Third

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Portishead's Third has been a long time coming, the result of a lengthy creative topor 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

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-11-21 rating:
What a comeback
Much of the time bands who have gone into hibernation return with albums which are mere shadows of their previous work. This album is the complete opposite and successfully captures the eerie tones which occupy many of their best songs. I simply cannot pick a favourite from an album which oozes style.

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review by: date: 2008-11-11 rating:
what a load of crock
what a load of miserable garbled junk....

portishead should be embarassed of themselves...

i am only giving it one star because amazon wont let me give it zero stars...

utter durge..

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review by: date: 2008-10-24 rating:
Moshing for hip hoppers
When I first heard Portishead's second album it sounded too much like a rusty tinman falling down a flight of even rustier iron stairs into an industrial meat grinder. So the album remained unlistened to for maybe a year, until I decided to give it a second chance and eventually fell in love with it. Third is very much a further progression in the same direction as before, but I have learned from my mistakes, and know that anything unusual and unexpected takes time to get used to. Initially I hated Machine Gun, and couldn't see how it was meant to be musical in any way, but as often seems to be the case, the tracks I hate most in the beginning turn out to be the winners in the long run.
If you approach music with expectation then you are setting yourself up to be let down, just listen to the album and don't let your ego get in the way.
This album is a dirty gem.
With the emphasis on dirty.

And gem.

If you're that worried about spending your hardly earned cash on an album you may or may not like, then just download it illegally you tight-fisted infidels.

Peace.

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review by: date: 2008-10-13 rating:
Morose Encounters of the Third Kind
This album is really on the pulse and that is the greatest compliment you can pay a band who haven't released any new material in over 10 years. 'We Carry On' is the surging adrenaline and panicking heartbeat at the centre of this very scary ride. It's the sound of our collective urban nightmare! 'The Rip' is an instant classic - just beautiful and yes, a bit sad. 'Machine Gun' and 'Plastic' wear obvious Aphex Twin and Burial influences but are still uniquely different to anything else out there. Comeback of the year.


review by: date: 2008-09-09 rating:
Amazing
Look, if you've given this album a poor review then stop, put on a good pair of headphones, and listen to this album properly without skipping tracks. Quite frankly this is the most moving thing I've heard for a long time.

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