Beth Gibbons album

2024

Lives Outgrown- 88%

It is telling to see Portishead members Beth Gibbons and Geoff Barrow take on different projects this year, and in a way impossible not to speculate what a 4th Portishead album would have been like. Barrow has two main achievements- the Soundtrack for Alex Garland’s Civil War and his band Beak>>> that realized a very interesting album of futuristic beats melding his favorite influences once again, Krautrock of the 1970’s and Hip Hop instrumentals. Gibbons however carries all the emotional torch, her songs delve deep in to the pain and longing of Portishead’s best music that made them more than just a trend of phase and several of these songs, while disputing all of the Hip hop instrumentals of old and relying more on tribal patterns and folk instrumentation.

Whether completely drowning the listener in waves of overkill (“Beyond the Sun” and “Reaching Out”, perhaps my favorite two songs maybe that is telling ha) or mering a minor chord obsession until we break in half (“Rewind”) Gibbons songs often scar more than they heal. There is some healing present though, closer “Whispering Love” and opener “Tell Me /who You are today” lull us into a false sense of security. “Floating on a Moment” is her version of a pretty ballad, it’s too bad life has beaten her down so much. Don’t worry, a song like :oceans reminds you real quick that you don’t have a clue what real sadness is. In a way, its easy to overlook her real pain- but its also easier to ignore than to confront- listening to the record is sort of like a therapy session. Make no mistake, you will come out of any Beth Gibbons album battered and bruised until you admit you feel her pain. Unlike Portishead’s harrowing Third (2008), at least at the end of this one there’s….like some flutes and stuff.

Best Songs: Rewind, Reaching Out, Beyond the Sun