Portishead
Dummy

THE REVIEW

I've recently, very recently, developed a passion for Trip-Hop, but it was mad love at first listen.
For now, I only know the two masterpieces of this genre, "Mezzanine" by Massive Attack and "Dummy" by Portishead. My review will focus on the latter, the spectacular masterpiece by Portishead, who, along with the aforementioned Massive Attack, are the cornerstone group of the Bristol scene.

In 1997, "Dummy" was released, a record of rare beauty and importance, based on a retro sound, paced by hip-hop beats and embellished with scratches, more modern sounds and, above all, the soothing voice of Beth Gibbons. It's a unique album, alternating between poignant moments and exhilarating ones; where time no longer dictates music but becomes infinite within it. It opens with the splendid "Mysterons", where the album's distinctive sound is already apparent. This track features Gibbons' splendid and haunting voice, simulating a Moog synthesizer to create an "extraterrestrial" atmosphere. The next track is the famous "Sour Times", where Soul blends with trip-hop and unfolds into a captivating melody. "Strangers" is a cabaret jazz, with Gibbons' filtered voice, mixing with a "massive" sound. Interspersed with the excellent "Wandering Stars", a very dark song, are the album's two most sentimental tracks, perhaps making it fall slightly short: "It Could Be Sweet" and "It's A Fire", where Beth's voice becomes sweeter and less harrowing. "Numb" is a more cheerful and energetic track, while "Pedestal" and "Biscuits" are marked by a heavy use of scratches. The jazz, sensual and hypnotic, returns with "Glory Box".

Many might think that, in my tiresome track-by-track, I've forgotten a song, but that's not the case: I've left "Roads", the track following "Numb", for last because I believe it's the masterpiece of the album. Indeed, it is a splendid and poignant song. After a wonderful string intro, comes the Voice (sorry for the capital letter, but you'll understand I'm not talking about Frank Sinatra), perfectly interspersed with guitar and paced by the drums. It arrives melancholic, poignant, enchanting. It arrives and consecrates "Dummy" as one of the best albums I have ever listened to. And yes, because it's hard to find something so original, that combines the old with the new, containing 11 gems of rare beauty and never tires from pleasing. If you haven't done so yet, listen to this album because you'll be struck by the elegance of this music.

A note: as many say, this can be considered film music; not just because it echoes such motifs, but because each track offers a different image, and together they contribute to creating a colorful and varied musical vision.

P.S. Apologies for two things: 1) The track-by-track, which I didn't want to avoid for an album like this 2) The fact that this review is a damn duplicate. In my defense: I saw that the two reviews of this album on DeBaser are not well-received, so without much pretense, I decided to do one myself since the album impacted me greatly.

Album rating: 9+