Portishead - Roseland NYC Live

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• PORTISHEAD ROSELAND NYC LIVE

Music reviews of Roseland NYC Live

Music Review: Well, 4.5 stars, precisely
Rating: 4 Stars

With surprising grace and aplomb, actually. With only a few dips, the quality level is superb here. The anal-retentive nature of the band really pays off, as Portishead, complete with backing orchestra, sound incredibly polished and rehearsed. To be blunt, this band is one of the tightest you will ever come across. Everything seems to be planned and meticulously executed, like a military strike, or brain surgery. This approach is to the benefit of the listener.

Tracks such as 'Humming,' 'Cowboys,' 'Mystyrons,' 'Strangers,' and 'Over' come alive with new, startling emotion. The same musicial brilliance as the studio cuts remains, but the sheer power of the songs in their live incarnations is an awesome thing to behold. The timpani on 'Over' thunders live, where it simply thudded in the studio. Mystyrons is a high-strung epic masterpiece building to a glorious climax. The ugly 50's sci-fi of the studio verison of 'Cowboys' is transmuted into raw rage by the live version. For the most part, the songs improve drastically live, (which is really saying something, as Portishead is an excellent studio band.)

There are a few mis-steps, however. While the rock-out at the end of 'Sour Times' is jaw-dropping and visceral, the first four minutes of the song I could easily trade in for the James Bond-esque studio version. Portishead was never meant to be a grunge or punk band, and the live incarnation of Sour Times shows this.

The other mistake would be 'Roads.' While an already sad and delicate song could become even more fragile and ethereal live, the audience sees fit to begin clapping along, as if the concert is a country hoe-down. This human drum loop is not appreciated, and detracts from a potential moment of beauty.

However, the moments of pure and amazing power - so surprising in such a formerly subdued band - make the mistakes more than forgiveable. If you are looking for a good entry into the world of Portishead, this is the cd for you.

Description of Roseland NYC Live

Alternative Rock CDs

• Music > Styles
• Dance & Electronic
• Pop
• Rock