Machine Gun (Portishead song)
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| “Machine Gun” | |||||
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| Single by Portishead from the album Third |
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| Released | 18 March 2008 | ||||
| Format | Digital download, 12" | ||||
| Genre | Industrial Krautrock Electronic |
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| Length | 4:54 | ||||
| Portishead singles chronology | |||||
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"Machine Gun" is a single by Portishead, released in 2008. The song presents a rather raw, industrial sound and troubled lyrics. The promotional video features the band playing the song at the studio. The 12-inch vinyl was released on April 14, while a digital version was made available from the official site on April 10. On May 29 during the first concert at the Estrella Damm Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Chuck D. from the rap band Public Enemy joined the band onstage to perform a rap section on the instrumental part at the end of the song
[edit] Charts
"Machine Gun" entered the UK Singles Chart at #52 on March 30, 2008, their first singles chart entry for ten years since "Only You" in March 1998.
[edit] Brief musical analysis
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This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (April 2008) |
The song begins with a theme featuring electronic snare and kick drum kit sounds, as well as a snippet of a C# minor chord, which is used throughout the entire song. These sounds feature distortion, hall-style reverb and heavy compression, which mimick the sound of a machine gun.
The vocals feature a three-note melodic cell, evident at the chorus ("If only I could see"). This cell is sequenced ("You turn myself to me") and also used in inversion ("recognise"). The verses' vocal lines use notes from the C# dorian scale, which contrasts to the chorus' usage of the C# aeolian scale.
At 2:42 the song is broken up by a section that features new timbres; notably an electronic snare sound that is deeper in pitch. However, the recurring 'machine gun' theme is still present in this section. This is followed by a section featuring the original electronic drum timbres with a difference; tape delay is applied to the drum kit sounds. During this section, the feedback time of the delay is varied.
The final section introduces a synthesizer solo. The timbre of the synthesizer is reminiscent of Vangelis' usage of synthesized brass. It is the sole section of the song that features a solid harmonic foundation. The chord progression is: C# minor - B major/C# - A major - C# minor.
[edit] External Links
- Machine Gun vinyl 12-inch edition at Discogs.
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