Reviews (page 4 of 8)
I was thinking that these guys were crazy to put Massive Attack’s first three albums on here, but then I found out that Mezzanine isn’t included. Wtf Blobert? Anyways good album
ProSexin
A groundbreaking album that's still a good listen.
The band name and album cover didn't really invite me in; I wasn't expecting to enjoy this album. But the groove just pulls you along into some kind of synth trance. Excellent for a chill vibe. Best tracks: Karmacoma, Three, Heat Miser. Not sure why Light My Fire is tacked onto the end, though.
Coolness made into an album
Very chill
Listened while playing Lego Star Wars
More sultry and seductive than Blue Lines, but a steaming, chilled album
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Euro child
This was fun, reminded me of early Archive - I guess it should be the other way round, but nevermind. Anyway, chill beats, somewhat heavy, but not overwhelming. Light My Fire was a nice addition, but was it necessary? Highlight: Protection
‘Protection’ does its thing quietly and assuredly, with little fuss. It’s warm and intimate, thick and heavy, blunted and moody. File under ‘late night listening’.
As with Massive Attack generally, I love about half of this album. Most notably their work with ‘guest’ vocalists Tracy Thorne and Horace Andy. Some great grooves and samples in there. The album in parts sounds very much of its time, production wise, but the songs that work really work. Spying Glass has always been the standout track here for me.
It took me a *very* long time to warm to this album. On the balance, though, it is the most ... authentic? organic? ... of MA's first three albums. (Mezzanine, which is my favourite, has Del Naja's bleakness hanging over it; Blue Lines is a great album, but a little bumpy win places.) Anyway...
I can’t believe I never noticed that the title track is 8 minutes long. Just goes to show how DAMN smooth it is. Passes like a river, and it could go longer and I wouldn’t mind. This is even better than Blue Lines- better choices, more mature. I love it so. Still not perfect, end to end, though… if Mezzanine doesn’t come up on this list at some point, I’m going to freak out!
i really, really liked the intro, i thought that it was very groovy. it’s giving off a very jazzy aura which i don’t listen to, too often but i enjoyed nevertheless ! solid 7/10😊😊
Starts off slow, but grows real nicely. Good stuff.
Very chill baby
Not as good as Mezzanine or Blue Lines. Still good.
I loved loved loved the production and instrumentals here. If you want a chill, cool, yet moody atmosphere, this is it.
Good enough.
Influential and good but not as well known as earlier debut album.
My 3rd favourite MA album which still makes for an excellent listen. Overall a quieter affair than either Blue Lines or Mezzanine that can languish a little at times. The vocals are a particularly strong point and it is a very consistent listen front to back with moments of brilliance. The title track is one of those moments; absolutely gorgeous the show stolen by Tracy Thorn's vocals. Eurochild and Better Things are other examples of Massive Attack at the top of their game. Not as brilliant as Blue Lines but hardly the disappointment that some say. 4 🌟
Super songs mixed with not so good songs.
Decent album with some memorable tunes. Don’t think I’d skip any either.
To be completed
Muito bom quando aparece mais opção de trip hop.
Really took me back, what a surprisingly diverse and interesting album this is.
Brilliant. Purchased immediately after listening.
An excellent introduction to chill triphop
Really cool slow moody electronica. Nice vibe.
Thoroughly enjoyable - not quiet as good their first outing "Blue Line's". The Mad Professors remix of the album "No Protection" which used to do it back in the day would probably get 4.5 stars....
So well put together.
Moody, groovy, and surprisingly varied. Definitely a solid entry in the trip-hop genre; it's man flaw is that it lacks any real "stand-out" tracks for me.
This album is low key and groovy, and while it has lost a little luster for me, I still think it is a great album when I'm feeling extra moody.
Pretty cool
Þetta var eiginlega allt öðruvísi en ég hafði ímyndað mér Massive Attack. Guð hvað það er gaman að prufa eitthvað nýtt!
Doing so much damage
yep, a milestone
Massive Attack can be a little hit or miss for me, especially later on but Protection and Mezzanine are great albums
Love me some Massive Attack, if Mezzanine isn't on this list somewhere down the line I riot. Protection is a good record, though front loaded quite heavily with a drop from Spying Glass onward but those first 4 tracks do a lot of heavy lifting.
I really like Massive Attack so this doesn't come as a surprise to me! A strong 4, not a 5
7/10
This album gave me Porcupine Tree vibes. Each song felt like it was performed by a completely different band. While I didn't always care for the lyrics, the tunes were very chill.
I have to be in the right mood, but this is just so deliciously smooth. Just lie back and let it wash over you.
Classy
A pretty good electronic album
Love it.
Added!
Slaps
The first couple of songs were not my thing but the rest was much more my cup of tea!
Very 90s.
Perfect ambient work music. I ended up listening to the 'recommended songs' playlist afterwards for hours.
