Mezzanine
Massive Attack
Virgin, 1998
Reviewed by
Bradley Gene Smith
The mezzanine is an odd place. It exists in a netherworld, hovering between
two proper floors, yet in many ways it's a floor of its own. In some bizarre way it's
fitting that Massive Attack should name its third album after this ontologically troubling
piece of architecture, for the album is like a mezzanine in more ways than one.
This is a soundtrack for the period of existence just after the party's over but before
you've fully recovered. You put this album on when you've arrived home and maybe aren't
quite ready for bed. You lose yourself in the beat, not too fast -- not too slow -- in
between. The bass lulls you, the vocals move you. The lyrics perplex and intrigue you. And
you -- you hover.
Just as the massive bug on the cover seems both organic and mechanical, so does the album.
More than any of Massive Attack's earlier material, this album relies on the human
elements of pop music-- guitars and vocals. But whereas many bands find it difficult to
mesh the electronic and acoustic sides of music, Massive Attack's strong point has always
been in crystal clear, beautiful production. Therefore it's not jarring when two and a
half minutes into "Angel" the song is taken over by guitars; it makes perfect
sense.
Massive Attack is also able to avoid some of the pitfalls in which many other electronic
musicians find themselves, the first being songwriting. When it comes to songwriting, most
electronic musicians are satisfied with themselves if they can find a handful of rhymes
for "beat." "Feel the beat / Move your feet / Get up off your seat..."
(I know I'm making vague generalizations and being a little harsh, maybe even down right
unfair, but my claims are not - let's face it - without justification). And while Massive
Attack may not be Bob Dylan or John Lennon, these songs are pretty good. And most of them,
like the majority of good songs, are about human relationships and their inevitable decay.
The best example, "Teardrop," would alone make this album great. Cocteau Twin
Liz Fraser gives a beautiful performance that damn near brings a teardrop to my eye.
Like any good critic, I want to find something here to pick apart. Something to give the
reader a bit of perspective, something that tells you why I think this album is good -
great even - but not a masterpiece, not a Sgt. Pepper's. But even my biggest pet
peeve in music today and that other pitfall electronic musicians inevitably face, album
length, is skillfully avoided by Massive Attack. There are only eleven tracks here and
only one strays into anything resembling epic proportions (a paltry eight minutes). The
whole album clocks in at just over an hour; while that maybe a little long for, say, a
Chris Isaak album, it seems just about right for a Massive Attack album.
Finally, in parting let me suggest another reading of the mezzanine metaphor. A mezzanine
is a transition from one floor to the next. You spend time there but very little.
Certainly Mezzanine represents a step past Massive Attack's last album, but let us
hope that it's just a stopping point before the next floor.
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"This is a
soundtrack for the period of existence just after the party's over but before you've fully
recovered."
Bradley Gene Smith
- NATN Contributor
Related Links
Massive Attack Homepage
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