After two extremely successful albums, Portishead, one of the trendsetting groups of the trip-hop movement of the nineties, decided to take some time off. For the third album the group from Bristol set the bar so high that it took no less than eleven years for the record to be released. The use of samples, which especially gave color to the debut, has been completely abandoned. This time the sounds
… were created by endless experimentation, which resulted in a unique sounding record. It does take a few spins to properly understand Third. It is an intensive, not always easy listening experience, but the association of their music with a pleasant lounge, which was sometimes made to the annoyance of the band members in the past, is now completely out of the question. With the fragile, The plaintive voice of Beth Gibbons as an always recognizable element, with influences from electro, krautrock, industrial and even doowop (Deep Water) has been chosen for a new, fresh approach. With Third, Portishead comes back very strongly. (MS)more