Superbly created music. Great for any occasion
Loved it...undiscovered gem
3.5 | Después de el disco flojo y soso de Gotan Project este album cayó como un agradable refresco de memoria de la forma en que se puede hacer música electrónica, que puede ser suave, no bailable y no por eso aburrida. Un disco que no hay mucha forma de ponerle nombre, las canciones a pesar de que se pueden sentir de un estilo todas muy distintas, todas creativas, está ese trip hop en algo como Karmacoma, canciones medio ambientales que podrían sentirse influencia del vaporware como Weather Storm o una especie de reggae pop extraño con Spying Glass. Creo lo que me ha agradado mucho de este grupo siempre es que uno no sabe qué esperar, no hacen muchas canciones que se parezcan entre sí (como por ejemplo pudiera uno decir que Daft Punk siempre suena muy similar) y aunque sí obviamente se escuchan metidos en su estilo siempre se siente fresco incluso dentro de un mismo disco. Quizá lo único que me preocupa ahora es si esta lista va a tener demasiado Massive Attack, me puede gustar bastante pero en realidad van dos discos y todavía falta el que creo es el mejor de ellos. A veces siento que abusan de poner casi discografía completa de algunos artistas que no era necesario. En este caso incluso a pesar de mi gusto por el grupo yo no hubiera puesto en la lista ni el debut ni este, solo hubiera puesto Mezzanine... que en teoría todavía falta (o que quizá no venga y simplemente me quede confundido en cómo eligen esos dos sobre el otro).
3.5 pero sube | Me vuelve a pasar con Massive Attack que el disco en general me es agradable y puedo disfrutar de sus detalles, pero me cansa el tema triphopero o electrónico y de pronto ya no le estoy prestando toda mi atención. Creo que este disco me gustó incluso más que el anterior que oímos de ellos por la fusión con otros ritmos y géneros que son lo que le da un poco más de variedad.
Sono sempre stato un po' un fan dei Massive Attack e questo album, che non avevo mai sentito, non mi ha deluso. Su questo disco c'è la loro firma inconfondibile, il giusto equilibrio di atmosfera, raffinatezza e senso artistico del pezzo. Le interpretazioni vocali sono tutte molto particolari come sempre. La produzione è forse una delle cose che mi ha sempre impressionato di più dei loro dischi e pensare che questo disco sia stato prodotto nel 1994 mi sembra incredibile. Diciamo che come lati negativi forse è difficile non confrontarli con i Massive Attack successivi e notare che mancano di un livello di raffinatezza superiore che svilupperanno più avanti, certi pezzi sono anche forse non sviluppati al meglio e l'album forse fa sentire lievemente la sua durata. Comunque un po' meno di 4 ma merita il 4.
It's got a vibe. Good music for when you're unsure how you're feeling and want to cover all the bases.
Great album overall, standouts for me are protection, heatmiser, better things. Not a fan of spying glass or light my fire though so 4 stars.
A favourite Still fresh ... so influential
Not my usual fare but I enjoyed it for what it was. It is un-categorizable in genre, but still feels unified.
Surprisingly good. Definitely high music.
interactive buddy album very chill and atmospheric, I can see why people think very highly of this favorite tracks: protection, spying glass, sly
good but kinda boring
Pretty solid album. Has different sounds with each song. I really enjoyed the song Karmacoma. Very relaxing and funky sounds which I enjoyed.
decent
good listen with some jams but overall the production value to Mezzanine is just so much better and that means alot to a band like this. Will listen again
Not my vote for best Massive Attack album, but an excellent album nevertheless.
First 1001 album so nothing to compare. In its own right nice easy listening. Think it would be nice on driving somewhere on a winter's night.
Great album! So much variety. Each track sounds like a different band.
LOVE
Trip hop
Knew more songs than I thought, great background album
Enjoyed this, good ambient music for working; good beats/vocals/instrumental juxtaposition. Enjoyed Weather Storm, Sly, Euro Child... Not House music tho.
Great album
Bit of a late night record. Not as good as Mezzanine but pretty close.
Very, very, very good.
More of a 3.5. The instrumentals are great throughout but occasionally I dislike the vocalists (the "Light My Fire" cover is particularly bad). Love the Tracey Thorne cut, and didn't realize a band I liked had sampled from "Sly" (Does It Offend You, Yeah?'s "Wondering"). Favorite tracks: "Protection", "Weather Storm"
classic, slow rock
If it didnt have the cover of light my fire, this could potentially round up to a 5. As it stands, its still a really good album that builds a strong mood.
Cool, but not as satisfying as some of their other work.
I definitely should have been high for this one.
Somehow I ended up on an album filled with remixes of Protection (the song). Once I fixed that, this was more enjoyable. It dragged in places and didn’t stick with me, but was enjoyable enough. 6/10 Pretty Good
Taas kerran biittejä, mutta jostain syystä tykkään siitä. Sopii hyvin jonkun tekemisen taustalle.
I like the slower beats and the chill vibe, but it didn’t stand out to me.
...
Enjoyed the variety throughout the album
not bad for not having the house theme song
You know, not too bad!
Maybe their 3rd best album. Average, but worth the listen.
On a mid streak ☹️
Does it get any cooler than this? But though I love the vibe, I found the album uneven: some songs just wandered off into the ether.
