Bristol trip-hop outfit Massive Attack dropped this moody, atmospheric masterpiece on us nearly 13 years ago (damn!), and to prove it was ahead of its time you could actually download the album from the band's official website well before the album came out in stores. Remember this was rare way back in 1998: now it seems like standard practice for most band/artist releases.
Stylistically this was a bit of a dark departure from the band's previous two albums, but 3D, Mushroom and Daddy G outdid themselves on this one - augmented again with the smooth guest vocals of Reggae legend Horace Andy.
"Angel" has an awesome slow paranoid intro that builds before erupting into full-scale panic, and "Teardop" has that trippy feel which perfectly frames guest vocalist Elizabeth Fraser's melodic sweetness. And who could forget the accompanying music video of the foetus lip-synching the song in the womb? Brilliant!
"Mezzanine" & "Black Milk" keep up the quality, but it's "Risingson" which is the highlight for me. I saw them live in 2003 on the 100th Window tour and I've never heard a more attacking and powerful synth break than the part that kicks in at the 2:35 mark on the album. It was 100 times more powerful live, and the crowd stood still to listen in awe as light rain fell silently on us all.
A surreal moment I'll never forget.
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