On Disc

Massive Attack: Heligoland

EMI

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BY Dave Morris   February 03, 2010 21:02

Editorial Rating:

Those who still romanticize the heavy-breaks-and-jazz-samples vibe of Massive Attack’s first two discs won’t like Heligoland any more than the rest of their somewhat maligned post-Mezzanine output. The open-eared, however, will find that the lately reunited 3D and Daddy G have made good on the promise of their recent misfires, combining the inky blackness of their early work with the crisp and arid beats that drive songs like “Babel” and “Psyche,” both featuring hazy vocals from former Tricky squeeze Martina Topley-Bird. Somehow, the times and the Bristol group’s ambitions have caught up with each other, and Heligoland’s blend of churning melodies and urgent beats sounds absolutely necessary. The carnival funhouse organ of closing track “Atlas Air” gives way in its final minutes to an acrobatic sawtooth synth, a shift that mirrors the band’s own development. Spoiler alert: if it’s not quite a happy ending, it’s a satisfying one.

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