WhenР’В you approach Dummy, positivity will beР’В gone as soon as you ensconce yourself with the record. Such lyrics as РІР‚СљAll for nothing / Did you really want?РІР‚Сњ in РІР‚СљMysteronsРІР‚Сњ, РІР‚СљHow can it feel, this wrong /Р’В From this momentРІР‚Сњ from РІР‚СљRoadsРІР‚Сњ and РІР‚СљNobody loves me, itРІР‚в„ўs true / Not like you doРІР‚Сњ from РІР‚СљSour TimesРІР‚Сњ really do show an earth-shatteringly devastating brand of despair that removes any chance for positive emotion in theР’В listener. Her vocal parts are a presence that is never wasted throughout the entirety of Dummy as she uses each songР’В to great effect to portray emotion with pinpoint accuracy. Embodying this at its fullest is GibbonsРІР‚в„ў voice. Portishead hold up this banner with pride as their music is some of the most demoralising you could hope(?) to hear. Trip-hop, in its purest form, is one of the most unnerving and disturbing genres. ItРІР‚в„ўs a label that several artists eschew as they do not wish to be confined to a singular genre but its influence is becoming more and more prominent. Portishead formed of Beth Gibbons (vocals), Geoff Barrow (multi-instrumentalist) and Adrian Utley (guitars, organ and production) were formed in 1991 at the genesis of the trip-hop music scene which also involved such names as Massive Attack (whose seminal trip-hop record, Mezzanine, I reviewed here) and Tricky РІР‚вЂњ which has since influenced a plethora of artists including BjР“В¶rk, Lana Del Rey and FKA twigs (whose dР“В©but album I reviewed here). ItРІР‚в„ўs a sinister record from, then, fledgeling band, Portishead who hail from Bristol, UK (about 8 miles from their namesake town) and, this month (August) DummyР’В reaches 20 years of age РІР‚вЂњ quite the milestone if you ask me. With the opening seconds of РІР‚СљMysteronsРІР‚Сњ, you know thereРІР‚в„ўs something different about Dummy.

Portishead dummy album