It wasn't massive, but not necessarily attacking either.
I’ve never heard of this band before. Enjoyable enough for a listen but not the typical stuff I listen to.
Big improvement on Blue Lines. Not something I’d go out of my way to listen to, but it was nice background music. Put me to sleep a couple times so had a few repeat listens.
I’ve never really dipped into Massive Attack beyond acknowledging Teardrop as a banger so I didn’t know what to expect. It’s experimental, samples galore with a few tidy vocal entries but it’s a bit mangled and some of the songs are just a bit too odd. You can tell it’s the same group throughout but I’m not sure how well it hangs together. A solid and interesting entry without ever really delighting me, may be one for further listens.
Interesting little mong fest this one. It's largely very chilled and relaxing. It has vibes of Faithless and even a bit of Peaky Blinder on "Karmacoma". Not my normal haunt this, but I respect it has some level of atmosphere built and it's not a loop fest or an overly commercial hip hop hammer, so I do find this easier to enjoy. It's been on the list to experiment with Massive Attack just never did until now. It's a mixed bag for me as its largely enjoyable background, but some songs don't grab me much. I feel like I should be experimenting with some mindfulness activities or something. As music goes it's an interesting canvas I suppose for letting your mind connect and seeing where it goes and, on the basis, it seeps in rather than slams its rather nice. I am just not the kind of guy to let my mind go still to appreciate this which is possibly a shame. Happy enough to come across this.
Not the album I was expecting and not as outstanding, but still good
++: Protection, Karmacoma, Three, Weather Storm, Sly, Light My Fire +: Better Things, Eurochild, Heat Miser +-: Spying Glass 7,7/10
High 3 low 4 for me. First track and second to last stand out most.
Considered ambient trip hop
Great at creating a mood. The impact reduced with to many voices, most successful tracks were with Tracey Thorn
There’s a consistently interesting combination of sounds, though admittedly nothing that truly ever sets my world alight. I like the dubby, chill soundscapes which slowly morph, change and reveal themselves. Some are more effective than others but they all create a welcoming vibe. The variety of singers keeps things fresh while the production is consistent enough to make for a coherent album experience.
Massive Attack gets a 3 from me too. Great sounds, cool vibes but nothing grabs me beyond the first track here.
This was a meh for me. A 2.5 with rounding up.
It’s ok, not as good as mezzanine but a solid chilled beats album
I like the idea of Massive Attack as a band I could listen to and appreciate in a dark room and let their vibe float over me, but this never happens. This one I was doing the hoovering at the time, hardly a relaxing chill out thing to do. I could feel all of me,. apart from my right arm, starting to relax, taking in the ambience of their slow burn tunes and generally enjoying the feel of album, then an incongruous cover of 'Light My Fire' came on at the end. WTAF? Killed it for me right then.
Background music
3.4 3x
Massive Attack at their most subdued? Criminal that this is here rather than Mezzanine, but I'm only the 10,000th person to say that. This is a good background-album, but far from MA's best
Easy enough to listen to but wasn’t good enough to get added to the ole library
Protection Karmacoma Eurochild
More Tracey Throne and less men mumbling over a bass line, please.
6/10
Pop, HipHop, 1994 -> 3
Bleep bloop massive attack is alright but I prefer hip hop massive attack tbh
5 - AVERAGE
Ein bunter Strauß an elektronischer Musik. Viele aneinandergereihte Klänge, teilweise mit Gesangs-Verstärkung unterschiedlicher Künstler. 3/5
3.5/5
Title track is excellent but found it to be a bit forgettable other than that. The light my fire cover doesn’t come close to original
7/10
6/10 It's basically "lo-fi hip-hop beats to relax/study to" but from the 90s
My least favourite Massive Attack album.
El trip hop ha llegado al grupo. Lindo. Electrónico y melódico. Un buen álbum. 6/10
7/10
Lounge background music
While neither incredibly massive nor attacking, the vibes are impeccable. Very minimalist in nature.. definitely feels like the kind of electronic record that heavily influenced many to follow.
This was enjoyable in a relaxed groove style. If I was out somewhere on a casual Sunday afternoon and this was put on I wouldn't complain. Would really like to give it 3.5 as felt it didn't do enough for me for a 4.
Relaxed techno vibes doesn’t always land but it’s not half bad
Massive Attack (never heard of them) is a British group, and as Wikipedia says, “their music often defies categorization, ranging from R&B to hip hop/rap to reggae-tinged synth-pop to classical influenced electronica instrumentals.” Overall it is pleasant to listen to, although the last track on the album, a live cover of “Light my Fire”, doesn’t fit with the rest of the tracks.
Second Massive Attack album I've got. Once again, it's painfully mid. Looking at it one way, there isn't a song on here I really dislike. But, there isn't one song on here that sticks out that I really enjoy, either. Painfully mid. And it doesn't feel far off from being better than it is...but it's not.
Not bad, it was a pleasant enough background listen.
