Reviews
Included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's.", Ranked #42 in Spin Magazine's "90 Greatest Albums of the '90s.", "...On their debut, instrumental wunderkid Geoff Barrow and torch vocalist Beth Gibbons draw on grooves from Isaac Hayes to the present to create dark, dense tracks that inspire gentle rocking instead of frantic pumping...", Ranked #61 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums", "...mixes cocktail keyboards, spaghetti-western guitars, eerie tape loops, and dub-wise rhythms into what could be called `acid cabaret'....as musically compelling as it is emotionally chilling..." - Rating: A-, Included on Neil Strauss' list of the Top 10 Albums Of '94 - "...The eeriest and most original dance-music album of the year.", Ranked #29 in The NME "Top 30 Heartbreak Albums" - "...An easily accessible, but still richly emotional new sound for the beginning of the '90s.", Ranked #6 in Nme's List of the `Top 50 Albums of 1994.', Ranked #14 in the Village Voice's 1994 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll., 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...Assertive rhythms and quirky production save Portishead from languishing in any coy retro groove. Instead they manage yet another--very smart--rebirth of cool...", Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums of the 1990s.", "...Turntable wicky-wicky, film-noir theremin, hammer dulcimers, and the tearful vocals of Beth Gibbons..., Included in Mojo's "25 Best Albums of 1994"-"...A Stunning, Stylish First Album.", "They Combined Odd Sample Noises and Instruments with Haunted Vocals....A Perfect Pop Album.", 4 Stars-Excellent-"...Perhaps this Year's Most Stunning Debut Album...", Ranked #35 in Mojo's "100 Modern Classics" -- "Sloping beats, inventive samples and freaky melodies create an unsettling emotional topography."
