One band not afraid to make truly undated modern music is the English electronica act Portishead. With their new self-titled album, Portishead catapults past any doubt of sophomoric slumping by carrying on where its dark debut album Dummy left off.

The quartet consists primarily of singer Beth Gibbons and studio technician Geoff Barrow, but also contains guitarist Adrian Utley and musician/engineer Dave McDonald.

With jazzy horn samples mixed with synthesized reverb effects, Barrow is able to give the songs a fresh canvas for their 40s noir sound on such tunes as All Mine. The crackling record player in Undenied brings back flavors of early blues singers or rock musicians.

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But no matter what studio trickery Portishead may pull, the powerful impressions are never felt until Gibbons adds her haunting vocals. With the band’s first single Sour Times, it was clear that Gibbons had potential to make a name for herself. Upon the first listen to Humming or Half Day Closing, it becomes clear that her name is made, or in the process thereof.

The band never changes gears throughout the album, and there is really no need to. An upbeat, modernistic number to offer variety would only take away from the album’s gloomy value. Basically, because it would cheat listeners out of the sad and dark noir worlds created so well through the music.