Third album cover
Third

Portishead

2008
Island Records

After a long stretch where it seemed like the various members of the band had decided to concentrate on other efforts, Portishead came back with a sonic bomb in the form of Third. While as interested in translating older forms and moods to a newer day, the emphasis here was less on spy-movie mood and classic breaks than it was on different styles: pulsing psych motorik (“We Carry On”), fragile folk (“Deep Water”), glowering, stark beats and John Carpenter-tinged synth chill (“Machine Gun”) and much more, a masterpiece of reinvention.

Ned Raggett

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