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Portishead
Third
(Mercury)
First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2008, Volume 15, #4
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
Wed April 30, 2008, 06:30 AM CDT
"Torment! Torment!"
"…the agony I feel."
"Of course, I care."
"What did I do to deserve you?"
"…white horses to take me away…"
Ten years on, and Portishead’s lyrics still sound like excerpts from the
diary of a talented, yet troubled teenager. This would be fine if the members of
the British band were still in their adolescence, but those days are long gone.
Nevertheless, they clearly remain enamored with the "I fall upon the thorns of
life/I bleed" school of Romantic poetry that was championed by writers like
Percy Bysshe Shelley. The thing is — most of those poets died in their early 20s
while they were still entwined in post-adolescent theatrics. So, what is Beth
Gibbons' excuse? She’s certainly old enough to know better. Yet, she refuses to
curb her melodramatic ruminations. The gothic obsessions of her lyrics
increasingly are difficult to swallow, and for this reason, it is hard to assess
Third, Portishead’s latest effort, in a clear light.
Portishead evolved within the trip-hop scene that dominated England
throughout the early 1990s. Much like its compatriots from Bristol — which
included Thievery Corporation, Massive Attack, and Tricky — the outfit bent
genres that ranged from jazz to hip-hop, while adding doses of psychedelic and
industrial music to its rich sonic mix. Between 1994 and 1998, the group
released a pair of studio albums (Dummy and its self-titled sophomore
set) as well as a live set (PNYC) before parting ways to pursue the solo projects
that have trickled to market during the better part of the past decade.
Because it attracted such a critical and devoted following during its first
incarnation, it goes without saying that Portishead was under a lot of pressure
to create something special for its long-awaited follow-up. In many ways, the
group has succeeded quite nicely. Beth Gibbons’ voice is just as graceful,
nuanced, and powerful as it ever was. The tones that Adrian Utley coaxes from
his guitar are remarkable in how he manages to sound melodic and lyrical while
also cranking out some of the raunchiest industrial textures this side of
Buckethead. Multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrow’s production treatments and
atmospheric textures unobtrusively echo the sentiments that are suggested by
each of Third’s tracks. The underlying instrumental passages over which
Gibbons sings are divine and challenging; one only wishes that the songs
themselves were better.
At times, Gibbons’ angst is perfectly reflected by the music, and one is left
wondering if, perhaps, the industrial clatter that Barrow creates in tracks like
Hunter is somehow ironic. On occasion, primarily when Gibbons is wading
deeply into the muck of her romantic torpor, the arrangements reflect a more
sophisticated emotional range than the lyrics otherwise suggest. The
instrumentation salvages tunes like Nylon Smile and Machine Gun by
elevating them above the Mariah Carey-on-Prozac tailspin that is conjured by the
poetry. It is precisely the manner in which the music rescues the songs that
prevents Third from becoming an overwrought disaster.
In the end, Third probably will please most of Portishead’s fans. After
all, it is a faithful re-creation of the sound that endeared the outfit to so
many people in the first place. One can only hope, however, that if there is a
follow-up to Third, it will reflect a more mature lyrical universe that
encompasses a full spectrum of emotions rather than just the torment in which
Gibbons clearly loves to wallow. 
Of Further Interest...
Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - Oh, My Girl
Ellie Lawson - The Philosophy Tree
Robert Plant & Strange Sensation - Mighty ReArranger
Third is available
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2008 The Music Box
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