dark and depressing so I mostly skipped.

Not really my vibe.

This album was weird for me, because on paper I should have loved it - downtempo, reverb heavy, grungy, dramatic ballads with tons of excellent nighttime vibes. But for whatever reason, I just did not enjoy myself here. That said, the previous Portishead album I had on this list was one of the worst things I heard on here so far, so I'll take this over the previous any day

2.5 - ok album. A little monotone. Reminds me of ps2

This album never achieves the haunting atmosphere it seems to be going for, instead settling for a kind of monotonous darkness. Every track follows a similar formula: take a drum beat, add one or two elements over it, and repeat until the end. A few of the tracks add new elements (the guitar during the chorus of "Glory Box" is the most effective example), the drums sound nice, and the occasionally jazzy elements are welcome. But it's not enough for the tracks to feel like they're progressing, and this becomes more obvious the longer the album goes on. The vocals also don't help - they feel detached and uninterested, rarely communicating the emotions of the lyrics. The chorus of "Sour Times" is one of the exceptions. This was definitely meant to be a drag, but I find it to be a drag for a different reason than intended.

Some of the boring music I’ve ever listened to.

Liked some, disliked others

Am I missing something here, or is it considered edgy to hype this album? It sounds like the kind of music Radio 6 listeners force themselves to like. I just don’t get it. Someone reviewed this album and rated every song a 9 or a 10!! I wish I could say the same, but it all sounds so monotone and forgettable to me.

je sais pas pourquoi je me disais que j’allais l’aimer, c’est de l’electronica :/ Glory Box est acceptable, mais c’est probablement juste parce que je l’ai déjà entendue

ha... is het album al voorbij? sorry, ergens halverwege tweede nummer in slaap gesukkeld... wel goeie muziek daarvoor

Not impressed. Emo band that does not have a vibe and is not in the same league as The Cure. Not impressed.

At first I thought I would like it, at least a little but... well. There are a pair of good songs, but the album loses its interest really quickly. I went from "well!" (in a good sense) to "meh..." so fast. And, I think it's the thing with this album. Most songs are just the same thing all the time. They feel repetitive, as if there wasn't any kind of differentiation between them. And, so, it ends up being really boring (not to talk about how plain some songs are).

Pas mon try

I’m good with these speakeasy albums for a while.

Ehhh, not my favorite. It’s like if Fiona Apple got herself a synth and became even more depressed.

4,5/10. Sin más, reconozco que tendrá valor musical para mucha gente, pero a mí me aburre y algunas canciones hasta me ponen nervioso. Solo conocía la de "Glory Box".

Enjoyed Glory Box and Sour Times

I liked it. I can see the inspiration it had for Alessia Cara and other groups. A 2.75

Female vocals over some decently produced, chill, slower, 90's hip hop beats, thought I would hate it, but wasn't hard to listen to. Still not really for me.

2,2/5

Spooky ghost music for cool spooky teens

Not horrible but didn’t interest me.

2,2

Not my brand

Ég þarf aðeins meira oomphf. Hlustaði tvisvar á hana í vinnunni til að reyna að ná henni sem mestri en það var lítið að gerast.

Creepy, not my favorite.

Every song sounds the same. Not a great album to mow the lawn to.

Well it's definitely better than 'Third' ... but still nothing too impressive or groundbreaking with this band for me.

reminds me a bit of gorrilaz

this was out when I was in my 20s -- I didn't know it but wish i did hten bc i was angsty and dark enough to love it hahah. Now in my 50s it's a little too gloomy for my taste

On the first song I knew that this wasn’t gonna be my cup of tea, but I can appreciate a good production

Its fine but I am getting bored

A few weeks ago, I described Massive Attack's "Protection" as perfectly good ambient music to edit a paper to. I would describe Portishead's Dummy as perfectly good ambient music to forget you're listening to. This is part of the goal of ambient music, so I guess that's good if what they were going for. But I refuse to believe that's what they wanted. I also had to make sure that I wasn't listening to the same song twice. Biscuit and Glory Box are the same song, right? All in all, this is a 2.5 star record for me. I'm rounding down to 2.

Ngl I didn’t rate this it was soooo boring

Not the worst thing I’ve ever listened to but not necessarily my favorite. It was pleasant and relaxing. I’ll give it that.

I don't like this kind of music. Reminds me of Burial and Massive Attack. I can't even describe what exactly it is, but it's not for me.

Album 843 of 1089 Portishead - Dummy (1994) Rating : 1.5 / 5 Electronica isn’t really my thing, and this one didn’t change that. That said, Dummy at least had some vocal presence and what felt like actual song structures, which puts it ahead of some of the other electronic albums I’ve encountered. It created a moody, noir-ish atmosphere that I can respect, even if it’s not something I’d ever return to by choice. A better experience than most in the genre for me, but still not a keeper.

I never really got into Portishead. This album ventures a little too far off center for me. Some of the songs remind me of Poe, whom I actually like better.

Not that much of a dummy....

Urghhhhh I don’t know. This was just lacking SOMETBING but I don’t know. It was satisfactory but not spectacular and ai was just passively listening.

I think this album is ok. It's good background music, but I don't think I'd put it on unless I just want something to fill the silence. Nothing too memorable for me. 2/5 Favorite song: It's A Fire Worst song: Wandering Star

Didn't listen to all of it abd can't say I remember much pf the songs I actually listened to. My broher says the band is good though.