Along with ‘dummy’ this provided the Bristol part of Britpop. Hard to categorise and with a refreshing array of collaborators, including two lovely tracks with Tracey Thorn. The title track is one of the 90s finest tracks looking back. Pleasantly surprised today as I didn’t pay too much attention to the album as a whole back in the day.
The only thing I can say is that I didnt think I knew who this was but I had already listened to an album of theirs before. Not a great sign. And then it does its thing, washes over me and I just dont have anything. It just is. I can hear its good. I can see the person this is for but its not me. I can't get behind it. Im ok listening to this but thats it. Nothing else to say
Doesn't feel that massive.
Wasn’t doing it for me. Great atmosphere but it didn’t really spark interest in me at any point
A good groove to this album, I think it's more chill than the last one? I really enjoy the bass throughout, some good lines. Would put this on again.
I liked this better than Blue Lines. But do we really need more than one album from these guys here? Nah. Still, I liked the overall vibe of this one. And the two tracks featuring Tracey Thorn from Everything But The Girl were a nice surprise and some of the best. The inclusion of the last track was completely unnecessary and definitely took away from the intended feel.
Rating the same as Blue Lines... pretty decent for background tunes. Last track nearly had me rounding down. Had to check to see if it was added in a later issue of the album. Shocked it made the cut on the original. So unnecessary. 2.75/5
Soundtrack for a film about hedonistic drug use.
Karmacoma : très bien et donne vraiment le ton en début d’album . Sinon c’est du trip hop, pas mon genre. Paraît assez vieillot par moments.il y a quand même plusieurs points d’intérêt et l’écoute est plutôt agréable (ex: Sly). Mais parfois je trouve que massive attack est assez caricatural. Je suis content de l’avoir écouté mais ne le réécouterai pas
-1 for the last track. Yikes
Kinda flat but helped me deal with a stressful commute
Maybe it's all of this 90s nostalgia, but this sorta hit for me in a surprising way
Interesting listen. Cool grooves, but seemed like one, long 48 minute song. Not something I would normally gravitate to, but I enjoyed it.
interessantinho, uma coisa mais trip hop lofi bem suave para ouvir enquanto trabalha. mas somente ok mesmo.
The first track is a banger but sounds nothing like the rest of the tracks! Otherwise, it is a decent album; I expect to see more Massive Attack here.
I found this a little dry. I'm not into this kind of electronic i guess. It was still nice and interesting.
Would listen again
I am starting to like Massive Attack.
Good
I casually know Massive Attack, mostly I've heard Mezzanine a bunch of times. Apparently that one is not on this list but this one is? That's a little weird. I haven't heard this one though so maybe it's better? Yeah, it's not. It's fine but is mostly kind of background music. I don't understand why this album would be picked instead of their most widely recognized and popular album that actually does deserve a spot on this list. And what the hell is up with that garbage cover of Light My Fire? That was painful. 2.5/5
Nice background music. Very chill. I can understand why some people would rate this a 5, because it evokes a period in the 90s when this kind of music was peeking into mainstream territory. I think there are better Massive Attack albums, though, so I'll give it a 3.
6.40
i like this band but found this album just a little primative
Ganske snork
Had protected myself from listening previously. Wish I hadn’t!
When it comes to trip hop I prefer Portishead.
Chronologically this album sat between two great ones (Blue Lines and Mezzanine). Protection is good but not up to those exceptional standards. That said, the opening two tracks are fabulous. The basic rule of thumb for this album is that if the primary vocals are provided by either Tracey Thorn or Tricky (here using some lyrics also included on his solo material), the track is a winner.
there are better massive attack albums tbh
Reminds me of nineties cafe music and turtle necks and air
My second Mass Atack album- this one was interesting. It was a broader mix of genres- definitely electronic influence but with more ethereal and downtempo elements. Complex- a lot of good somes and some moments that didnt quite hit for me. Overall- good album
Not bad, pretty vibey with some solid vocals from Tracey Thorn and Nicolette. I particularly liked Better Things and Sly. However, some of the other tracks were less interesting and I didn't like how they mostly just cut out suddenly. That might have been because of where I was listening to them though.
Decent, I didn't like it quite as much a Blue Lines but it hit the same trip hop itch
An inconsistent album full of ups and downs. Almost felt like I enjoyed every other track.
Hmmmmmm lol
I liked this but it made me feel stressed and freaked my dog out.
Solid effect from MA here. 3.5 stars
Opening two tracks are great stuff. A lot of this albums makes me feel like I’m playing some long forgotten game for the Playstation 1. I like it, but I don’t think I’ll ever revisit it.
Es un disco agradable, pero prefiero no volver a escucharlo y ponerme por 167 vez el puto Mezzanine que es uno de mis discos favoritos de la historia. Si ha existido para que exista Mezzanie, ok, pero está a años luz de esa obra maestra.
