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The ShortListen: Portishead (no. 335)

Band release stunning cover as a tribute to Jo Cox

The ShortListen: Portishead (no. 335)
23 June 2016

Who? Portishead

What’s the story? It's been six years since we heard new music from Portishead, but now, following the tragic death of MP Jo Cox, they've released this video for their cover of ABBA's SOS. The track was originally heard in the recent J.G. Ballard film adaptation High-Rise, but has now been uploaded to YouTube with an accompanying visual which features singer Beth Gibbons sitting motionless until the very end, when she reaches out a hand and a quote from Cox's maiden speech in parliament - “We have far more in common than which divides us” - is displayed. The track itself is a stunning, minimal affair with merely a simple drum pattern and some ominous bass notes providing the backing, while Gibbons' plaintive vocals ring out on top. A truly fitting tribute.

For fans of: Massive Attack, Goldfrapp

In three words: Dark and brooding

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