Автор: lucactus
Дата сообщения: 14.04.2006 01:11
Свежий обзор нового официального сборника "Massive Attack" "Collected"
[more]13 April 2006
By TOM CARDY
****
From the moment the bass kicks in on opening track Safe from Harm, where the
Bristol-based Massive Attack brilliantly rebuilt jazz drummer Billy Cobham's
Stratus, it's hard to separate awe from nostalgia.
Massive Attack were one of the freshest, most challenging, satisfying and
occasionally infuriating things to come out of popular music in the past 20
years.
And while their last studio album 100th Window was a disappointment - mostly
because it was really a Robert Del Naja solo album - they remain,
deservedly, almost sacred.
Massive Attack have never worked fast, so we have to wait till next year for
a new studio album. But as a summary of the band's best work, this is
near-perfect.
The tracks aren't in chronological or album order, but what's surprising is
that despite Massive Attack becoming a gloomy bunch as they got older, each
track sits well next to each other, almost as if they were destined for
this.
The sparse Middle Eastern-influenced Karmacoma, which when first released
jarred some who loved the more soulful, trip-hop excursions on Safe from
Harm and Unfinished Sympathy, sounds great. So does the dark and delicate
Angel, which has a bass line so heavy you think the CD is about to fall out
the bottom of the stereo.
Also still strong, despite over-familiarity, are hyper ballads Teardrop with
Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser, Protection with Tracey Thorn and Sly with
the Billie Holiday-sounding Nicolette. Massive Attack always know whose
right for vocal duties.
The more claustrophobic numbers including Inertia Creeps, Butterfly Caught
and Risingson have aged well, sounding in some ways better. And even the
100th Window tracks, including What Your Soul Sings with Sinead O'Connor and
Futureproof, sound better now than three years ago - partly from context,
partly from no longer having as high expectations.
Well, at least not till next year.
I do hope she is working on her own music as we speak (or type). I hope it's
original spirituals, too.a la Gospel Oak. The word about her "Theology"
project was that it was going to be the Biblical Psalms set to her own
arrangements. I don't want to hear that shit. I want some original Sinead
songs, or I will be FORCED to convert to Shakira or God Knows Who.[/more]