This was fine. I think I liked it more than Blue Lines but I think just because my expectations were ratcheted down this time. They're probably pretty even if I went back and listened to blue lines. Did we really need TWO non Mezzanine Massive Attack albums on this list??
i love trip-hop and i love Massive Attack. Despite that, this it's not something as complete and realized like Mezzanine. Has some good songs, but feels more diverse and varied. Good in general but not as mindblowing
***A good, easy listening album
Slum plate, fungerer fint som bakgrunnsmusikk.
Pleasant lo fi beats
Mein... viertliebstes Massive Attack Album. Von fünf. Für mich zu viel zu ähnlich, zu viele Filler. Highs sind high, though.
All the moody, seductive atmospheres you want from a Massive Attack album; hardly any of the bittersweet, mysterious melodies or gripping, tense song structures you want from a Massive Attack album. Wait, why aren't we listening to Mezzanine instead?
This was a head turner in 1994. I heard "Karmacoma" in a record store and bought it that day. Impressive listener counts from top to bottom, leading off with the easy to enjoy "Protection", Tracy Thorn sings the shit outta that one. "Weather Storm" is a smooth track, fits in perfectly with the overall vibe. The vocal on "Spying Glass" is awful, that quavering delivery, wow, that's just not good. His "Light My Fire" is hard to enjoy as well. And I do like Horace Andy. Also, not a fan of Nicolette's voice either, a bit high and irritating. This was cool and different in 1994, it is a good window in to what was happening back then, but not a fantastic album or a must hear.
More jazzy but a little less notable than mezzanine or blue lines or heligoland. at least more muzak to me than the monumental trip hop group they would become
Lots of variation; interesting listening
Genre hopping Vibey Evocative Enjoyable listen that never crossed over into truly memorable for me.
My rating 3.2. Reggae infused ambient electronica. Ok but nothing special. Liked Protection and Karmacoma.
Some good ones here, brings the bass
Vähän oli liian ”lässyä” mun musamakuuni, mutta kyllähän tän kuunteli. Toimi ehkä sunnuntai-aamuina parhaiten.
The albums before and after this one, Blue Lines and Mezzanine, seem like more complete visions. I like some individual songs (Karmacoma, Sly) and always love Tracy Thorn's and Nicolette's vocals, but too many tracks seem like rejects from Blue Lines. I think 1001 albums should keep Blue Lines and Mezzanine and let this one go. It's not Massive Attack's best work.
Har nesten ikke hørt på denne plata siden både Mezzanine og Blue Lines eksisterer.
Good background music to just groove too
Ehh. Digital elevator music
Mostly pretty good, but nothing else reaches the heights of the title track.
Not a bad electronic album. Good relaxing almost lo-fi vibes that make for a calming listen. Still a bit too drawn out and generic in parts for my larger liking, but still not bad by any stretch. Top tracks: Weather Storm, Euro Child, Sly
Favorite track(s): Protection, Weather Storm, Euro Child
Chill Massive Attack, always a good sound
I can definitely hear it being a game changer just as Aphex Twin. Scene changer, really awesome!
This record is pretty good. I thought that the production was grimy or dirty, and there was a lot of distortion, making this a little overwhelming to listen to. At times, it works to its detriment, like the heavy breathing sound in Heat Miser, which doesn't stress me out, but it's kind of just annoying. Favourite Track(s): Better Things Least Favourite Track(s): Heat Miser
I quite liked listening to this. But I couldn't tell you what I enjoyed... It really could sit in as a background noise. I know that's not true, and there is a relatively cool range of tracks. However, I can't recall them. I got to stop doing these albums during housework... 3 Stars.
This album is like catching public transport into town to go to an acupuncture appointment.
Coole vibes, sommige bangertjes, ma ni heel speciaal
Last year I went on holidays to Bristol. Home to Banksy and top-tier street art. The birthplace of trip-hop. And of Portishead, IDLES, and Massive Attack. This album reminds me of Bristol. Not just because Massive Attack are from there, but also because there's a grittiness and a sharp edge to everything. It reminds me of the vibes of Turbo Island: broken bottles and smoldering ashes from last night's bonfire lingering, with some dodgy character lurking not too far away. It's hard to define the Massive Attack sound. They drift between electronica, hip-hop, reggae, dub, soul, R&B, and ambient genres throughout this album. But the overall vibe is trip-hop. Downtempo, bass-heavy, slow and moody. Lots of space and heavy atmosphere. I'm a big fan of Massive Attack. But this is far from their best. The opening title track is a classic tune, but there's something about Tracey Thorn's voice that grates against my brain. I always find it hard to listen to just because of her voice. "Karmacoma" is a good song, but feels a bit out of place. The rest of the album has a lot of textured atmosphere, but not a lot of anything overly memorable. It's not a bad record, but it's a victim of comparison. Being sandwiched in between two great albums always highlights what it isn't. It's not Blue Lines and it's certainly not Mezzanine. It feels more like a stepping stone between the two.
Started off nicely with "Protection," a slow burn of a song that goes on too long. From there, it was fine, although forgettable. Just too many of the same mid-tempo lackadaisical kinds of songs. Ones that stood out were "Spying Glass" and "Heat Miser." But to end with a limp, tepid cover of "Light My Fire?" Why?
