Rating: 9/10

‘Glory Box’, ‘Roads’, ‘Numb’... as you know, these are the miraculous Portishead songs. They are one of them groups that are impossible to categorize. NYC Live (1998) was the last Portishead album, and now ten years later a new album has arrived. It can be described as dance music for skeletons in a graveyard, sometimes dark and cold, sometimes panicky and noisy. However, it is something new and is therefore quite admirable.

It’s been ten years! The first three tracks ‘Silence’, ‘Hunter’ and ‘Nylon Smile’ are going to make the long wait worthwhile. ‘Nylon Smile’ is a great effort. ‘The Rip’ is more a ballad-like track and starts acoustically then turns to an electronic rhythm. Beth Gibbons makes me feel very happy because she had never lost her amazing vocal talent. On the other hand, some of the songs like ‘Plastic’ and ‘Small’ are a headache, and they're something unnecessary. Considering all these great new songs, Third is one of the best new albums that came out this year. The song named ‘We Carry On’ combines rock music and electronic music. You probably remember Joy Division Shadows doing this song. ‘Machine Gun’ is a good example why this band still rocks after a ten year break. Third is simply a great album.    

MM picks: Nylon Smile, We Carry On, Machine Gun, Magic Doors