Music of the Moment: Portishead - Third
Posted on April 29th, 2008 by Josh Hathaway
I almost wish it was logically and grammatically possible to modify the word “unique” with words like “most” or “very.” Listening to a record like Portishead’s Third makes you wonder if it isn’t possible to be the thing most unlike anything else in the universe. Of course this is silliness, but that’s the problem when common usage robs words of their meaning and overuse dulls their impact.
Portishead is unique.
I’ve just given you three words and the truth and yet that sentence feels inadequate. They are, but it’s more than that. If there is a horizon beyond unique, Portishead has found it. If there is another dimension in contemporary music, Portishead is living there.
Filed under: Music of the Moment
sorta unique.
two words: Massive Attack
that’s not to say that i don’t love Portishead or anything.
I’m not talking quality, I’m talking sound. To put MA and PH in the same galaxy is to say Jimi Hendrix and my college roommate were both guitar players.
i’d be willing to bet you that the folks in Portishead would disagree with you. Massive Attack was a huge influence.
damnation…i have to go find my copy of Dummy.
And they’d be wrong.
somebody can be wrong about their own influences?
anyway, since Geoff Barrow worked with Massive Attack early on, it would seem unlikely that he was ‘wrong’.
and dammit, i think one of the young ‘uns stole my copy of Dummy
Anybody can be wrong about anything. I mean, I’m talking to you right now. How many fuckin’ levels is that wrong on? I’d expect that number to be fuckin’ staggering.
Duane Allman recorded in Muscle Shoals and I drove through there many times in college. I think the connection is obvious.
I’m comfortable with the conclusion that Portishead is unique.
I’m going to agree with Josh here. And Mark. On the first two, the Massive Attack influence was there, but on Third they’ve done something very, very different. This is a weird new breed of Portishead - it’s wildly different while being entirely recognizably them at the same time. And it is AWESOME.
For some strange reason, the Roseland album never clicked with me until recently, and now I think it’s a defining moment. Of course, now that I want to see the DVD, it’s back-ordered on Amazon. My luck.
Way to be bold there, Tom.
Third is pretty spectacular. I’m loving it.
I really want to check out the DVD now, too. I’ve got the CD version and it’s interesting listening. I’m not the biggest music dvd person, buying them mainly to hear them. There are exceptions. This may be one of them.
i would buy more music dvds if i could figure out a reliable way to rip the audio. gonna get that mac someday…
I buy ‘em almost exclusively to rip - I rarely have time to watch. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but have you given DVD Audio Extractor a try? It’s the only one of about 5 that I’ve tried that has reliably gotten the audio off of everything I’ve pointed it at. Pretty great program.
At least it was not so unique that it spurred you to start calling yourself DJ Portishead.
I tried convincing TWTWIM to go that route, though.