Portishead - Third

"Third", Portishead's eh, third album will officially be out April 28. Their album names might suggest something unimaginative about their music (their previous one was called, wait for it, "Portishead") but it is anything but. The Bristol outfit's brooding, sweeping, spacious and ultimately, sexy songs are unlike anything else I've heard. They are relatively new to me, and I find myself listening to their debut album, Dummy, released 14 years ago, and thinking how fresh and amazing it sounds.

This new one of course ends an 11 year wait for a studio album. And the general consensus is that it is worth the wait. On first listen, the new songs sound different to the other records. But on deeper analysis it shows that Third brings a "natural" progression to their sound. An excerpt from the review by Newsweek:

"If it had been released, say, eight years ago, the album would have felt like a natural addition to the Portishead discography.. it does what any band should be doing by album no. 3, expanding its palette. 'The Rip', 'Silence' and 'Small' take their cues from '70s psychedelic and experimental rock.. The hip hop influence has vanished - the samples have been abandoned entirely - but the album maintains the spooky, spacious vibe for which the band's become known.. 'Third' is a challenging, but quite satisfying, listen.'

Anyway, the band just performed the new songs on Jools Holland and you can watch it here in pretty good quality.

And while you're at it, check out this LEGENDARY performance of Glory Box live.