This was fine.
i liked most of this. it was like an early 2000s teen or spy movie soundtrack
this is an album for making out, yeah?
Trip hop was never my bag, but this is ok. Always liked Protection.
I heard this band was a triphop band that blended dub music, electronic and triphop. I immediately thought, “can I just not listen to this album and rate it a 2.” But I listened to it anyways and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this album. I even let Spotify pick songs from this genre the rest of the day and was exposed to more bands and music… I’m probably not a triphop fan yet but it just shows that you can’t say you hate broccoli without having tasted it yet.
6/10
Nice.
A few great songs. Protection and better things. Not consistent
Echt heel erg jaren 90 vond ik. Maar best prima wel verder.
Hadde vært perfekt hvis jeg hadde en dyp sofa og likte te.
lovely
Review - Some decent tracks, can see the progression to their later, better work. This album is very specifically of it's time/place, in a nice, quaint way. Rating - 6.5/10 Need to hear? KINDA
Egentlig ikke min kopp te, men veldig behagelig bakgrunnsmusikk, typ rolig tirsdagskveld på VT.
Hørt på tur med Guri på kirkegården i sinnsykt nordlys. Eventyrlig setting, skulle ønske musikken var littegranne bedre.
Going to give this a 3, but it's really a 2.5. It's a relaxed vibe, but it never really grabbed me.
I’m more familiar with Blue Lines, which I’ve listened to quite a lot. Coming to Protection while I was tired, I found it so smooth and subdued that it actually made me a bit sleepy.
The first two tracks are exceptional, but a lot of this album is just ok ambient sounding tracks. I really didn’t enjoy tracks like spying glass and sly
I'd not managed to get to this album, as it was Christmas Eve and I had stuff to do. But then it turned out I had a bout of insomnia and at 1:10am, I realised this might be the perfect thing. It was going well (making me sleepy) until Spying Glass - what a weird vocal! But then I started nodding off again and, when I was clearly so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes open, I took off the headphones... Well it turns out, all but the last track of Protection is what I need to fall asleep. So while this may sound like damming with faint praise, very relaxing album: 3/5
i don’t really know what to say it was just okay and that’s all
Inspiring sampling work, as expected. I didn't really find much else of this album interesting, however. I can't tell if this was better, worse, or around the same as "Blue Lines" from earlier in this list. Both kind of operate on the same wavelength.
Good background music but not altogether remarkable or ear catching. Mezzanine is a better album.
Decent. But their other album(s) belong on this list and not this one. Additional example of bias from list author(s).
So-so. I really liked the first song with Tracey Thorn, but that was mostly cuz of Tracey Thorn.
Pretty good. Came out the same year as Portisheads' Dummy, apparently, and it did remind me of it at points.
Highlights: Protection, Weather Storm. In a nutshell: smooth fusion. A bit of downtempo and dub, a lot of trip hop. It's smooth. It's not their best album but it's certainly not their worst. Unfortunately, Mezzanine isn't in the book. But it's on the user list, so hang in there if you want to add your review! Overall: 5/10
Smooth vibes. Not what I would put on usually. Deserves more of a 3.5/5.
Smooth songs with some catchy grooves
Hmm. The best I can give it is “pretty alright.” Like many triphop albums on the list, I’d say I generally liked it, but not much more than that. There were some good songs here, many that were mediocre, and at least one that was straight-up bad (the cover of Light My Fire at the end. Why?!). Favorites: Karmacoma, Three 3.5
As others have said, the Light My Fire cover is absolutely unnecessary in itself and also spoils what would have been a perfectly good ending to a perfectly fine album. Aged a bit better than Blue Lines to my ears, but the question has to be asked... Why more than one Massive Attack album?
Weirdly enough I kind of like trip hop. Massive Attack is always fun to listen to.
electronica...not my cup of tea
Unique but super boring
Feels like LoFi before LoFi. A bit weird but was able to vibe to it.
The main focus is the low end - the construction of spacious dark beats, propulsive but laid back - borrowing styles from dub and house music, the interplay of repetition and iteration, of subtle variation and constant looping, of synchopation and resolution, of reggae basslines's flair and the machinic precision of the drum machine. Then the high end they fill with whatever - house diva vocals, raps, toasting, jazzy piano - and it just works. Impossibly icy and steamy, the sound of a damp warehouse recently packed with bodies - the contemplative calm after the heat of a rave.
I didn't mind this playing in the background
It's a relaxing listen.
Not my bag but I get it.
There were some solid highlights on here, but I felt like it paled in comparison to their bigger albums. A lot of moody backgroundy/ambient sounding songs which just don't hit me as hard as their other work did
Not anything I was expecting. Chill with reggae influence. Nice to work to.
