Live: Roseland NYC

Hot on the heels of two acclaimed studio albums, the trio of Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and singer Beth Gibbons toured the United States and in doing so worked with an orchestra and horns for a live release.

It is often thought that electronic music is difficult to capture outside a studio, but "Live: Roseland NYC" is at the very least an exception. Whilst many critics have said Portishead's releases are too similar to each other, a good listen to "Live: Roseland NYC" with reveal a great many surprises about how Portishead adapt their songs to a concert setting. Contrary to what some might expect all the samples of their studio work are present, notably on "Only You" where they are used to create a crescendo effect in the middle of the song.

The strings add a great deal of melody to the songs compared to the stripped-down versions seen on their second album, but what is really surprising and overlooked in the much greater range of Beth Gibbons' voice found in the live setting. At the end of the dark "Sour Times" her voice - so restrined in the studio version - turns into an absolute growl that might put off some fans, but is as impressive as anything Bjork could ever manage. The quiet-to-loud dynamic of "Over" is similar in its effect, notably when Beth sings "recognise me any more" in an angry tone. On the other side, "Half Day Closing" is quite remarkably eerie and out-does any post-rock band. The opening tracks, "Cowboys" and "All Mine", and the earlier "Roads" are more akin to the studio versions but their powerful beauty is so unlike most pop music that it always captures the attention of someone weaned on the commercial music of the eighties.

All in all, "Live: Roseland NYC" is the most essential release from Portishead and one of the very best albums of the 1990s. The material is played in a subtly but genuinely darker, moodier, more intense yet more wistful tone than in the studio, and the accompanying orchestra is completely part of the songs as they are arranged. The cover, too, which reminds me of a school orchestra as I once played wihtout success in, is very fitting.

It seems like it might not work at first, but Portishead's "Live: Roseland NYC" album is probably the most stunning and most original live electronica album. And the string orchestra enhances their songs in unexpected ways.

If Portishead's second album sounded like a creepy soundtrack to a Halloween horror movie, the string ensemble take the scary crescendos to a whole new level. Beth Gibbons sings a crooning alto similar to the James Bond singer Shirley Bassey. In the song "Cowboys," the orchestra resounds with a wave of dissonance that escalates to a frightening peak with the electric guitars amplifying the dark tension. Combine that with the squeeky turntable scratches, and the band sounds like a deadly mix of James Bond mystery with electric mayhem.

And believe it or not, there are plenty of smooth and sassy James Bond-style orchestrations. The blaring trumpets and strings in "All Mine" turns the copa cabana song into a smoky, jazzy scene, with guitars to electrify the atmosphere.

Even though the live set begins with songs from their less popular second album, there are still plenty of fantastic mixes of songs from their debut album to spare. The high-pitched screeches of the violins in "Mysterons" transform the electronica song into a soundtrack from an Alfred Hitchcock horror film. "Glory Box" sounds even sassier and sexier with actual strings to back up Gibbons' voice and the funky DJ scratcher. And if Portishead fans thought "Sour Times" sounded cool, just wait until they hear the adrenaline-filled crescendo of strings, organs, drums, guitars and DJ scratches, combined with Gibbons' wailing at the end.

And the band has an especially tender moment in the song "Roads," where the spacy jazz wah-wahs and the strings soften their set with a gorgeous faze of romanticism. Beth Gibbons' softening voice near the end make this ballad reach a wonderful intimate level like no other.

But the strings are the most entrancing in the hip-hop beat-oriented jam "Strangers." The beats, combined with the snazzy horns and strings, make this Portishead exciting and electrifying. It's a great way to end an awesome concert of hip-hop, Halloween rock and orchestral splendor. It also shows Portishead in their prime, with an artistic taste like no other electronica band in the world.

I read a review for Third in the New Yorker, and I found out that this live album existed. I had to get it right away because the reviewer was basically saying that Third is great, but nothing can ever beat the Roseland NYC album.. I have to say that Roseland is genius and I am extremely sd to have missed out on it for so long. Roseland really is a masterpiece.

One word: "Roads." What a mess the dimwitted NYC audience made of this song. Their stupid little clap-a-long and early applause ruin what really would have been one of the standout tracks on this album. Good news: no clapping on the DVD version! That said, I think most people will be happier with the DVD audio. Buy the DVD, and download "Sour Times" as this is the only performance that is really missing from the DVD.

This is a masterpiece of contemporary music. PNYC is a very complex album, full of arrangements that goes to deep obsesive levels. No matter what kind of music do you really like. Everyone who cares about music should hear this album, and watch the dvd concert...many, many times. Pity i can't give them more than 5 stars.