at a glance...

Hometown: Bristol, England
Year Formed: circa 1991

Members:
Beth Gibbons -vocals
Geoff Barrow -drums, programming
Adrian Utley -guitar, bass
Dave Macdonald -drums (engineer and unofficial fourth member)

Bands In The Family:
Tricky, Massive Attack, Neneh Cherry

Notes:
Of the many pioneers of trip-hop, Portishead were the first to make the international cross over. Barrows, who collaborated with and produced re-mixes by Neneh Cherry, Tricky, Primal Scream, and Paul Weller, teamed up with Gibbons in 1991. The two began composing together, and were soon joined by jazz guitarist Adrian Utley. Portishead caught the attention of Go! Discs for their work on the soundtrack for the short film, "To Kill a Dead Man", and in 1994, they released Dummy. Despite Barrow's media shyness and Gibbons' refusal to deal with the press altogether, Dummy topped the UK charts and was praised by the music press. Portishead's blend of dance, hip-hop, jazz, and pop made their single, "Sour Times", an underground hit in America and on MTV. After receiving the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for Dummy, Portishead returned to the studio to record their second album, Portishead, which was released in 1997.

Links:
Portishead Mothership
We Love Portishead

If it wasn't for Portishead's vocalist Beth Gibbons, you could listen to Dummy all of the time. With tight, fresh hip-hop beats and a subtle jazz flavor, most of Dummy is danceable, although the band do have a knack for creating an especially eerie mood with moaning organs and swelling strings. But when Gibbons enters the scene, her clear delicate vibrato casts a shadow of isolation and absolute melancholy over the whole album.

Portishead easily draw you into their lonely world, and their ambient trip-hop entices you to stay. Songs like "Numb" and "Biscuit" are dark trances enduced by the combination of hip-hop, mellow guitars, and a variety of samples coated by Gibbon's desperate pleas for salvation. Hearing her cry, "Nobody loves me, it's true" during the hit "Sour Times" is enough to tear at anyone's heart. On "Roads" - a track already enveloped in sorrowful elegant strings - Gibbon's soprano trembles with pain. However, the twisted lounge acts, "Strangers" and "Pedestal" feature very soulful and powerful vocals accompanied by some excellent jazz performances.

The last track, "Glory Box", is Portishead in full effect. Over a sample from Isaac Hayes' "Ike's Rap III" and a slinky blues guitar, Gibbons duels with herself as she tries to justify a relationship. She first comes off as a contemptuous Billie Holiday and then switches back to her sweet, sad self as she pleads, "Give me a reason to love you/ I just want to be a woman."

By all means, Dummy is an essential album for trip-hop fans and beginners. And try not to worry if you feel depressed; Portishead are that way so you don't have to be.

If you like Portishead, check out:
Portishead PNYC
Tricky Maxinquaye
Portishead Portishead
Massive Attack Mezzanine
Beth Orton Trailer Park