Elysium

The track was recorded for Portishead with Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley during the sessions for the band second album. Portishead produced the recording with engineer Dave McDonald as part of the darker, more abrasive follow up to Dummy. Released on Portishead in 1997, it formed part of the album that confirmed the group could move beyond the breakthrough sound of Dummy. The album reached number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and established a harsher, more claustrophobic direction for the band. It remains a notable deep cut from Portishead second album and a representative example of the group cinematic, sample based studio language. The track continues to be valued within the band catalogue for its tense arrangement and Beth Gibbons vocal performance.