Portishead - Third
Third is the most frightening record you'll hear all year, infused with dread and danger at every other turn
| 01 Apr 2008
Third
Album title:
Third
Artist:
Portishead
Label:
Universal
In the ensuing decade Portishead have ditched the decks, which means the crackling jazz samples and lounge sensibilities are out. Instead, they've focussed on their strength, as the second LP indicated they knew - weaving creepy soundscapes for Beth Gibbons to dramatise over. The result is the most frightening record you'll hear all year, infused with dread and danger at every other turn: from the sense of siege created in Plastic by the to-and-fro of a chopping helicopter effect, to We Carry On's robotic marching, to the ensuing epic battle depicted in Machine Gun. Closing track Threads builds unease from a straining violin line, until Gibbons' vocals are overwhelmed by the impending threat; the climax, as booming foghorns announce doom's arrival, will leave you breathless. [Ally Brown] Release Date: 28 Apr
Portishead play The Corn Exchange, Edinburgh on 12 Apr