Revisiting themselves, this band make a fresh and sharp look to this new era of boredom nihilism

I waited 10 years for this??? seriously..."The Rip" (ironic song title) is as good as it gets??? I never would have thought that Thom Yorke would make Beth Gibbons irrelevant...it looks like i am keeping my Radiohead and losing my Portishead...or at least this release...see you in another 10 years...

That's right, STOP IT fellow reviewers!!! Stop comparing Portishead albums. Each album is unique, beautiful and distinctively Portishead: electronic, dynamic, ambient, driving, moody, poetic. If you had never heard Portishead music before (assuming you like edgy electronic rock to begin with) and were given the Third album as an introductory to their music you would either fall in love with it (or not) just as much as you would (or wouldn't) with either one of their other two albums. It's the substance of their music that should be qualified regardless of the time period in which it was produced. Having said that, Third is marvelously musically Portishead, It'll shut you down and turn you on.

Portishead has always kind of had a bit of a "dinner party" sound to it, the kind of music you can play in the background at a party and it be recieved well. Beth Gibbon's singing and lyrics of profound uncertainty, little claustrophobic feelings of unrest and lonliness are haunting, charming even nostalgic...

Third takes on a different sound opening with Silence there's still the sense of haunting and claustrophobia but the sound is more desperate, more active, the rest of the album is undeniably Portishead, but you'll hear more samples, more effects, more dischordant activity and while a good album I feel it should be treated as a separate work from Dummy and Self Titled this album has a distinct sound to itself.

You ever find those albums by artists you respect that prove to you they're geniuses at work? Those albums that, while you're listening, stop you from doing, or even thinking about, anything else? This is that album. It's haunting, arresting, at times beautiful, other times creepy, and ALWAYS courageously out there. This album has balls. You'd think, after 12 years, they'd just get back together and do something for the money, and I'm so pleased to share that this is not the case.

To put it simply, if you liked Portishead back then, and you feel that your musical taste was somewhat effected by their previous work, you will love this evolution. 'Dummy' and 'Portishead' are timeless in their own right, and 'Third' just takes it leaps and bounds further.

Jeez, I usually have SOMEthing bad to say about new music these days, but not here. This is why I felt the need to review this one, because if I could influence just one more person to buy it and experience it, then I've done my part as a big music nerd/junkie. :) ENJOY!