Customer Rating:  
Summary: Interesting
Comment: There are 2 tracks I really like on their new work.
The song "Hunter" has the most going on musically, very smooth music.
The "Rip" is also good because it builds on some good lyrics and continues to build with actual beats and rhythm.
If you are expecting this to be anything like the old Portishead it's not.
I would have to label it more experimental at this point.
There are many songs like, "Machine Gun" that takes the same 7 second sample and loops it for 4 minutes while the singer tries to put a melody over it. There are many songs just like this, they don't really build towards anything or have a structure.
Is the song "Magic Doors" an accidental rip off of the Bjork song "I have seen it all" because it carries the same exact melody as her chorus. You can hear it in the samples on Amazon if you search for it.
Even after repeat listening sessions, the album as a whole is interesting and makes me hope they put out more work.
This is something only the diehard Portishead fans will love. The ones who don't care if they played one note on a keyboard for 6 minutes while the singer did her thing.
There are a few songs that are worth individual download, but I can't recommend this album beyond that.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is evolution.
Comment: I'm not really good at reviews, so I'll keep this short:
Like most of the reviewers on this website, I loved Dummy and the other Portishead albums. Like some of the reviewers, I concur that this is not like old Portishead at all; this is a new direction, and one that, like Dummy was in its time, representative of the zeitgeist of this time.
The music is cold, alienating, and very complex. The harsher quality to the sound makes everything feel that much more deliberate; you can hear the synth, you can tell that the beats and bass were constructed artificially from ground up because it is that raw and unpolished. It brings something new to the world of music; it isn't a simple rehash of old tried-and-true gimmicks, and it feels extremely well thought out.
But at the end of the day it isn't for everyone. I'd suggest looking for samples/clips of these tracks before deciding to plonk down the cash for it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: You had me at "Dummy"... and then fell-the-funk-off!
Comment: I'm not going to use a bunch of pretty words to compel you to accept my review as "gospel" because I'm smart or something. I'm gonna just make this simple and plain.
I bought into Portishead when the Trip-Hop movement was in full swing... back when it was pretty much Portishead and Massive Attack on top of the WORLD.
If this album would have been released instead of Dummy, back in 1994, they would have vanished. But instead they released something dark and mysterious... something miserable, strange and hip. The samples, the cuts & scratches, the theremin, the breaks. It used to be music for the A.D.D. inflicted. Now, it's so boring I can't pay attention for more than 20 seconds for it to grow on me. I've moved on to more stimulating sounds now like Architecture In Helsinki and Vampire Weekend now.
Trip-hop died such a quick and painless death, kids don't even recognize it as a genre anymore.
Customer Rating:
Summary: There won't be a "Fourth"!
Comment: No one enjoyed Portishead more than me back in the day. I consider their work eclectic, yet musical. The use of scratching is not novel, but it somehow fit with their vibe. And while many thought the music was depressing, Portishead was a very accurate reflection of the times. For many years many of their fans hoped they might produce more work.
"Third" is not that work. They should not have come back. It's just that simple. They do not have any new ideas; in fact, they seem more stripped down, more spare, more minimalist. I've got the perfect word: nonsensical. These are half baked musical ideas here; very little in terms of form, motif, chorus, anything. A warbling vocal is not enough. I'm hardpressed to call this an effort. I am sorry they came back. Portishead's return is like the Pixies return. Not very good the second time around.
Customer Rating:
Summary: An interesting new direction
Comment: A lot of people were clearly expecting Dummy 2, and I can understand why those folks might be disappointed with this album, just like some people were upset when Radiohead didn't make another Bends. I personally think this is the way Portishead needed to go after 11 years without an album. They'd have been spinning their wheels if they'd have stuck to the same old sounds and beats.
It's definitely not as accessible as Dummy, but I get the same feeling of engagement and challenge listening to Third today as I did with Dummy back in 1994.
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