Slightly better than Third which I did not like. But still not my cup of tea Repetitive and boring. Only good song was Glory Box which I never knew was sung by them 2 ⭐️

Really interesting, a few familiar sounding songs (feels like drama/action movie soundtrack picks). Overall super cool sounds, chill working music. Feels slightly experimental. Not a fave, but glad to have experienced it and know who provides such a familiar movie genre

Вообще не зацепило. Ожидал жесткого рока в стиле Нирваны, а по итогу какая-то баба поет. Кароче лучше пойду послушаю Тома Петти и Хертбрейкеров, хуй знает

Glory box rocks, I've had that song on a playlist for a bit now. The rest is cool but it seems like something meant for small doses. It sounds like one long droning song. There's definitely a good amount of creativity and talent, but it just never came together for me.

No me encanta

Noise. I don't feel it.

Another previously-listened-to-er. Been getting a lot of these lately despite the sheer unlikelihood of it happening. I listened to Dummy a year or two ago after a brief stint of trying to get into trip-hop - I'm a fan of both Gorillaz' debut album and Cibo Matto. Through my explorations of the genre I concluded that while trip-hop is a difficult genre to get wrong, it's also a difficult genre to get right. There's a simple pleasure to this music. I'm a big fan of the Silent Hill games (of which Portishead had a big influence), so in some respects this album is right up my alley. "Sour" is a very good song - the chorus flashes through my mind on occasion. Among the best displays of songwriting on the album, with an instrumental that is resoundingly Silent Hill. "It's a Fire" is another song that I sometimes think about, though my opinions on it are more mild. It has a good chorus while the rest of the music kinda falters. The thundering atmosphere on "Strangers" is pretty good. I also like "Biscuit". The pensive atmosphere on that song is pretty solid. "Glory Box" is a great tune, though you didn't need me to tell ya that. It has the best vocal performance on the album with some gripping strings and nice guitar embellishments. While I appreciate this album for what it is, something about it just filters me. It's undeniably competent as far as the music and performances go, though I can't help but come away with a mild impression. It's probably due to the generally minimal compositions and repetitious song structure. The album also loses me quite a bit in the later stretch. I can't say I cared about "Roads" or "Pedestal". In any case, this album has a lot under it's belt as far as influence and success goes, so it's a solid pick for the list. Can't fault it.

Meh I dont know what to think about this

never was a big fan of portishead

This was an alright album. It was enjoyable to listen to but nothing really stood out, it may take another listen to really appreciate it. I liked the vibe but I would give this a 2.5 if half ratings were possible.

Actually enjoyed this more than I thought. 2.46

Just nahh from me. 2/5.

not for me! a little slow and i’m not in love with any of the songs

I am sad to report I did not make it through this album. This is fun music to play in the background during nocturnal adventures but I can't imagine just listening to this by itself so I was fucking floored to see two of their top ten songs on Spotify were live renditions of their songs. 2.5/5

Weird witchy vibes. Not irritating but not something I want to listen to either

49 minutes de génériques non retenus de James Bond

Is this … the absolute rompiche ?

C'est un peu comme le tour de france: je sais qu'il s'y passe des choses intéressantes mais je peux pas m'empêcher de dormir...

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

I listened to this thinking I would really be enjoying it as I remember loving it but I wasn’t as intrigued, mostly just bored.

It might not be an exaggeration to say that literally everyone likes this band more than I do. Still better than Radiohead though.

A little too dreamy for me. Essences of Bjork rise over the beats. In its day, this would have been the antidote for BritPop rock. Led the trip-hop movement but this is not an album to be played during daylight. A true 2 AM record.

So sad! Not my vibe right now. So I’m biased but she had a nice voice.

Too whispery

J'aime pas la voix sorry

Yeah boring as batshit

2/5 not interesting

Can appreciate the craft, but that voice is fucking annoying four tracks in.

4/10 - I don’t like portishead. I think if I can imagine a camera zooming out from a destroyed city or a dead main character while the song is playing I will not like. Portishead has managed to nail that sound.

vibey

I love music that makes me feel like I'm waitin' at the bus stop late on a rainy night with a woman standing across the street under a flickering streetlight. Bitch, if you don't stop contortin’ your body like that

I don't mind the music, but I would not seek it out. The singer's voice is very grating to me, though. I would not listen to this again.

I enjoyed the singer, I think she has a nice voice. Other than that i found this album pretty boring overall.

Channel 4’s Lost promo iykyk

Unpopular opinion but this album lowkey put me in a bad mood and im not entirely sure why. I think this album feels like it blends together too much. Like yeah glory box is good but still.

2.8 star that still gets 2 stars from me It's nice but overall I enjoyed it less than I didn't care for it. Also lightheaded headache music (this is not a negative thing)

I can tell this is good but it's very much not for me.

So boring, didn’t seem unique or catchy at all. Consistent beat with some woman whisper-singing over it. 1.5

I...just can't with this band.

Fine, chill. Didn't really do much for me and it sounded like one long song. Again I must ask: why does this band that nobody talks about have more than album on this list, but Daft Punk's Discovery was missing? IT MAKES NO SENSE.

Desperately dull, 2nd time giving it a chance and somehow worse than I remembered. I’m clearly missing something here. Yawn 2/5

Not feeling melancholy 90s today

“Sour Times” and “Glory Box” remain the only two songs I truly love from this album.