Massive Attack Creates Electronic Goth with Their Mezzanine CD

Massive Attack's third outing, Mezzanine certainly doesn't disappoint, and though it may lack the novelty of their groundbreaking classic Blue Lines, it still manages to come up with some awfully compelling sonic textures. The ominous bass of the first track, "Angel" comes up like a warning signal that gets louder and more urgent. Waves of crunching guitar come crashing down and is stemmed by Horace Andy's understated crooning. It makes for a menacing track.

Much of Mezzanine is a variation on "Angel": dark, brooding and densely packed with layers of thunderous guitar and chunks of vibrating bass. "Rising Son" is dotted with distorted blips and haunting, vocoded chants. Massive Attack always manages to keep their sound edgy (even by today's standard's, Mezzanine is almost 13 years old and still sounds current) particularly because the core group likes to keep a rotating roster of talented guest vocalists. This time around, they hit pay dirt with The Cocteau Twins chanteuse, Liz Fraser. "Teardrop" finds Fraser's alto delivery a sinister contrast to the fat bass and medieval mandolin accompaniment. The darker grooves occasionally take a break as "Exchange" - a loping instrumental track as lazy as a marijuana haze - lifts the leaden atmosphere. Other noteworthy singles include Man Next Door with Horace Andy and "Black Milk" featuring Liz Fraser once again. Milk leads off with a meek, almost inaudible piano twinkle, only to give way to a sasquatch bass line that strikes a poignant counterbalance with Fraser's trilling register.

As depressing as the atmospherics may render Mezzanine, it never sounds like a downer, or overproduced for that matter. The lyrics admittedly take a backseat to the knob twiddling, but when it's executed with this much talent and flair, I can overlook the misstep. With this CD, Massive Attack may have conjured the perfect Electronic Goth album.