Album Review: Third
Portishead: Third
Let’s get this little bit of relevance out of the way without wit: it was in excess of 10 years between albums. (holy shit)
Do you ever catch yourself in the checkout line waiting on that old bag up front to finish writing her damn check, look over, see that candy you REALLY liked as a child, get instantly nostalgic, and buy it? Later, you take a big, feel-like-a-kid-again bite only to exclaim, “It used to taste better.”
Welcome to Portishead’s Third, at least for the first bite.
The first track “Silence” sets the tone for the entire album: despondent lyrics (as usual), haunting rhythms like you’re being chased in a dream (this record is not about kittens or sunshine or ice cream), and an abrupt ending (the shock treatment will continue.)
Beth portrays a very passionate, yet demure lady on “Hunter” and her vocals really stand out here – it’s everything you like about her voice and the years have not treated her poorly in this regard. It was here that I really started to settle into the album, only to be up-ended soon afterward.
“The Rip” is another exercise in surprising the listener. The first half of the song totally lulls you in with what I will characterize as 2 minutes that could pass as Stevie Nicks with Lindsey Buckingham (acoustic, mind you.) Then Bang! For the last half of the song you find yourself asking questions like, “How long can Beth really hold her breath? When did I start dancing? Is this the same song?” One of the true gems on the album, for certain.
Occasionally, you’ll get a cockroach leg in your Wonka bar. The placement of “Deep Water” in the tracklisting is questionable at best. In truth, it’s obnoxious with its delicate little ass nestled between two of the more driving tracks on the album. It reminded me of that drug-induced nonsense “Wet My Bed” on Stone Temple Pilots’ Core – similarly placed between “Plush” and “Crackerman.” A forgivable rookie mistake for the Pilots, but I don’t expect such from an album – debut or not – when the band has had ten years to decide whether the children’s tune belongs to the remaining mature, cohesive whole. (side note here: Yes, artists/bands can subtly showcase their versatility. However, the aforementioned infractions do not qualify.)
“Machine Gun” is an opera singer meeting an angry drum machine in an industrial showdown. This speaks to the feel/image provoking nature of Portishead’s arrangements and it is one of the brighter feathers in their cap.
“Magic Doors” leads seamlessly into the closer, “Threads.” It’s here that you’ll find the track (outside of “Hunter”) most reminiscent of the Portishead you remember. The final lyrics, “Where do I go?” leave us with an appropriate question. After a delicious and frightening romp through maze-like sound and imagery, we are left alone, lost.
It was always dark, but now it’s gloomy with no hope for escape. The lyrics throughout their history have centered around various relationships or worldviews not exactly going to plan – and it’s no different on Third. That’s the unmistakable nougat you’re chewing on, same as it always was.
In all, despite the 93 second intermission of “Deep Water,” Third is a very original and cohesive piece. Just don’t push too hard for those beloved trademark scratched samples. They’ve been replaced by more ambitious noise experiments. However, Beth is still sultry and the music is resurgent, yet progressive. The album may actually be more accessible to those who don’t bring their 1997 palates to the table. Further, another layer down, the returns are boosted through additional listens on account of the initial shocking nature of certain tracks – I’m looking at you, “Plastic.”
So, there’s a guy in a nice office somewhere. He’s the suit that decided to import the cocoa from a different country because of tariffs and such and he’s why your candy bar “don’t taste right.” Cut him some slack though. The times have changed and so have you.
And what of your precious trip-hop?
It grew up and made friends.
Portishead : Third : The Rip
Portishead : Third : We Carry On
- Posted by Josh West on May 21, 2008 at 5:25 pm
