If you were an ahead-of-the-curve music consumer in 1994, the first Portishead song you might have ever heard is “Mysterons,” the first song on the band’s acclaimed debut album. What would you have made of it? Beth Gibbons, chilly singing offers an accessible enough entry point, but that snare-roll percussion and haunted-house theremin make this a difficult sound to immediately put your finger on. Someone hearing this music cold might well have been a bit bewildered.
Sixteen years on, you may now find the Portishead sound familiar enough and be able to easily place “Mysterons” in its broader trip-hop context. If so, then Los Angeles trio Pollyn’s new cover might throw you all over again. It jumps along with pounding drums, riffing guitar, and a beat you could almost dance to. The music video that accompanies is sparse and spooky. Well, at least that sounds familiar.
Pollyn – Mysterons (Portishead cover)
Check out more Pollyn at their website or Facebook.
