Portishead – “Third”

Look I don’t want to get into an argument here. I think of “techno” when I think of Portishead. Really, I think “electronica” feels better rolling off my tongue, but in my punk/hip hop heavy narrow mind I just have one big bin for stuff like this and my brain chooses to label said bin “techno”.

Ok so yeah, please stop yelling at me. I’m conceding here that this isn’t my home territory. I’m not that big into this scene or this music as a whole. However, I’ve always liked Portishead. And I think this is so for because for the most part their music sounds like hip hop beats. Repetitive, drum heavy but not too drum heavy, stripped down (like a RZA beat or something more raw from The Roots) and still with some sort of conscious reference to jazz.

With “Third” all of these said trends continue. The hip hop types beats continue to groove me, I’m still digging Portishead and my brain still labels it techno. It has a great moodiness to it and some nice moments that force you to stop and give it your full attention. This being said it’s not as great as the previous two albums as it doesn’t really have any big moments or hooks that encapsulate the effort.

B