My favorite band of the late 90s, Portishead, has reformed and has a CD to be released later this month. Jon Pareles gives a preview:
Third is more polymorphous, more extreme, more propulsive and often harsher than previous Portishead albums. Instead of mellowing with age or returning to a signature sound, the band has fractured and splintered that sound, plunging even deeper into loneliness and anxiety.
And lest you think this note betokens any particular musical sophistication on my part, let it be known that I finally tracked down a bit of high school era power-pop that’s been rattling in my head for months. It turns out to be “Go All the Way,” by Raspberries, an early 70s band from Cleveland fronted by Eric Carmen.