Portishead - Portishead

Portishead hails from Bristol, England, coming from the same music scene as artists such as Massive Attack and Neneh Cherry. The group's 1994 debut album, Dummy, went gold in the U.S., while selling over 2 million records worldwide, bolstered by the international alt-rock hit single "Sour Times (Nobody Loves Me)." with the holidays approaching, the timing couldn't be better for their highly-anticipated new album release, featuring the first single/video, "All Mine."

The bad news is that there is no "Sour Times" to equal the first album's greatness. Lead single "Cowboys" doesn't do the trick, not with its '50s sci-fi dub vibe and the Yma Sumac stylings of Beth Gibbons. The upside is that this bold sophomore release is, even at this late date in trip-hop's evolution, still startling, thanks to the mix of Geoff Barrow's soundscapes and Gibbons's haunting wail. --Jeff Bateman