7/10
Massive Attack is a good representative of a problem that all electronic music must overcome to be successful. And by successful, I don't mean selling huge numbers, or attaining Critical Acclaim™. I mean it succeeds in moving the listener in some way, emotionally. So this is why it is art and not simply a vehicle for telling stories. It's why I can enjoy African or Indian music and not understand the language. The problem is that electronic music is ultimately a technical genre, bound tightly to physics more so than self-expression. Creating soulfulness in electronic music, is its difficulty and most frequent downfall. This is the main problem for a lot of technically oriented music like EDM, Progressive Rock, and even Jazz to a large degree. Emotional content, the flavor, is underdeveloped at the expense of the difficulty of the technical aspects. So, in the very best music, the artist has the skill to express it all: technical chops and emotional depth. Massive Attack come so close, but don't quite get there. A lot of sameness disqualifies them from achieving some kind of technical mastery. And the forced vocal soul does little to bring feeling to these purposely synthetic grooves. Nice though they are, soothing and mellow, but no urgency or intensity. No emotional depth to speak of. Which would be reasonable (for me) if the music were more interesting technically. Outside of the dub-tinged "Spying Glass" and their fantastic cover of The Doors "Light My Fire," this isn't something I would take all that seriously. Good soundtrack music perhaps.
not all of the songs avivlable
Knarkmys, inte deras bästa dock.
This is a very chill album, and makes great background music. That said, there is nothing here to really evoke any emotions. I’ve always liked Massive Attack, but it just doesn’t move me. There is also nothing here that makes me say wow. 3
Very smooth album just as all other Massive Attack albums. Nothing crazy, just as all other Massive Attack albums (don't kill me I have to relisten to Mezzanine) Fav song: Sly
Massive Attack has this gift of finding incredible female vocalists. Prime Tracey Thorn really helps this album along. It is a slow burner. Not nearly as magical as their 3rd album, Mezzanine.
This is a really solid album, but not as good as Blue Lines or Mezzanine. Some great songs on it though, particularly the Tracy Thorn and Tricky ones. It's baffling that Mezzanine isn't in the book - it's their best by far!
Ok, I guess. Would like to round down to 2.5.
Protection - added - chill vibe kinda long but feels like sweetback Karmacoma - added - feels like montage music Three - not added - kinda trippy but not for me Weather storm - added - iffy but decent vibes feels rainy Spying glass - not added - idk kinda weird Better things - added - like the vocals Euro child - added - good beat drop rapping flows well and nonchalant Sky - not added - not a bad song but it would end up as a skip Heat miser - goes hard with the Michael myers and ventilator Light my fire - yeah idk about this chief
This was good - vibey and pleasant listening. Nothing really grabbed me much though, just washed over me a little.
Repeated listenings with headphones will further enthuse with this album.
A lot of Protection sounds like the soundtrack to some future film that will be released in 2040. None of it sounds of its time- this album could be released next Friday and be hailed as the future sound of London. Each track sounds like a little story. Some more interesting than the others but none are forgettable. Ending the album with a cover of The Doors 'Light My Fire' does the album no favors but it's easy to just skip it.
good
Cool sound, had trouble focusing on the tracks and was more background music as I worked
X t d4 rd
How this album is on the list but Mezzanine is not is pretty hard to fathom. I saw Massive Attack live this year and they only played one track from Protection (Karnacoma) which gives an idea of it's relative merit with their back catalogue. That and Protection start the record off well but I did find a few of the tracks in the second half were a bit direction less. I gave Blue Lunes a 4 and this isn't quite on that level so it's a 3.
So chill. So electronic. The contributions from Tracey Thorn and Nicolette make for the best tracks, setting the stage for Elisabeth Fraser on Teardrop. The songs are hypnotic, and the best tracks have those cool entrancing women’s voices pulling you in.
3/5
Not their best. But not bad.
Never been too much for Massive Attack but I could see myself spinning this on a dark Thursday night in December.
2.5 RYM
The sound is okay. It started strong, but nothing really great on the album.
nah. album was fine in background (on low volume), but just seemed all over the place with their sound. 2.5 stars
Maybe it’s just that I listened in the afternoon but this one didn’t hit like other Massive Attack albums I’ve heard. It was nice, but it faded into the background far too easily.
Favorite Track: Protection
Not as good as Heligoland. I had a look at Heligoland in preparation - the only song I actively dislike there is Atlas Air. Protection is alright. Love the collaborations with Horace. Quite liked Sly. Nothing further. Could go harder every now and then. 2.5.
I think I preferred this to the last massive attack album we had. Still not really my thing though. It's ok to have on in the background though. The opening 2 tracks are by far the best tracks and the only ones I recognised. 2.5
Enjoyed it, and I appreciate there being a track named Heat Miser
Not sure what you call this.. ambient electro? With hip-hop/rap influences? Mid-tempo electro elements (e.g. sequenced synths) with acoustic (pianos, strings). First track isn't doing much for me. Karmacoma has a decent beat but vocals/lyrics aren't all that. Whatever it is, it's done well. Just not my scene at all. Instrumentals are generally good. Best track - Karmacoma, Euro Child 3 stars
This feels like a mostly forgettable effort by a group that was talented enough, I suppose. I generally applaud the effort made by this list to include a diversity of styles and sounds, but it often seems to do so by making trade-offs like including an album like this but completely ignoring ALL of the albums of Warren Zevon. How does that make any sense to anyone?
