Beak> – Beak> (2009)

Beak> are a band consisting of members of three separate bands all signed to Geoff Barrow’s (out of Portishead) Invada record label, including Geoff himself. Portishead are a band much revered by critics and the wider public, and their latest album Third was a genuine highlight of last year. Portishead have a very distinct polished sound, meticulously created and produced which has lead to some albums having pretty long gestation periods. Beak> by contrast wrote and recorded their album in twelve days and is noticeably more “jammy’, taking cues from kraut, psychedelic and post-punk influences. Whilst this sounds nothing like Portishead, knowing the connection between the band makes you appreciate the spontanaity audible in the music, though the inventiveness which drives the core of Portishead’s songwriting is still conspicuously joyful .