Track Listing

1. Silence
2. Hunter
3. Nylon Smile
4. The Rip
5. Plastic
6. We Carry On
7. Deep Water
8. Machine Gun
9. Small
10. Magic Doors
11. Threads

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #298 in Music
• Released on: 2008-04-29
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk
Portishead's Third has been a long time coming, the result of a lengthy creative torpor following 1997's dark, distinctly underrated album Portishead. Importantly, though, they've shaken it. While the core trio of Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley remains, this is quite a different band to Portishead's 90s incarnation: gone is the slo-mo turntable scratching and smoky jazz feel, replaced by heavy, brooding rhythms, vintage-sounding electronics, and spindly guitar. Still present, though, is that sense of emotional fracture and deep gloom. "Silence" opens with a dense drum loop which suddenly falls away to reveal Gibbons' voice, cold but magnificent: "Wounded and afraid, inside my head/Falling through changes". "Nylon Smile", meanwhile, is a fine example of Third's occasional folksy edge, an acoustic song reminiscent of Leonard Cohen that, around its midpoint, lifts off on a propulsive electronic rhythm, Gibbons holding one clear, hard note as synthesisers bubble beneath. At times, it's a harsh and foreboding listen: the electronic drums of "Machine Gun" might put off the listener hoping for smooth dinner party fare. But Third is a brave and forward-thinking return, and one great enough to justify its lengthy gestation. --Louis Pattison

About the Artist
Portishead are a band from Bristol, England, named after the nearby town of the same name, 12 miles (19 km) west of Bristol.

History

The band was formed in Bristol, UK in 1991, by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley. After releasing a short film (To Kill a Dead Man) and its accompanying music, Portishead signed a record deal with Go! Beat Records.

Dummy (1994)

Portishead's first album, Dummy, was released in 1994 and the first single was 'Numb'. In spite of the band's aversion to press coverage, the album was successful in both Europe and the United States (where it sold more than 150,000 copies even before the band toured there). Dummy spawned two hit singles, "Glory Box" and "Sour Times", and went on to win the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in 1995.

Portishead (1997)

After their initial success, Portishead withdrew from the spotlight for three years until their second album, Portishead, was released in 1997. The album's sound differed from Dummy, the main differences being that much of the music was composed and played by the band, not sampled from records, and had a grainy, harsher sound. Three singles, "Cowboys", "Over" and "All Mine" were released, the latter achieving a Top 10 placing in the UK.

Roseland NYC Live (1998)

In 1997, the band performed a one-off show with strings at the New York Philharmonic orchestra at Roseland Ballroom in New York. A live album primarily featuring these new orchestral arrangements of the group's songs was released in 1998. There was also a long-form VHS video of the performance, and a DVD followed in 2002, with substantial extra material including many early videos.

Hiatus (1999-2007)

For the next few years, the band members concentrated on solo and other pursuits, until in February 2005, the band appeared live for the first time in seven years at the Tsunami Benefit Concert in Bristol. Around that time Barrow revealed that the band was in the process of writing its third album. In August 2006, the band posted two new tracks on its MySpace page--described by Barrow as "doodles". Around the same time, Portishead covered Serge Gainsbourg's "Un Jour Comme un Autre (Requiem for Anna)" on the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited.

Return

On October 2, 2007, Portishead stated that the new album, titled Third, had been mixed and was nearly complete, and was due for release in April 2008. On December 7-9, 2007, the band curated the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Minehead, England. The festival featured their first full live sets in nearly 10 years. They premiered five tracks from the new album, provisionally titled "Wicca", "Hunter", "Machine Gun", "Mystic" and "Peaches".

Third (2008)

Third is due for release on April 28, 2008. The band announced: "The album has 11 tracks and is 49 minutes 13 seconds long", and the track titles have been disclosed.On January 21, 2008, a European tour to support the album was announced, together with a headline spot at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 26, 2008. As well as their main recorded output, Portishead have been involved in a large amount of remixes and collaborations with other artists.

Customer Reviews

The best album I've heard since 2005
Upon my first listen or two of Third, I didn't think it was that much of a progression from their debut, Dummy, nor their self-titled sophomore album. But I've come to realize I was ever so wrong.

The dark, sexy vibe that Portishead pulled off before is now just, well, dark. Extremely eerie, and very sinister. Their music used to sound like something you'd hear in a smoky and dingy underground club at 3 a.m. with others around smoking, talking, and maybe even dancing. Third sounds like something you'd listen to alone in a dark and musty basement of an abandoned building with one hanging light bulb flickering on and off.

There is definitely a Silver Apples influence here, and it makes me salivate. I love the Silver Apples, but Portishead takes their template and adds Beth's vocals and more developed songwriting, and creates something beyond anything the Silver Apples ever did.

It's difficult to try and describe the emotions this album evokes. It's dark, but it's not depressing. It's strangely comforting, but in a cold way.

I really want to point out some highlights, but I don't know what I'd exclude. Every single song on Third grows on me more and more upon further listens. I suppose I'll say that "Nylon Smile," "The Rip," "Plastic," "We Carry On," "Machine Gun," and "Threads" are the songs that particularly stand out to me.

Many times an album like this comes out that wears its influences on its sleeve, and its easy to downplay it because it will "never be like the original." But honestly, this blows much of its influences out of the water.

Great comback! MP3 MAY EXPIRE
For the first album in many years Portishead really pulls it together with 'third'
Not the same winy mess as before. Very beat driven. Tribal even. With a few songs like "deep water" that, while out of place a little, fit very well to take all that electronic buzz out of your head.

I can only hope the live shows are able to expand on the songs. They tend to start a jam that would put any hippie in a trance, then kill it before it can pick of steam.


LOOK OUT! MP3 MAY BE EXPIRED!
After purchasing the LP I went to download the mp3 that comes with the record.

It was expired!

An e-mail has been sent to the music group that controls the mp3s. I will update when I have new info.

ALSO..
the corners where bent a little. This is probably due to shipping. So if you are a snob and want a perfect case I would not recommend Amazon.com. All of my records come bent in the corners. Vinyl is undamaged.

I seem to have lost the ability to change my star count.
Can not give this product 5 stars because of-
1.mp3 issues
2.bent corners from amazon

Finally!!
For 14 years now Dummy has been one of my all-time favorite albums. It helped invent the genre of "trip hop," one of my favorite genres of music. Third is a triumphant and LONG overdue return, and is a pleasant surprise after their extremely disappointing self-titled second album. By the way, to the reviewers here asking us to stop comparing Portishead albums, THAT'S WHAT A REVIEW IS--a comparison to other things. I love Dummy but was so disappointed by their second album that I actually threw it away. I'll be keeping this one.