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Something I've always found so charmingly unique about Bristol's
homegrown talent is that it has always developed at it's own pace.
Compare this with the hungry-for-success fickle-mindedness of
London's ever-changing trendy elite, and Bristol by comparison, has
always thrived on it's own inward-looking bubble of bohemian cool.
It's almost as though Bristol's music is made solely for the benefit
it's own people. It's this wilful disregard to meet the expectations
of the outside world that has, to my mind, kept Bristol's homegrown
music scene - whatever the genre - truly maverick in it's outlook.
Occasionally, just occasionally, something from the city will
attract the attention of the outside world. Whenever it does though,
it's been done on Bristol's own terms! So, when the world-at-large
ponders why it's taken Portishead nearly ten years to deliver their
latest album, we Bristolians know that the lengthy wait is just part
of the creative, ethereal process that has given the city it's
laid-back reputation amidst the world's otherwise bustling musical
arena. |
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Portishead's long awaited new album, appropriately entitled 'Third',
has not surprisingly, been met with mixed opinions. Some more
discerning commentators admire the way that the album differs from
earlier work. Other critics however, are knocking the band's
resurrection as a classic case of 'Emperors New Clothes'. The
trouble is, Portishead are in the unenviable position where too much
is expected of them. Does anyone remember the feverish anticipation
surrounding The Stone Roses 'Second Coming' album back in the 90's?
It was hardly surprising to see The Stone Roses' comeback greeted
with acute critical dissection and mostly, disappointment.
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In
my opinion though, Portishead have done well to fight any such
expectation. Those who were expecting a safe
'take-the-money-and-run' re-working of their trademark 'trip hop'
style may well feel alienated by the new album's lack of beats and
samples, but in my opinion, it's a far better approach than mere
compromise. Maybe it's that maverick Bristolian nature still at
large in the band's psyche.
'Third' still possesses the dark, cinematic atmosphere of the band's
earlier albums, only this time, it's been executed with different
instruments to samplers. Adrian Utley's subtle yet dynamic jazz
guitar stylings are still as chilling as ever. Beth Gibbons' eerie
vocals are still as haunting, and the overall atmosphere still one
of smoke-filled film-noir mystique. Reassuringly though, 'Third' is
undoubtedly an album designed for the noughties rather than relying
on previous triumphs as its only merit. The opener 'Silence' sets
off the nihilistic atmosphere with it's pummelling lo-fi drums,
haunting strings and distorted Ennio-Morricone style guitar twangs.
Next up, 'Hunter' is punctuated by a chilling funeral-march style
lone bass drum. Meanwhile 'Nylon Smile' boasts a tribal-esque rhythm
reminiscent of Bjork. 'Deep Water' by contrast, has a ukelele
backing and doo-wop vocals sounding more like The Moldy Peaches than
trademark Bristolian trip-hop. All in all, it's a very interesting
listen, whatever ones' expectations.
In
the early 90's, I was in a band who were recording at Easton's
State-Of-Art studio, Portishead's reclusive headquarters. I was
lucky enough to witness Portishead at their embryonic beginnings - a
single-handed Geoff Burrows, experimenting with obscure samples
lifted from Labi Siffre film scores. Almost overnight, Portishead
were transformed into a full-on 'live' band and suddenly catapulted,
out of the blue, to being the most talked about band on the planet!
As history recalls, this sudden meteoric rise to stardom was sparked
by the band's spectacular debut album 'Dummy'. Released in 1994,
'Dummy' was acknowledged as one of the defining albums of the 90's,
not only a groundbreaking masterpiece, but also the very catalyst
for an entire genre of down-tempo sample-based music that followed
in its path.
It
goes without saying that the musical climate has changed greatly
since Portishead took the world by storm. However, after an extended
hiatus from the public spotlight, Portishead have succeeded in
shrugging off the shackles of any ready-prepared blueprint formulas
that might be expected of them. Whether you like 'Third' or not -
that's up to you, but my advice is to forget this album has been
made by the same band who made 'Dummy' all those years ago - forget
the expectation and simply judge this album on it's own merits,
because personally, I think it's great. Portishead's return may have
been greeted with mixed reactions, but then again, as history has
shown, many decent albums have been controversial on their release.
Whether the band's next album will be another ten years in the
making, one can only guess, but one thing for certain is that
whatever the world may expect next from Portishead, that resilient
maverick Bristolian spirit will only keep everyone guessing. |
