Portishead

09/30/1998 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Chris Morris

Some folks with dull ears may find Portishead's sophomore release, which comes three years after the English band's striking, much-imitated debut Dummy, to be more of the same. And, 'tis true, maestro Geoff Barrow, vocalist Beth Gibbons and their conspirators haven't altered the formula to any great degree--glacial beats, crackling samples, oddball gambits for guitar and theremin, and Gibbons' pained howl continue to hold sway on Opus No. 2. But to these ears, Portishead is an even darker, more forbidding work than its unsettling predecessor: Any hint of light has been drained from the tormented lyrics, and Gibbons' singing--now twisted and misshapen by an arsenal of studio tricks--is jarring as never before. Billie Holiday's Lady In Satin finally has a trip-hop equivalent. It's heavy, yes, but heavenly as well, and an easy candidate for album of the year, far as we're concerned.