Portishead's Third

It only took a few seconds into the first song to stun me. The first track on Portishead's Third starts with rolling percussion, guitar squeals, violins, and then the voice: Beth Gibbons - the siren of misery.

Even being a huge fan of their debut record Dummy, I had no idea this band was capable of a record with the emotion, complexity, and stunning depth of this album. I have played it start to finish three times in 24 hours, and it sounds fresh every time: new instruments and moods keep coming out.

After the first track, things get even weirder. "Hunter" goes from acoustic blues to a noise experiment that sounds like something from Tom Wait's Alice and then back again several times. "The Rip" is harrowing electronica that quietly drives faster and adds layers. "Magic Doors" brilliantly combines a soft electric piano, a cowbell, an acid-jazz saxophone, and what might be bagpipes.

My favorite moment comes from a transition in the middle of the album. The stunningly beautiful "Deep Water" has Gibbons singing in a new octave over a ukulele. One of the most stunning pace changes I've ever heard takes it into "Machine Gun", a electronic dirge with a driving, brutal beat that sounds like, yes, a machine gun. It takes bravery to sequence an album like this.

If Portishead's Third isn't one of the best albums this year, I give up. Get it now!