The thread for Portishead "Third"

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!

I've hit something of a block; every time I get to "Machine Gun", I stop playback and put that song on repeat.

Oh hell, I didn't bother to listen to this before release except for a few youtube clips, saw them at Coachella over the weekend, and then listened to the album in the car on the drive out. I'm now thinking I was listening way too quietly, because this is blowing me away on headphones.

"We Carry On" is fucking awesome, you guys.

"Machine Gun" bored me, but the descriptive reviews I've read of the rest of the songs makes me eager to hear them.

No critical closure until Geir has said his piece.

He'll like Deep Water and possibly The Rip but not the rest.

He will HATE "Deep Water".

Oh yes, he doesn't like bluesy chord structures or something. I forget how it works.

Actually he will probably not hate the album outright. It doesn't speak particularly to his talking points but there's a lot of songcraft going on here that he may appreciate, plus you can't really say it's tuneless or melody-free.

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.

I finally got around to listening to this yesterday and I'm amazed at how awesome this is. I have nothing else to add other than it sounds a lot to me like a lot of the music that influenced early Broadcast (United States of America, Elephant's Memory) but is way better than early Broadcast for nailing the drugged-out paranoia of those records.

but is way better than early Broadcast

ahem! i beg to differ, sorry

I love early Broadcast, but yeah...this is a completely different (and way better) league.

"I hope a vinyl version comes out on Invada"

justlooking at the RIDONKULOUS limited edition box at the record store today. comes with all kinds of extra vinyl and ephemera and a usb port and naked pictures of portishead and god knows what else. 50 bucks at my store. i went for the relatively sane 30 dollar boris/merzbow deluxe package instead. and i contemplated buying the regular portishead vinyl but i chickened out for some reason. i haven't actually listened to them in years. since the first album.

"but is way better than early Broadcast for nailing the drugged-out paranoia of those records."

see, now i'm tempted.

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

someone e-mailed me this song, and it came up for the 1st time in shuffle and for 40 seconds I was completely derailed thinking that some unreleased 1969 Silver Apples song had just surfaced, that song is absolutely a straight up expert tribute.

I only listened to 'Dummy' once or twice when it came out, haven't heard anything else since, this new one is much more my speed

okay, now you've tempted me further, milton.

one more thing re: "Deep Water" -- put it in a playlist with this

Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters - "Tonight You Belong To Me" from The Jerk

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ikvby5

"Threads" is pretty unreal.

Ok, I agree, maybe I shouldn't have said "better" than early Broadcast, because I love those records as well. They are different, but they share the same reference points.

Oh, hyperbole, the trouble you get me into...

Listening to this the second time today. "We carry on" totally sounds like an outtake from the United States of America record. Awesome.

ha, someone's already made a mashup, the ukelele part is not only identical it's in the same key

http://youtube.com/watch?v=waJo1AtZaXQ

I’m interested in “Deep Water,” it’s such an amazing track. How did that come about?

Adrian Utley: We squabbled a lot about that. I thought it was shit for quite a long time. It was kind of based on a thing from Steve Martin’s The Jerk and Geoff suggested it and I just thought he was joking, but I think it’s cool now. I couldn’t really see its place on our record at all and I couldn’t see it in an ironic way and… I shouldn’t be slagging off that stuff, should I? But, I really like it now and I love the song that Beth has written on it now but at the time, I couldn’t see it.

Finally heard it.

Where to begin, indeed.

Has anyone said anything about how the conclusion of "Machine Gun" feels like an inversion of the end theme for Blade Runner, with the beats given overwhelming prominence over the doomed melancholia of the keyboards? Because that's what I thought of.

(Also, that the concluding air-raid siren guitar noise on "Threads" was like a monomaniacal V'ger theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Crossed with OMD's "Stanlow." Where the hell do I get these bizarre ideas.)

I don't have the time to read all 338 posts now so maybe what I'm saying here won't add anything new or interesting. This album has left me a little frustrated because it really lacks the flair of 90's Portishead. I miss the brass and string sections of "All Mine", the cool 60's Bond guitar of "Sour Times". Now, I like Portishead's dark side too, and I like it a lot. But this is ALL bleakness and NO style. It's like they thought "Let's see if you play this at your
next dinner party you stupid yuppie hipster". And it's all good, it's just that I prefer a little balance. Especially since Portishead was so good at the "other".

The one other think that I find upsetting is the late '60s stoner-rock guitar (I know it's not new, but it's definitely used more frequently in "Third"). To be honest, I've never really liked it because I don't think it goes with the music. I start listening to "Hunter" and getting really into it (the wonderful dissonant, unexpected chord changes) when all of a sudden "grrrrroooiiiiing". It's like some bearded dude from Woodstock decides it's his turn. Now, I understand why it's
there, it brings some power into the song, but it totally ruins it for me because it makes my mind instantly shift from this fucked up "chanson" mood to The Cream or something equally off-putting.

one more thing re: "Deep Water" -- put it in a playlist with this

Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters - "Tonight You Belong To Me" from The Jerk

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ikvby5

-- Milton Parker, Thursday, May 1, 2008 4:59 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

I was gonna say that, but I was pretty sure I am probably ignorant of like 7000 ukelele duets that sound exactly like it.

I start listening to "Hunter" and getting really into it (the wonderful dissonant, unexpected chord changes) when all of a sudden "grrrrroooiiiiing".

Those are three or four of the best seconds on the entire record. U MAD

^I just wish they'd used some effect or something. Maybe I'll get into it.

(psst Ned, show all the posts in this thread and search for Blade Runner or Vangelis)

Heheh, already looked back earlier and noticed that. John Carpenter came up as well, makes sense. I am intrigued to see that there was some near immediate consensus!

The way Beth's voice twists and contorts towards the end of Threads is astonishing. Reminds me of something Reynolds said once about closing tracks where the timbre of the voice tells you more than the words ever could (see also Something In The Way, Do It by Dizzee Rascal etc).

I think Deej mentioned it upthread among a couple of others, but "The Rip" is not getting as much love as it should. A song of two perfect halves.

And how is it only Dan has specifically pointed out the brilliance of "Plastic!" Those drums, people!

Alba said this some time back:

I wish I could think what the melody of the Magic Doors reminds me of.

I have to agree -- it's calling to mind *something* but I don't know what.

Fucking awesome, awesome, awesome. Blows their 90s stuff out of the water, and their 90s stuff was real good. I love how free they feel to take the songs in any direction at any time--they treat changing the arrangement or the specific sound of a part the way most bands treat changing chords or going to a bridge or new section. The whole thing is so structurally fucked but not a way that seems random or annoying. Basically it's one of the most liberated albums I've ever heard; like they have no idea that it's going to be heard by anybody other than them.

I miss the brass and string sections of "All Mine"

i listened to the s/t record a few days ago and my GOD what a fantastic song, i get chills just thinking about the brass going nuts with beth doing her "all miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine" part

I really like the transition from "Nylon Smile" into "The Rip"...sooo good. Those two songs meld very well. This album is incredible.

I could have sworn I raved about "The Rip" upthread, but I guess I didn't. It's the standout favorite for me. The looooooooong held vocal note is so great, and I love the simple, imperfect drums. The song is only about 4 1/2 minutes but it feels like it's 2.

I heard "Machine Gun" on the radio today - or at least the last part of it. It sure didn't sound like it came out in 2008. More like a much longer time ago. I was impressed.

Album of the decade.

that's a bit of a stretch