I find Portishead's 'Third' paradoxically addictive. There's quite a diverse range of sounds and styles on there; admittedly, it's unusual and might at times appear on the surface to be a dirge, but Portishead are at least trying to push the envelope and on about 80% of the album, I think they succeed. There are some wonderfully melodic moments lurking just beneath the surface and part of the enhanced listening experience is discovering these.
When the album falls down, it falls down spectacularly and this tends to be where the whispy, breathy vocals of Beth Gibbons sings a totally different melody to that of the band; banal verging on discordant.
However, that's a minor gripe amidst a heady mix of Prog Rock, ambient, electronica, Post Rock, minimalism and New Age. It works for me.
bokr
Linear Mode
