Third
by Portishead
- Type: Album
- Released: 28 Apr 2008
- Label: Island
- Country: United Kingdom
- Length: 48:52
- Community rating: 4.33/5 from 84 ratings
Artists on this release: Adrian Utley, Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons
Album Notes & Community Reviews
Released after an eleven-year hiatus, 'Third' represents a stark departure from Portishead's earlier trip-hop sound, embracing a more abrasive and experimental rock palette. [1, 5] The production is defined by jarring drum machine rhythms, propulsive krautrock-inspired beats, and dissonant textures from analog synthesizers and jagged guitars, eschewing the prominent turntable scratching of their previous work. [1, 9] Beth Gibbons' haunting and emotive vocals remain the album's anchor, creating a palpable tension against the often volatile instrumentation and exploring lyrical themes of anxiety, paranoia, and dissociation. [2, 4]
Genres
Descriptors: electronic, experimental, industrial, abrasive, tense, dissonant, atmospheric
Tracklist
- Silence (4:59)
- Hunter (3:57)
- Nylon Smile (3:16)
- The Rip (4:30)
- Plastic (3:27)
- We Carry On (6:27)
- Deep Water (1:30)
- Machine Gun (4:43)
- Small (6:45)
- Magic Doors (3:31)
- Threads (5:47)
Credits
- Beth Gibbons - vocals, keyboards, electric guitar
- Geoff Barrow - drums, keyboards, synthesiser, bass guitar, percussion, programming, producer, mixed by
- Adrian Utley - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, keyboards, synthesizer, programming, producer, engineer
- Charlotte Nicholls - cello
- Claudio Campos - spoken intro
- Wendy Bertram - bassoon
- Team Brick - clarinet, vocals
- David Poore - vocals
- Ben Salisbury - vocals
- Will Gregory - saxophone
- John Baggott - rhodes piano
- Clive Deamer - drumkit
- Jim Barr - bass, guitar
- Stu Barker - hurdy-gurdy
- Stuart Matthews - recording engineer
- Rik Dowding - recording engineer
- John Pickford - recording engineer
- Craig Silvey - mix engineer
- Marc Bessant - art design
- Larry Bennett - photography