Portishead - Machine Gun [2008]

After a hiatus of over a decade, Portishead have finally returned to creating new music in recent years. It began in 2006 on the Serge Gainsbourg tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited, where they covered the English version of "Requiem For Anna". With its minimalist instrumentation and percussion, that track foreshadowed the new musical direction Portishead would unveil with "Machine Gun" and the album Third. As Portishead step into the 21st century, much like other British bands from the 90s, their musical landscape has evolved. The dense electronic drumming of "Machine Gun", paired with atmospheric keyboards and Beth Gibbons' gentle vocals and harmonies, accentuates the steeliness of the music. It maintains Portishead's signature detachment whilst adding a sense of apocalyptic warfare.