 Media Credit: Courtesy of Island Records
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 Media Credit: Courtesy of Island Records
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In the early 1990's, the hip-hop craze of the US was catching on in Europe while developing its own spin. In the UK, bands were stripping down the sound, making it more lo-fi and downbeat, thus creating the "Bristol" sound or Trip-hop. At the top of the "Bristol" sound was Geoff Barrow, an old tape operator, Adrian Utley, a jazz guitarist and Beth Gibbons, a pub singer, who came together as Portishead in 1991 and defined the genre. Their debut album, Dummy (Go! Discs 1994), sold over 150,000 copies and the band reached the UK Top 10 list with Portishead (Go! Discs 1997) before going on an indefinite hiatus in 1997. Fans were left to hold their breaths and hope that one day Portishead would return.
In early 2005, Barrow announced that the band had been recording a new album and told BBC 6 Music about how they never stopped being a band. "We've just had our heads down really, we've never actually broken up, or parted, or whatever," said Barrow. "So for us it just seems, even though we haven't played for years, we still see each other and write-- we just haven't released a record for a long time."
Now, after ten years, Por
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