Killīs 50 greatest albums ever - #39

[Kill]

P o r t i s h e a d

DUMMY
(1994)

Portisheadīs "Dummy" is what many fans of electronic music tend to call the "most beautiful sound ever made". Singer Beth Gibbons spends most of the album meandering through a pool of dark sounds with her beautiful, pain-stricken voice. Her fragile singing and melodramatic lyrics intertwine with the frightening eclectic post-techno beats so well, Portishead defined a whole genre. Trip-Hop music - often referred to as the "Bristol sound" - was taken beyond the comparatively easily listenable melodies of Massive Attack (who would come up with a re-defined sound in 1998, cf album #50) and the genre had its new heroes.

"Dummy" is a intimidating record and might today be the most important classic of electronic music ever. The brutal hopelessness of songs like "Roads" or "Sour Times" is something almost no one ever came close to putting into music again. Well, maybe Portishead did. The band - which officially still exists today - has made just one more album, called simply "Portishead", which is almost as critically acclaimed as the debut, if less influential.

[Lincoln]

Not a fan of electronic music, but thanks.

[white Boy]

her voice is 1 of my fav female singers ever, its nuts, ill def peep this whole album.

[Kill]

^^ yeah, her voice is the shit

Not a fan of electronic music, but thanks.

but do you like bands like Radiohead? You should give this a try, itīs not the dance-type of electronic music and melodically this album is just plain beautiful and hella atmospheric

[Lincoln]

^^ yeah, her voice is the shit

Not a fan of electronic music, but thanks.

but do you like bands like Radiohead? You should give this a try, itīs not the dance-type of electronic music and melodically this album is just plain beautiful and hella atmospheric

Not a fan of Radiohead either. I'll give it a listen though.

[Kill]

^^ yeah, her voice is the shit

Not a fan of electronic music, but thanks.

but do you like bands like Radiohead? You should give this a try, itīs not the dance-type of electronic music and melodically this album is just plain beautiful and hella atmospheric

Not a fan of Radiohead either. I'll give it a listen though.

yeah ok. Itīs kinda like an earlier form of some of Radioheadīs post-OK Computer stuff to me, which I love personally (duh). Might not be your cup of tea, but you might like some of the melodies and sounds

[[sepehr]]

Props...and I love radiohead with a passion

[white Boy]

did u ever hook up that massive atack album?

[Bramsterdam (see ya)]

Props...and I love radiohead with a passion

[W-Side]

props

electronic music is the genre I really never knew shit about

it's a blessing we have you overall music heads here

keep it up

[Don Jacob]

is this like YOU"RE all time favorite albums of all time , or a non bias greatest albums of all time list

cuz i like this album but i'd never put it in an all time top 50

[On The Edge of Insanity]

Amazing album, Beth's voice just hits me somewhere that other singers can't, I've lost count of how many times me and my mates have got ridiculously high whilst listening to this album.

[coola]

i'll check it out..

[coola]

just realised i've ehard this album... my sister loves this shit... it's well produced and over all a great album... but damn its depressing...

[Kill]

is this like YOU"RE all time favorite albums of all time , or a non bias greatest albums of all time list

cuz i like this album but i'd never put it in an all time top 50

Itīs the 2nd time you say this and itīs the 2nd electronic album in my list. It is considered an overall top 50, but, which I have stressed a bunch of times already, not biased towards stuff that doesnīt have that gloriful 60īs-70īs-golden-age flavor, because that is the bias I dislike about most of those lists. But even Rolling Stone, who are definitely biased, had this in their top 100...