Bristol’s Portishead were one of the pioneers of the trip-hop sound along with Massive Attack, releasing three albums between 1994 and 2008 to high acclaim. Vocalist Beth Gibbons has dabbled in an array of musical styles in the years since, including a collaborative album with Talk Talk’s Rustin Man and an album with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Gibbons now releases her debut solo LP, Lives Outgrown, an ambitious, personal record that has been recorded over the past ten years, produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Blur) with additional production from Talk Talk’s Lee Harris.
It’s clear from the opening track ‘Tell Me Who You Are Today’ that this is an epic-sounding record but with its own sound rather than relying on Portishead’s sound. Gibbons’ vocals sound older yet retain a sense of haunting beauty and vulnerability. The acoustic opening segways into something that resembles more latter-day Radiohead with lingering dark strings and showcases Gibbons’s variety and the willingness to depart from what might be expected.
‘Floating on a Moment’, which was the album’s lead single, also slowly unfurls as it goes from an impressive guitar opening into something that hews closer to Portishead’s sound. Again, Gibbons’s vocals shine. At 5 minutes 26, it shifts gear a few times throughout, showing the array of sounds across the record, with a darkness to it but also a sense of hope.
‘Burden of Life’ captures the sense of loss that permeates through the record, with Gibbons saying it was inspired by the loss of family and friends and realising what life was like with no hope. It is meditative as she sings of the burden of life not leaving us alone. For the bleakness of the lyrics, there is a sense of atmosphere captured here, again through the use of strings that wonderfully accompany the soaring vocals.
One of the standouts has to be ‘Lost Changes’, encapsulating all that works about this record and the strength of the lyrical journey we are being taken on with luscious strings guiding in the background. It is an ode to how time can change things we care about, wistful and melancholic but nonetheless captivating and beautiful.
‘Oceans’ is an epic track that begins slowly, expanding as it progresses into a different beast entirely. It is surely going to be a core part of Gibbons’ live sets, with a thunderous crescendo. ‘Beyond The Sun’ continues in this vein, offering some of the most experimental work on the record that showcases Gibbons and Ford’s willingness not to stick to script with a chaotic middle section that threatens to derail things but is constantly fascinating as different textures weave in and out, bringing a middle eastern flavour with background drums, jazz instruments and vocals vying for attention.
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‘Whispering Love’ is a calmer way to end the record with one it’s most soothing and gorgeous tracks, a palette cleanser after some of the thrills of the previous tracks. It ends on a calm reflective note with the sounds of nature, showing the soothing power of music and the journey this album takes us on.
The ten tracks here reflect a particular point in Beth Gibbons’ life with a sense of beauty and moody atmosphere. It stands up as some of her most vital work in years and shows there is plenty of life to her as an artist away from Portishead. Approaching 60, her distinctive vocals show no sign of losing their power. With plenty of layers to the sound and reflective lyrics, there will be plenty for fans to unpack across multiple listens. Gibbons finds a perfect balance between reflection, darkness and hope.
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