Portishead

--- 2nd HAND ITEM ---

"The Cowboys beat resembles a gold-digger's sieve, the backing vocals circular, repetitive gestures, the piano drops of sweat beading as the suspense builds. The scratches evoke sidelong glances, the war of nerves, the taunting of crows. Beth Gibbons, as an outrageous Calamity, towers over the stage, surprisingly disheveled. Portishead invents the closed-door western, wide-open spaces in trompe-l'oeil, Sergio Leone on Prozac. No Dolby sound, just sputtering stereo. No Technicolor effects either, just distorted guitars strumming the film. The only horizon is a backdrop where the song eventually crashes, in magnificent slow motion."

Christophe Conte, Les Inrockuptibles (France)
Published January 1, 1997 at 0h00