I like the general atmosphere of the album, though I preferred their Blue Lines album more (and I read there is no Mezzanine on the list, which is surprising and I don't know why this album is on the list instead). I didn't like the cover of Light my fire, though.
I like it, but feel underwhelmed…
A very solid 3. Good background music.
Mostly just inoffensive. 1 or 2 songs were OK.
Solid, chill album . Didnt enjoy as much as mezzanine. Standout songs: Protection Karmacoma Sly
I’ve only heard of Massive Attack because it seems that a lot of publications point to Blue Lines as one of the best albums of all time. I haven’t got that one yet, so the jury’s still out for that album for me. But if it sounds like this album, that’s going to be an issue. This one was a bit too slow for me. The vibes are nice, but it’s a little too chill, a little too slow. And that cover of Light My Fire at the end can eat a dick. Love the Tracey Thorn collaborations though, especially the title song. Other than that, I only thought this was ok. Favorite track: Protection Other hits: Weather Storm, Heat Miser, Better Things, Three, Euro Child
Listen I'm not listening to Massive Attack on a really peaceful Tuesday it's just not the mood but this is a good record that I enjoyed when drugs were way cheaper. 3.3/5 Slay, massive slay, and more slay. Album so good it ALMOST makes paranoia feel poetic. It’s like getting a cuddle from your dealer while questioning your life choices, and somehow loving every second. 4/5 - HF xo I feel like I should be on more drugs listening to this album again, been a while. 3/5 - MTW weirdo guy tunes, done whimsically. like if a vulture wrote elevator music. not there strongest work but still goes pretty hard 3.7/5 FTW
This album was not what I expected from a band with this name and must have completely slipped by me in the 90s when it was released. Quite trippy but an enjoyable listen.
Good
There’s the age-old joke about putting on a Massive Attack record, and a baby will be conceived… Well, not on this listen, but I have to admit, having not listened to a full album of theirs before, it wasn’t too bad. It’s clear this is a very well thought out record, every beat, note, effect is deliberate and is placed exactly where it should be to create what is not a bad listen. Wouldn’t be top of my list to replay again, but still glad to have had the chance to hear it. Can’t add a half star on ratings, otherwise I’d go for 3.5, so a toss-up between 3&4 ultimately leading to 3 stars. Standout tracks - Weather Storm & Euro Child
hard to rate as it is more like an eclectic compilation than an album by one artist. it has strong moments though
Not inspired by this one. Probably Mezzanine is enough from Massive Attack. 3.2/5
Another rockin' day, some very groovy 90's British beats. Felt like I was in a "European house music to contemplate mortality to" compilation video on YouTube with footage of some skiing game for the Nintendo 64.
Classic
On their second outing, Massive Attack tilted the spirit level that balanced Blue Lines, and leaned far further into that underlying trip hop sound that they pioneered. This might not make for such an outgoing release, it might not satisfy those waiting for the next masterpiece, but what it sets out to do it achieves perfectly. Listening at night with a great pair of headphones is an immensely rewarding experience; you can appreciate the layers upon layers of work that went into it. There’s of course the more popular tracks with lent lyrics from returning Tricky and a well-placed Tracey Thorn, of which Tricky’s track Eurochild is the standout. There’s even that weird product of this era where they attached a (pretty terrible) live track on the end. What makes this flow though is the in-between, the comparatively silent repetition of buried bass lines and record crackling. That’s what this whole thing is about, for me. The trip, with just a tad of the hop.
Best Song: Protection More electronica. Hooray. This isn't as bad as some of the other electronic music on here, it reminds me in some ways to Zero 7 who I enjoy (given, in relatively small doses). This still doesn't do a whole lot for me but act as background music while I do other things. 3/5.
Is important.
This is another OK album without being anything exciting. One listen was plenty, unlike Blue Lines which I really enjoyed. The addition of the live version of The Doors track on the end didn’t help at all here. I won’t actively hold it against them, but this isn’t something I’ll be listening to again.
Well, it's no Mezzanine.
Alright
Mélange de hip hop, soul, reggae, électronique Des fois on dirait vraiment du slam Moins aimé que Blue Monday 88' (pas dans l'album) Askip leur genre s'appelle le trip hop 🍄
A bit more mellow than the band name would imply, and a bit less annoying than most “electronic“ music.
The last two songs almost bring this down to a 2; however, the rest of it would be decent enough reception room music. “Karmacoma” is the one really interesting song.
6/10
Good
Good chill album. Didn't hate it but in no rush for a second listen.
This was really cool, actually. My first exposure to MA, and it didn't disappoint. It does drag a bit because most of the instrumentation stays the same. However, thematically very coherent and understandable as well.
lots of instrumental tracks. i like the chill vibe but i dont think id really pick this album out on my own. i like the vocals on euro child.
I liked it more than the previous record I got from them
not terrible but not my jam
Wasn’t expecting much, but actually wasn’t unpleasant, sometimes overlong but not unpleasant. Enjoyed the bond parody, 3 Star