Made in Bristol
The many conspiracy theories surrounding the persistent and invasive low-frequency humming noise that has come to be know as the "Bristol Hum" may have missed one plausible explanation.
It is almost ten years since the hum was first reported and exactly the same time since Portishead released a record.
Out of sight perhaps but not lying dormant. Guitarist Adrian Utley claims the wheels never came off, but the relentless public schedule following the release of their second album took its toll, forcing the band to withdraw to the sanctuary of various studios around the city.
April 2008 sees the release of "Third" on Island Records. A labour of love recorded, mixed and mastered in Bristol, the album is a testament to the world-class facilities that didn't exist in the city a decade ago.
Shortly after a very public thank-you show at the Carling Academy in December, the band and American producer Craig Silvey shut the doors behind them at Optimum Mastering with engineer Shawn Joseph.
Three days later they emerged with a masterpiece; an album that was both light and shade, up-tempo and downbeat, complex yet direct.
Shawn describes the session as an amazing contradiction of art and technology, an opportunity to try new techniques and one of the high points of his eighteen-year career.