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Review:
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It's sad to admit that a continually innovative
band has just released a so-so album. One would hope that a
band capable of brilliance would either push forward beyond
anything they've accomplished before, or falter in its experimentation
and fail completely. But on 100th Window, it seems
as if that risk was not even taken, and therefore neither utter
brilliance nor complete suckiness was an option. What we're
left with instead is a handful of songs that almost mirrors
their 1998 success Mezzanine.
I still remember discovering Massive Attack back then, when
Mezzanine just came out, and before every hip
& trendy incense filled alternative sparkles & whips tattoo
parlor and vinyl touting wannabe store played it (and Portishead,
for some as yet unknown reason) in the background. I remember
being pulled in by Elizabeth Fraser's (of the Cocteau Twins)
seductive vocals, the bass lines rippling beneath, the menace
bubbling in the mix. If the tunes were well-written, then the
production was even better, perhaps some of the best produced
songs ever. Bringing out each element of these dense effects
laden songs in such a clear manner was like looking through
the center of the song, as if it were made of glass, and when
you looked down from your boat, you saw not your reflection
but the riverbed lined with grass waving, the schools of fish
swimming all in one rush of a direction, and your shadow over
them. And you wonder, is that really my shadow?
Massive Attack took nearly 4 years to complete Mezzanine,
3 years to complete Protection before that, and
God knows how long for Blue Lines (their first
album, featuring the amazing Safe From Harm). And, though
that's a long time between each album, the quality between albums,
the leap ahead that's apparent in each new release called for
it. There is no such excuse for the 5 years between Mezzanine
and 100th Window.
Not that the album isn't extremely listenable and enjoyable.
It is. With Sinead O'Connor on vocals on some of the songs,
the same addictive bassline, and impeccable production (listen
to it on headphones, oh God!), this album isn't bad. The songs
could be better. The first two songs (Future Proof and
What Your Soul Sings)are pretty damn good. But from then
on, they mostly just blend together. Which isn't to say they
are bad songs, just so-so songs. And the last, untitled song
on the album only makes me think of a Nine Inch Nails song,
and you know how painful that memory can be.
When it comes down to it, this album is like a re-hashed Mezzanine,
which is frankly, a pity. Every moment on it is trumped by its
predecessor. Every good quality is not really a surprise. I'm
not one of those music snobs who thinks that every release must
be cutting edge (how trite!), but sometimes that's just what
you expect from a band like Massive Attack. Especially since
listening to this album doesn't give me anything more or different
than their last offering. Here's hoping they won't deliver a
re-hash of 100th Window in five years. |
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