6 Years Dreaming

There are a few bands I have found that have that uncanny ability to stick around well after they are worn out. They have seasonal relevance, or maybe they somehow embodied a theme in your life that is reoccurring; and if your like me and treat head phones like a vital piece of clothing and consider your MP3 player about as valuable as your keys or wallet on the way out the door (my daily ritual, before going to any second location: *patting myself down* “keys, wallet, phone, ipod. Amen”) the music tends to become the sound track of your day, adding to effect.

For whatever reason, for me, Portishead is one of those lucky bands. Often dark in message and composition, the moody quavering vocals of Beth Gibbons drift and rise over the haunting mix of atmospheric distortion effects and and trip hop like production. There is some really fun jazz-like precussion, heavy use of violin and classical instrumentation (so much so that one of their albums “Live at Roseland” was actually recorded live with an accompanying orchestra) as well as experimental use of crashing electric guitar that often completes the dark and haunting impact of the music.

Their first album “Dummy” (1994) has a much more synthetic feel, but is still that moody dark feeling, almost like being in the information age version of the smoky speak easy lounge of yester-year. After producing a few more albums incuding, “Portishead” (1998) and the afore mentioned “Live at Roseland” (1999) the band took a near decade long break without releasing another album. Then, in 2008, ta-dah! “Thirds”, my new personal favorite, was released. “Thirds” shows a new level of maturity and experimentation, and while seeming like a departure from they’re original more solidly electronic trip hop that many originally fell in love with, it maintains its sweeping dark feeling that makes Portishead what they are.

Another Album is rumored to be in production currently. It’s nice to return again to old favorites… But it’s even better when old favorites return to you with something new.

The Sample today is off of “Live at Roseland”, But I really suggested you check out “Thirds”; Namely the tracks “Small”, “Silence”, and “Threads”.