Portishead were the first self-proclaimed trip-hop band. This single "Sour Times" was the their only significant hit in the US, though they were very popular in their native UK and Europe for a while. Portishead sold 150,000 copies of their first album in the U.S. back in those long ago days of 1994 but failed to capitalize on this for the long run. This is primarily due to the fact that they released only one truly quality album, Dummy, and waited three years before releasing a follow up.
Beth Gibbon's sexy vocals are counterbalanced by jazz guitar flourishes and a hip-hop beat. Skillfully combining three seemingly disparate genres was the group's key to success.
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"Dummy" was a great album - I still play it from time to time.
I don't know if you heard, but Portishead are active again after their rather long hiatus. They have a new album coming out this year and are touring again. There are a few stories about it on Pitchfork if you are interested.
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