LP, 180g
Go! Beat (2017) EU
The English band who take their name from the nearby to Bristol town of Portishead are rightly credited with fusing electronica and experimental rock into a style that has been tagged trip hop. Utilizing break beats, acid house, soul, funk and jazz the music they create has an ethereal quality with a visceral punch. The combination of Beth Gibbons haunting vocals – she cites Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, Sugarcubes and the Cocteau Twins idiosyncratic singer Liz Fraser as influences – allied to the production and instrumental skills of Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley add up to a remarkable sound.
The emphasis on sonic clarity is bolstered by engineer Dave McDonald who worked with the trio on their debut disc Dummy, a gothic and noir collection that would sweep the board at the fourth Mercury Music Prize in 1995 thanks to the spacey jazz melodies and emotional density of singles like "Numb," "Sour Times" and "Glory Box." Dummy has since featured in many a select list of great albums of the 20th century and it has lost none of its appeal in the past 25 years.