|
Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 |
 |
Portishead singer drifts free
SONAAR LUTHRA
STAFF WRITER
Portishead is sorely missed these days. Almost six years since the Bristol trip-hop group's last major release, no band seems to be filling the gap left behind by Geoff Barrow's thick cinematic beats and Beth Gibbons's tortured yet tempting vocals. Although electronic music seems to be doing quite well for itself, it is Gibbons that simply can't be replaced.
And so it appeared to be a blessing when word spread that Gibbons was teaming up with former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb (a.k.a. Rustin Man) for a side project. Putting out an album entitled Out of Season was hardly out of character for Gibbons, whose voice has always fought its way on top of the most seemingly displaced situations.
I'm sad to announce, however, that the album is not a stripped-down version of Portishead with Gibbons moving into a more acoustic realm. Instead, she is rightly taking her songwriting in a direction that is more influenced by jazz and folk than acoustic trip-hop.
Though the idea is compelling, being equal parts Billie Holiday and Nick Drake, it is the relentless insistence on presenting only somber, melancholy songs that produces an unbalanced album. It might have benefitted from the occasional bluesy optimism her aforementioned influences were more than willing to produce.
This is not to suggest that the album does not offer some clear highlights in both artists' careers. If anything, the album disappoints only because the strength shown by half of the songs is not supported by the remaining tracks.
The album opens with the beautiful "Mysteries," Gibbons's somber tribute to living through confusing times, with Webb providing a gentle acoustic guitar and a nearly haunting choral backing. From this track the album takes a wise turn into "Tom the Model," a song that benefits from less introspection, and sounds a bit more colorful, adding horns and a soulful organ into the mix. Midway through the song it feels as though one is listening to an instant classic. The tone is nearly depressing, but the contrast between the first two tracks suggests that the album is only starting to delve into its eclectic sensibilities.
Unfortunately this pace almost disappears with the next track, "Show." Suddenly we're back in a more introspective place, but it seems a bit too lyrically hopeless to be faced this early on with lyrics like: "But it's all just a show / A time for us and the words we'll never know / And the daylight comes and fades with the tide / And I'm here to stay."
In a sense the song comes so early in the album that we feel almost stuck with her. Although the next song, "Romance," tries to liven things up by harkening back to Billie Holiday with a more upbeat string backing, it feels more like an apology from Gibbons for being so sad so early on.
The difficulty is that Gibbons does not completely abandon her audience, and gives such memorable moments on tracks such as the humble "Sand River," the show-stopping "Funny Time of Year," and the mysterious closer "Rustin Man." One must acknowledge that the highlights here are as good if not better than highlights on some of the best work released this year. But as an album it might have benefitted from being a bit more flexible and well-rounded.
|
FastCounter by bCentral |