Twenty years ago, Massive Attack’s golden streak went up in smoke. Up to that point, the Bristol trip-hop innovators had surfed a never-ending tide of acclaim. With their first three albums, they were heralded as mould-breakers and miracle workers.
Then, on 10 February 2003, came their fourth. 100th Window was feverish and uneasy, a sealed puzzle box that made few concessions to casual listeners. Critics balked, fans scratched their heads. In a finger-snap, Massive Attack had surrendered their status as the most bullet-proof band in Britain.
But as the LP’s 20th anniversary approaches, there is surely a case to be made for 100th Window as a misunderstood masterpiece. True, it’s harder work than any of the Nineties trilogy of Blue Lines (1991), Protection (1994) and Mezzanine (1998). Choruses are at a premium; the smooth grooves that were once a Massive Attack signature are replaced by barb-wire guitars and beats that rumble like...
Then, on 10 February 2003, came their fourth. 100th Window was feverish and uneasy, a sealed puzzle box that made few concessions to casual listeners. Critics balked, fans scratched their heads. In a finger-snap, Massive Attack had surrendered their status as the most bullet-proof band in Britain.
But as the LP’s 20th anniversary approaches, there is surely a case to be made for 100th Window as a misunderstood masterpiece. True, it’s harder work than any of the Nineties trilogy of Blue Lines (1991), Protection (1994) and Mezzanine (1998). Choruses are at a premium; the smooth grooves that were once a Massive Attack signature are replaced by barb-wire guitars and beats that rumble like...
- 2/6/2023
- by Ed Power
- The Independent - Music
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