Portishead

Editor's Review:

To say that Portishead is acid jazz would not quite hit the mark. The group utilizes standard instruments and turntables to create an ethereal, otherworldly sound that, when coupled with the haunting voice of Beth Gibbons, becomes beautiful, soft and grand music. And even though it doesn’t really musically qualify as acid jazz, there is something about it that hearkens back to the days of the sultry jazz singer and the mellow backup combo.

Roseland NYC Live may be mellow, but it is anything but simple, and finds this British trance group coupled with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra to create a sound that is spacious, almost cavernous, and rife with rich texture. When most contemporary groups hook with symphonic orchestras, the result can be nauseating. Bands like Page & Plant and Oasis, just to name a couple, have really bastardized the idea of using grand accompaniment with their music because it’s just not the kind of music that orchestras sound good with. Portishead, on the other hand, makes it sound great, and possibly that’s because the band’s music is soft and powerful alone, so with the advent of an orchestra, there is that much more subtle power behind the music. The other reason it works well here is because Portishead has kept in mind that they are the featured artists here, and the orchestra keeps a relatively low profile, though its presence is undeniable.

Medium paced, exploratory turntable scratching and mellow piano solos float over grand string accompaniment; blasts of horns and strings emphasize the power in songs; and Gibbon’s deliberate, soft yet assertive voice is the icing on the cake. Roseland NYC Live shows a refined side of Portishead, perfectly complimented by the New York Philharmonic.

– Philip Bole
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Record Label Island Records Released January 2000

Tracks 1. Humming 2. Cowboys 3. All Mine 4. Mysterons 5. Only You 6. Half Day Closing 7. Over 8. Glory Box 9. Sour Times 10. Roads 11. Strangers