Portishead - Third (2 LP)
- LP
- 2 piece(s)
- 2008
- 11 tracks
- 48 min
- trip hop
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4.3
Average of 41 reviews
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After a decade-long hiatus, Portishead's third album, fittingly named THIRD, was well worth the anticipation. They venture further into sonic experimentation, infusing "Silence" with a lo-fi thickness, as Beth Gibbons' vocals pierce through the chaos. "Hunter" lingers with a haunting melancholy, hiding a menacing growl beneath its surface, while "Nylon Smile" hums with reversed tones that hint at underlying unease. The rustic opening of "The Rip" transitions into a more electronic backdrop, as Gibbons soars and swoops with the tune. Yet, the ebbs and flows of "Plastic" prove that their signature paranoid sound hasn't vanished, but rather evolved, as demonstrated in the taut "We Carry On." Meanwhile, the banjo-driven simplicity of "Deep Water" reveals their versatility, while the gritty "Machine Gun" sweeps aside subtleties, making room for the haunting cello and psychedelic elements of "Small." They even manage to make a hurdy-gurdy sound sinister, as heard in "Magic Doors," before concluding with the melancholic, smoky atmosphere that initially defined their sound in "Threads." Hopefully, we won't have to wait another 10 years for their next release...
I'm really into this album, but when I bought this version, both records are bent. Could it be a manufacturing defect? Something went wrong, it's a real bummer. It's a USA edition 0251764104
Mine's solid, it sounds awesome... guess I got lucky, no problems here... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just a heads up for those buying this. Don't keep it sealed up. The records are super stuck in the gatefold.
My copy's a bit bent and the grooves aren't lined up right, so the needle's doing this little jig up, down, and side to side. Usually, if the album sounded decent, I'd be fine with that. But the sound's way too high-pitched for my taste, with weak mids and the bass is just sort of present. Judging from other reviews, I reckon this is just a bad pressing overall. I'll hang onto it for now, but I hope they release a better version someday. I think all their vinyl releases are just okay.
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| 31 Mar 2025 | £29.52 | €37.25 |
| 29 Apr 2025 | £27.49 | €27.49 |
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