From time to time, we’ll review an upcoming album by listening to one randomly chosen song. We’ll be totally at the mercy of our iTunes’ shuffle feature. Hopefully, it’ll pick a good one. “Nylon Smile,” track 3 from Portishead’s Third, coming out on April 29.
The pioneering trip-hop group’s first record in 11years piles on the weird noises, hobbling sound bites, and scurrying percussion. In other words, business as usual. Singer Beth Gibbons manages to lift her soulful rasp above a whisper, but she sounds distant and a bit uncomfortable. Still, the focus is on the intricately structured music: moans, hums, and a guitar fill that sounds like it’s on loan from a completely different track. –Michael Gallucci
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2008.