Electronic Music 411 - Portishead - Third

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Portishead - Third

StoreTags: portishead

Author: tantan on April 29 2008

Viewed 1529 times. 9 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.

People who enjoyed reading this: celibacyclub, my3BIKaHT, bodo, Fredo, lematt, SenorFrio, oxymoron, Roshi, mlbot

--> What do you think?

My thoughts:

This album is audaciously mopey.

There are many moments that impress me, mostly instrumental and production choices. They're not afraid to overdo it, and indulge themselves in some interestingly extreme effects and timbres. When the album soars, its when they really lay it on, piling on overdriven beats, overdriven bass, overdriven guitar, overdriven samples. Sense a theme?

So yeah, it definitely has its moments. It is occasionally beautiful. I have to say, however, that the aggressive monotony of their songs gets on my nerves. They clearly delight in the idea of making their listeners uncomfortable, and I'm cool with that. However, the plodding drudgery of their song-writing makes for dull going at times, and I don't feel as much of the emotional focus and intensity that some of their best previous work had.

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Comments

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05/04/08 + KimJongEel

tantan said: "don't you have babies to eat or something"

You better be careful next time you sit on toilet

My eels will shock your craphole

05/05/08 + mlbot

EWWWWWWWWW

from what I've heard so far, which was Roshi's favorite songs.... I really like it.

it does a lot, with so few sounds... without being microhouse or some other "niche" album no one will remember when the next niche gets invented.

I was disappointed with their second one, felt it was too THICK and they hadn't applied enough editiing decisions, so the dark minimal aspects of third please me.

Must be hard having to live with "Dummy", which is still one of the (if not THE) most influential electronic album in my life.

Recent blogs: I [heart] translated reviews, Dumb Machine LP - Maces of Disruption, Puppy

05/05/08 + tantan

KimJongEel OMG you rule with a sexy fist

I don't know the song names (I never learn these) but there's one track that brings in this arpeggiated, slow, low-mid synth bit towards the end that is just marvelous, one of many really beautiful moments on this album

Recent blogs: Mangoes, What's Wrong With Me, Skinny Puppy Love

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