Guybrush

Introduction :

Massive Attack is one of the english trip hop groups that rose out of the Bristol undeground scene in the 90s to international success alongside contemporaries like Portishead and Tricky. The group was originally made up of Robert Del Naja, Grantley Marshall and Andrew Vowles, but have had a lot of collaborators working with them in the studio. They released their debut album "Blue Lines" in 1991 and followed up with their second, Protection, in 1994. Their third album, Mezzanine from 1998, marked a change in their sound and was a much darker-sounding album than it's predecessors. It would also become their to date best selling effort and is widely regarded as a trip-hop classic. Among the many collaborators on the album are Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins and Horace Andy .. but no more Tricky.

I got to know this album from an ex-girlfriend in the very late 90s and I've been giving it a spin now and then ever since. After 10+ years, it still sounds fresh.


Song for Song Review :

The album opens up to listeners with the bassline to the song Angel fading in. It is a gloomy, dark and yet gentle entry and a sign of things to come on the album. The track is heavy, repetitive, brooding and quite beauftiful with a lovely vocal performance by Horace Andy. For added trivia, I think it must be song most often used in TV european car commercials. It's not surprising that the commercial business would embrace it because it's so easy to get sucked in, even on the first listen. It's like it has a little world of it's own. It also has a music video that you can enjoy.




The next song, Risingson, continues very much in the dark and broody vein of this album. It's like hip-hop from the dark side. However, performances are a little flat and this track becomes background music to me. Although I consider it good background music, I also consider it skippable. Teardrop, in contrast to it's predecessor, brings a little light and hope into the album while still fully keeping in line with the concept. Elizabeth Fraser is amazing in this song and her singing in general brings a lot of emotion to this album, not least this track. Although not my favourite, this is perhaps the most successful single from Mezzanine for good reason. You might recognize it from the video. Here it is.




Inertia Creeps marks another highlight for me. Despite some deliciously dark and lush sounds and heavy beats, it still manages to sound slightly like a hymn to paranoia, grabbing a hold of the listener with dronelike suspense. Exchange's place in the track listing is perfect and gives a bit of welcome variation. The album takes a turn for dreamy feelgood with this lazy and lush instrumental. It is easily another contender for album favourite. Dissolved Girl is another good song with vocal contrubutions from Sarah Jay. It has a hypnotic start and features more heavy breakbeats and also throws in some distorted guitar riffs. The next song marks the return of Andy Horace. Man Next Door, although others may and have disagreed, is another highlight for me - possibly my favourite song from this album. It's a soulful and mournful lament about a horrible neighbour. Don't laugh, it's not funny! Aside from Andy Horace making this song unique, the song is catchy and is, for this album, relatively traditional in it's verse/refrain approach. Still, it also contains just about everything else you should expect from this album. Great stuff.

Elizabeth returns to sing on Black Milk. Again, it is so dark and yet so beautiful. Noone could have done it better than her. This song also has some interesting trivia surrounding it. It contains a sample from the song "tribute" from Manfred Mann's Earth Band's epnymous 1972 debut album. The group was sued for using the sample and has since cut the sample from the song when they play live. On the title track Mezzanine, Robert Del Naja does another vocal performance. It's in the same vein, but does not quite rise up to the quality of the earlier Inertia Creeps. Like Risingson, I consider this one of the less interesting songs on the album. Not quite filler, but with more background music quality. However, with the help of Elizabeth, the duet Group Four becomes quite enjoyable and is another great track. The song mixes some of the qualities of Dissolved Girl, Black Milk and Risingson together for a successful result. Horace Andy gets to close the album on (Exchange), a return to the previous song by almost the same name, but with added vocals. Like Angel served as a gentle introduction into this dark album, (exchange) rises from the darkness and gently takes us out of it. Very fitting and a superb way to end this gem!


Review Summary :

Mezzanine is an album full of substance and it's moody broody sounds pull you in for an immersive experience. While Robert De Naja has a flat, sometimes sinister and almost emotionless style when he raps, the guest artists (particularly Elizabeth and Horace) add bucketloads of feeling and beauty to which makes for some very exciting contrasts. There are many dark albums out there, but Mezzanine seems to know just when to bring in a little hope and a little light. It gives the listener a little relief, but also deepens the shadows. All in all, I think they accomplish a sense of immersiveness and atmosphere that many artists out there strive for but is still quite rare. As such, Mezzanine is unique and also one of my favourite albums from the 90s. It still sounds fresh today and it's no wonder it's songs have been used in a number of movies and commercials ..

Anyways, if you don't know it - what are you waiting for? Get it!

Toretorden's Treasure Trove score : 5/6

__________________
Something Completely Different