Portishead Wandering Star (1994 Singles)

Portishead may not have invented triphop, but they were among the first to popularize it, particularly in America. Taking their cue from the slow, elastic beats that dominated Massive Attack s Blue Lines and adding elements of cool jazz, acid house, and soundtrack music, Portishead created an atmospheric, alluringly dark sound. The group wasn t as avantgarde as Tricky, nor as tied to dance traditions as Massive Attack; instead, it wrote evocative pseudocabaret pop songs that subverted their conventional structures with experimental productions and rhythms of triphop. As a result, Portishead appealed to a broad audience not just electronic dance and alternative rock fans, but thirtysomethings who found techno, triphop, and dance as exotic as worldbeat. Before Portishead released their debut album, Dummy, in 1994, triphop s broad appeal wasn t apparent, but the record became an unexpected success in Britain, topping most yearend critics polls and earning the prestigious Mercury Music P