Portishead - The Rip

"The Rip" doesn't sound like a fighter, especially not at first. The backdrop is gently strummed strings that are more organic than we might have expected from the former sample wranglers.
When Beth Gibbons enters, it can't not sound like Portishead though. Her despondant wail continues to be the band's signature element. The pastoral soundtrack here calms her nerves some. She even stays calm throughout a mid-song seismic shift. The warm human playing suddenly morphs into fat retro-futuristic synth tones that are actually pretty inviting themselves. The repeated lines "...white horses, they will take me away/ and the tenderness I feel/ will send the dark underneath..." transform from apprehensive daydream to confident assurance with the added rhythmic thrust. On a comeback record full of surprising new facets for the band.