The thread for Portishead "Third"

the Coachella webcast sounded great, sound quality was pretty good for a webcast, nice camera work, etc. and the new songs were integrated well into the set. album in stores tuesday; anyone else waiting to hear it then?

they were inmense at coachella.

sia michel's 1.5 star review in blender is just dumb.

Tiny mix tapes review couldn't be more idiotic:

Third exists to be listened to, ironically, in places like coffee-shops; the difference between this and past work is that this record might make casual listeners frown over their coffees. Again, that’s probably Portishead’s intent

That is written by someone who thinks they're a hell of a lot cleverer than they really are.

So where is everybody who held out for the legal release?

i'm getting it today! haven't heard the full album, just the "machine gun" single and new songs from youtube (ATP, Coachella)

also, this Amazon review is golden:

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
SO DIFFERENT BUT OH SO SCRUMPTIOUS!, April 29, 2008
By Scott Daly "scottysauce" (San Ramon, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS THIRD ALBUM FOR MANY MONTHS NOW AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN. SURE IT HAS MANY NEW SOUNDS BUT IT PUSHES PORTISHEAD INTO A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF GREAT MUSIC. PORTISHEAD A SEXY ROCK BAND? YOU BE THE JUDGE! AFTER MANY YEARS OF WAITING FOR ANYTHING NEW THEY TRULY DELIVER THE GOODS. BE SURE TO GIVE IT MORE THAN JUST ONE LISTEN BECAUSE LIKE ANYTHING GREAT IT GROWS ON YOU AND NEVER LET'S GO. IF YOU LOVE PORTISHEAD LIKE I DO YOU MUST CLICK YES! :)

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
Report this | Permalink
Comment

burning it soon!! excited. single sounds great

1. This album is king.
2. Does 'Silence' cut off like that on the official release or not?

Yes, it does.

Portishead makes me think of brick wall cafes and poetry slams and people wearing those big hat.s you know the ones I'm talking about

Berets?

I've just spent a bit of time rereading this thread. I'm intrigued by this pre-life of a record before its release.

Anyway, I finally have a copy of Third. I'm on my third listen now, and while the album as a whole is taking a bit of time to get under my skin, I'm already totally mindblown by the opener and by the one that sounds like The Him by New Order.

By the way, was anyone at the Brixton show recently? What's the deal with the Balkan folk support? Was this actually A Hack and a Hacksaw, as advertised? Surely not. Whatever, I couldn't wait for it to finish.

I wasn't there, but A Hawk & A Hacksaw are definitely Balkan folk.

So... I just bought this and am about to listen to it. The only thing I've heard to date is "Machine Gun", which I thought was unreal awesomeness.

dude,track by track review please

42 seconds into "Silence"

holy shit

I would love the album unreservedly if Tracy Thorn had replaced her.

fuck no, this is perfection

ps: 4 minutes into "Silence"

30 seconds into "Hunter"

holy shit, you guys, this is fucking unreal

oh shit, the guitars, holy shit

I'm not doing a full track-by-track because, based on my reactions to the first four tracks, the entire thing is going to be variations on my immediately preceeding posts.

good effort nonetheless

omg "Plastic" and that off-meter knocking sound running behind the verse, plus the distorted-synth chorus...

I'm surprised at how clean Beth's vocals are up to this point!

God, most of this feels like Portishead reinventing early-90s Warp Records and it's awesome.

Plastic is my least favourite, her vocals are too overwrought on the chorus.

Hehe, We Carry On is just round the corner.

oh shit, "We Carry On"

I was going to complain about the drums not being heavy enough but that would have missed the point of the song, wouldn't it?

It's like, the guitar kicks in and I went "OH! That's why the drums aren't heavier!"

These guys arrange the shit out of everything they touch. Impeccable.

There's a beautifully subtle detail in We Carry On: the unprecedented little synth wobble at 6.22, just as the fade-out begins.

Okay "Deep Water" into "Machine Gun" is just fucking awesome.

Ahem, radioooo ------>

I'm excited to give this my first listen in a short while. It is waiting for me.

"Let's take the most organic, analog-heavy, tender, traditional song we've recorded and segue it into a brutal mechanical grinder."

FUCKINGLOVETHESEPEOPLE

wow @ the rip

Okay "Deep Water" into "Machine Gun" is just fucking awesome.

Best song-to-song transition I've heard all year. I played it for the girlfriend last night, she was like, wtf.

actually, i think i love this. apparently my local newspaper thought this was crap. the only crap thing about this record is that pathetic review. i think i need to get that beth gibbons/rustin man thing. and then i need a glass of nice chardonnay.

and then i need a glass of nice chardonnay.

are you a liberal?

wine lovers and liberals go well together: both are better than the alternatives!

Absinthe-loving anarchists?

am i liberal? i try not to think about that whilst drinking chardonnay.

I'm sure it's just a meaningless coincidence, but "We Carry On" really sounds a lot like an old Flux Information Sciences track (that I've always liked) called "Charlotte Rampling."

I like this about as much as any new release I've heard this year.

Heh. I just listened to this and wanted to post about how much "We Carry On" reminds me of "Desert Search for Techno Allah" by Mr. Bungle.

The running tally of We Carry On comparisons, for the record:

"...some alternate universe Joy Division."

"they have a sonic youth sound to my ears"

"definitely is a powerful post-punk feel à la joy div"

"I hear some influence of the Silver Apples"

"sounds like NIN."

"sounds like clinic to me."

"sounds a lot like an old Flux Information Sciences track"

"reminds me of "Desert Search for Techno Allah" by Mr. Bungle."

There was actually a lot on Third that reminded me of various parts of the Disco Volante album, but that in itself was a pastiche of musical references that I'm not informed enough to understand.

It sounds like the Hollies.

(oh alright, it doesn't)

Track seven sounds like 1972 Hollies actually. Albeit played on an unstable Dansette turntable. Which is No Bad Thing.

Play it at 16 rpm and you could probably get it to sound like Mikael Rickfors as well!

Holy fuck.

I'm trying to think of a "love at first listen" record in recent memory that ALSO signaled such depth/repeated-listening rewards. Most of the records I swoon over on day one ultimately tank due to one-dimensionality or excessive novelty or whatever. This is a grower AND a shower.

Oh dude.

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/portishead/third?q=portishead

I didn't expect the general reaction to be so positive. Nice!