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SATCHMO · 04-12-2009, 07:57 PM

#42 Massive Attack - Mezzanine

This is an album with a reputation that preceded it long before it found its way into my hands. This may be a large part of the reason why I hated it the first time I listened to it. I had preconceived notions of what this album was gonna' be, and the reality of its immanent darkness didn't match up with what I was expecting. Ironically it was its reputation which coerced me into giving it another chance and simply accepting it for what it is, and not what I wanted be, and what it is is absolutely brilliant.
I would have thought it impossible before experiencing this album that an electronically produced album could be so organically expressive. If while listening to this album you only managed to focus your attention on the drums alone you would swear that someone found a way to capture the soul of Art Blakey or Elvin Jones, two of jazz' most dynamic and expressive drummers, inside of a beat machine. There are times when listening to Teardrop or Group Four that I have to remind myself that Billy Holiday is dead, but that this is indeed what it would sound like if she was born 40 years later. It's hard for me to call Mezzanine Down-tempo or Trip-hop. It's hard for me to classify it at all, but its' definitely jazz. That's for sure.

04-12-2009, 07:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
SATCHMO Al Dente Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 4,847	#42 Massive Attack - Mezzanine This is an album with a reputation that preceded it long before it found its way into my hands. This may be a large part of the reason why I hated it the first time I listened to it. I had preconceived notions of what this album was gonna' be, and the reality of its immanent darkness didn't match up with what I was expecting. Ironically it was its reputation which coerced me into giving it another chance and simply accepting it for what it is, and not what I wanted be, and what it is is absolutely brilliant. I would have thought it impossible before experiencing this album that an electronically produced album could be so organically expressive. If while listening to this album you only managed to focus your attention on the drums alone you would swear that someone found a way to capture the soul of Art Blakey or Elvin Jones, two of jazz' most dynamic and expressive drummers, inside of a beat machine. There are times when listening to Teardrop or Group Four that I have to remind myself that Billy Holiday is dead, but that this is indeed what it would sound like if she was born 40 years later. It's hard for me to call Mezzanine Down-tempo or Trip-hop. It's hard for me to classify it at all, but its' definitely jazz. That's for sure. Last edited by SATCHMO; 04-12-2009 at 11:40 PM.