Portishead

Portishead emerged in the mid '90s as avatars of the era's British trip-hop movement. The group was formed by drummer/keyboardist Geoff Barrow and singer Beth Gibbons, who began recording together in 1992, with multi-instrumentalist Adrian Utley as their co-producer. Their first two singles, "Numb" and "Sour Times," were released in 1994 in advance of their debut album, Dummy. The latter single became a hit in both the U.K. and the U.S., putting the fledgling outfit on the international map. Utley became a full-fledged member of Portishead soon after. The blend of Gibbons' smooth, melancholy vocals with laid-back hip-hop-flavored beats and a moody production aesthetic informed by soundtrack music and jazz was right in line with the sound of acts like Tricky and Massive Attack who were making an impact around the same time. In '95, "Glory Box" gave Portishead another U.K. hit. The group released its self-titled follow-up album in 1997, and it met with solid sales around the globe as well as earning the band its first Top 10 hit in the U.K. with "All Mine." But it would be more than a decade before the next Portishead album. In the interim Gibbons made an album with Talk Talk's Paul Webb under the name Rustin Man, Barrow started Invada Records and produced other artists, including The Coral, and Utley played on recordings by Goldfrapp, Sparklehorse, and others. After their long hiatus, Portishead finally released their third album, helpfully entitled Third, in 2008, meeting with great chart success in the U.S. and U.K. The band continued to play live over the next few years, and at various points stated their intention to make a new album. But in typically slow-moving Portishead fashion, years would pass without that promise coming to fruition, though they did release "Chase the Tear," a benefit single for Amnesty International, in late 2009.