Hi, I've been a fan from the early days and love their mix of atmospheric sounds and deep soothing bass. I'm not looking for bass like those fools who travel down the street in the car, boom, boom, boom. Just some decent bottom end. This new album sounds like they put a filter on and cropped everything below 80hz, in moments when I expect some nice low bass, there is nothing. I have spoken to some mates and they felt the same way. Don't get me wrong I love the album, it shows amazing talent and they sound refreshed and modern. But for me it's missing something and that distracts me from the places I travel to in my mind listening to the old albums. Concerned

I haven't heard the album yet, because it's not out till the 28th. In any case, a lot of studio & mastering tastes and techniques have changed over the last 10 years, along with the technology. I suspect the bass you fondly remember is the anologue warmth of tape, valve compressors and so on that were more prevelant back then. While Portishead use a mix of digital and anologue instruments, I suspect the recording and mastering path is almost entirly digital now... that's just a guess though, 'cos I aint heard the album yet, just a few tracks on the telly, so I can't confirm a loss in bass. Also they seem to have droped the scratchy old vinal parts from their music!

 The other explaination could be that the system you had 10 years ago had better bottom end

Or it could be low end hearing loss after 10 years of audio abuse

A pity you have to wait until the 28th, I picked it up at the shop here yesterday. In Australia anyway. Whilst I agree they might use more digital gear now, that doesn't mean you loose all bass. I have a mate with lots of synths and we can still get bass ;) The scratchy vinyl is charming but I don't miss it :P Amazingly I've had the same sub for the last 14 odd years, my amp is much better then in the old days, so it's not the gear. And I can still hear bass on the old albums ;) BTW thanks for being constructive and humurous and not some annoying fanboi who says "ZOMG you're a di$khead for not liking portishead!!" C

i miss the bass. it was a part of their sound. although if you listen to the second album on a good bass system, you will notice some tracks have no low end bass. have to constantly adjust the levels when listening. a few other artist i like do this as well, its their choice. small bummer.

Get over it! All interesting artists change and transform, and do things on their own terms

When Geoff has described the band's "deconstructive" style with making this album, it could maybe apply to the "low end," and the sense that it's missing.  It's actually on the album, but isn't presented in the same way as on the last 2 LP's.  "Hunter,"  and "Machine Gun" are 2 songs that have pulsing low end, but not in a conventional (read: bass guitar) kinda way.  Certainly not like "Mourning Air" either...

 But alot of things are different on Third...No record scratches, no orchestras, no Beth trying out weird vocal styles.

- JHJ

I agree, it's a great album, and definitely a departure from their old style. But listen to Hunter, and Machine Gun, the bass is definitely there. But there style is not so much "Electronic" now, as it was. Plastic has pretty good bass too.