Wildabeast - Wildahead Portibeast
Anyone who has explored the electronic music albums on Free Albums Galore probably noticed I have a fondness for Trip-Hop. So it is interesting that my trip-hop preference doesn’t transfer to the most popular artists in the genre, Portishead. As much as I swoon over the vocals of Beth Gibbons, the over-all feel of Portishead’s efforts is antiseptic. Lots of atmosphere but little emotion.
So the unusual free and legal online experiment by hip-hop wonder Wildabeast titled Wildahead Portibeast is a bit of a revelation. Wildabeast takes the music of Portishead and turns it into a hip-hop smorgasbord of beats and rap lyrics. The tracks are re-mixed so the basic Portishead songs are transformed into trip-hop with soul. Perhaps the best example is “It’s True” which Wildabeast takes the popular “Sour Times”, keeps Gibbon’’s signature line “Nobody loves me, it’s true”, and wraps it in enough electronic and turntable effects to make it his own. In fact, Wildbeast’s rapping is a nice counter-point to Gibbons’ sexy vocals and often leads the listener into the emotional payoff I missed from the original tracks. Wildabeast’s own rap lyrics on tracks like “All for Nothing” and “Machine Gun” remains high quality. I think most Portishead fans will admire these remixes and hip-hop fans will appreciate the journey into new territories.
The album is available in VBR MP3 around 256kbps.
Whoa, I was really looking forward to listening to this, since I’m generelly always curious about tribute covers and remixes of my favourite bands — of which Portishead is one. But I’m sorry, this is so ridiculous I wonder if you mean what you wrote above at all seriously. The rap is amateurish in my opinion and really violates Portishead’s music — it’s sounds just totally wrong (and I’m not at all uptight in my listening habits). Too me the worst is how Wildabeast ‘explains’ or comments on Beths lyrics, it’s a sort of mindless presumption, meant-well but still disrespectful. :/
But thank you anyway, your blog is very inspiring! :)
Comment by Zyb — February 2, 2009 @ 6:53 pm
Interesting counterpoint to my review. Perhaps the difference in our perspectives is that you are a Portishead fan and I am not. Anyways it is good to hear other opinions.
Comment by Marvin — February 3, 2009 @ 6:23 am