Sounds a LOT like Silver Apples
For those who've heard of the band Silver Apples, I would draw extremely strong parallels between that band's music from 40 years ago and Portishead's new album. Beth Gibbon's voice is as unique as ever, but the repetitive drums and droning synths warrant a mention of Silver Apples' late '60s experimental sounds. This album is light years away from Portishead's previous two offerings, but if you're a fan of the minimal sound served up by Silver Apples, Third may be just right for you. If you can't listen before you buy Third, hopefully this comparison helps a bit...

The return.
How many people believed a new and excellent album would ever be produced by the genre defining legends Portishead? A rare and exceptional godsend. Impossible to review.

The Best One Yet
This album has really moved me. Their first two albums were good but just did not even come close to hitting me as hard as this one did. The other two were trapped in the 90's. In a style that has been long forgotten. This one is simply more timeless. Everything about it is just perfect in my eyes actually. The more stripped down arrangements are incredible. Great percussive drum grooves with orgasmic guitar drones and improv and Beths voice is still as beautiful as ever. Overall it is just a haunting journey with so many twists and turns along the way. A bit disjointed at times even.

This is what I call a true masterpiece. I noticed that there is more of a kraut/art rock influence than hip hop or jazz so it's pretty obvious that this isn't the same ole trip hop but I think what they did is took these old inspirations and turned them into something new and something completely different for them. Yet, It still sounds like them. This is one of my favorite albums of the decade. I couldn't recommend it enough.

Once again making music that does not exist, but it's just not as pleasing this time around
This will definitely be a very polarizing album.

Third seems to have more in common with NIN's esoteric offerings than any previous Portishead music. It's certainly a very interesting album, for sure. Very interesting. But the warm, muddy, groovyness that was Portishead is gone. Totally absent are any sort of bassy beats and trip-hop rhythms. There's none of that. Even spy guitars are on short order.

Trip hop has died, and instead of trying to revive that sound for risk of beating a dead horse, they've again created a type of music which does not exist. This time it's cold, off-putting and alienating. It's too strange and well thought-out to suck, but too appallingly creepy to be considered good by most people. On many tracks Beth seems to be fighting against the music rather than accompanying it.

If someone was to be in the mood to listen to Third, "I can't wait to get home to listen to Third", I'd question their mental state. Call the paramedics!

All that negative sounding stuff being said, there are a few good tracks on here. "The Rip" being closest to the Portishead sound you may be wanting / expecting. This is a truly beautiful song which slowly builds itself up (as a few other songs on Third do). Still, it has an "Out Of Season" feel moreso than old Portishead . . . or even the rest of Third for that matter.

The songs "Plastic" and "Nylon Smile" are also pretty good. "Machine Gun" is a hard listen, perhaps the most challenging song on the album. The other tracks are also hard to get into, but might be to your liking depending on your temperament.

I didn't like this album at first, but find myself coming back to a few tracks and really enjoying them. It's worth checking out.

I can only expect the people that grew up with Portishead expecting the same old thing will be remixing this album into something truly amazing though. So if you don't like it, I'm sure some great stuff will still come out of it.

First for Me
I think I will be coming at this album from a different perspective to 90% of you...I had not been a Portishead fan prior to this album. I had heard some of their previous work in passing and been mostly unimpressed. I happened upon this album by accident and it has truly blown me away. It strikes me from reading the mixed reviews that the "traditional" Portishead fans are mad that they didn't stick to the tried n' true formula, whereas, more open minded folks are lauding it as a classic. I'm definately in the latter category. This album is very special in a unique, insular, introspective kind of way...the songs are built around odd, somewhat glitchy, off kilter rhythms (or none at all) that kind of ebb and flow...the sounds provide a lush, and yes, sometimes prickly background to Beth's musings which mostly seem to be inner thoughts about the fragility of life and love expressed in a somewhat somber, if thoughful, tone. This is the kind of album you cherish for it's singular beauty and complete unrelatedness to any music scene current or past. It just is... Now for some comparisons (gotta have 'em for reference): if you mix up the following albums into a witches brew, you might come up with something close to this "This is Stina Nordenstam" by Stina Nordenstam, "Soak" by Mimi (Goese), and "When I was a Boy" by Jane Siberry. If you are fans of these artists you will like this album.