Finally, Massive Attack has put out another album, five years after their last, “Mezzanine,” unleashed dark, hypnotic beats through speakers in homes, clubs, and parties everywhere.
Massive Attack has huge expectations to fulfill with this album. After the successes of their last albums in the realm of electronic music, it would not be such a huge surprise if “100th Window” were to catalyze the next stage in a trip hop or electronica evolution.
And yes, their newest album is awesome, but it sounds a lot like “Mezzanine.” The overall attitude remains dark and brooding, and the beats are mostly deep and throbbing. It seems like Massive Attack has stopped exploring and become satisfied with a blend of eerily cool tones, like those of “Mezzanine,” which is why many critics have been so harsh to this album.
Unless you haven’t heard Massive Attack before, this album probably isn’t going to knock you on your ass. But you still might like it.
Massive Attack is at their best with when they mix slow, dark, throbbing beats with trippy electronics and stark, chilly vocals. And that’s what they do with most of the tracks on “100th Window.” No songs are under five minutes in length so each track has a steady, precise progression to a climax that is often chaotic. In fact, five tracks (not including the hidden track) are longer than seven minutes. The sound of “100th Window” is often sexy, sometimes a little scary, and always very cool.
In case you aren’t familiar with Massive Attack, here’s a little background info: Hailing from Bristol, England, the trio once called Massive Attack are royalty in the electronic music scene-they are the originators of the trip hop sound. They released their first album “Blue Lines” in 1991, and have since largely influenced the music of Tricky, Portishead, The Sneaker Pimps, and many others. Their next two albums, “Protection” and “Mezzanine,” are masterpieces.
But “Mezzanine” was released back in 1998. Now, five years later, only one original member, Robert del Naja, has returned to create “100th Window.” Del Naja, a.k.a. 3D, is the guy with the creepy brooding British accent on several tracks. His vocals, as usual, always add an extra chilly element to the already eerie sound.
The sexy female vocals on the album are courtesy of Sinead O’Connor. She sings on four tracks and sounds stunning on all of them. The finest song to which she lends her voice is an anti-war anthem called “A Prayer for England. Future Proof.” As the album opener, it has a cool, frosty rhythm with a lot of dark electronic tones and even a little low background moaning.
“Everywhen” is the lightest track on the album. It sounds as though a lot of the sounds from this song have been recycled from the title track of their 1994 release, “Protection.” Other songs worth checking out are “Butterfly Caught” and “Antistar.” They both have a cool, dark groove. With its whining string effects and distorted and delayed vocal echoes, “Butterfly Caught” has the feel of a howling urban wind. “Antistar” will make your head bob.
The rest of the tracks are good too, but seventy minutes of these dark beats might become too repetitive for many listeners. In all, the album is excellent, though it may fall short of fans’ expectations.

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