Even when trip-hop merchants Portishead were one of the most fashionable bands in Britain, their impossibly fragile-looking singer Beth Gibbons could only be described as something of an enigma. On Out Of Season, her first solo record, her true character remains as frustratingly elusive as ever. Recorded with her old friend and former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb (under the guise Rustin Man), this is a collection of subtly eerie folk songs that might well come in handy if they ever get around to remaking The Wicker Man. Each track is narrated from a different perspective, male and female, based around the themes of mortality and isolation and frequently using metaphors drawn from nature. Gibbons herself, meanwhile, remains a ghostly presence throughout, capable of sounding like anything from a cackling witch to an imprisoned princess. Alternately soothing and chilling, Out Of Season is never less than an intriguing listen - as well as being a nice taster for the next Portishead album proper, which is promised for next year.

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