Word: heligolandã
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Seven years in the making, “Heligoland?? has kept Massive Attack fans waiting a long time. Finally, this British trip-hop duo is releasing their fifth studio album, their first since 2003. Though, in their absence, Massive Attack has been somewhat eclipsed by their contemporaries—most notably the recently-reunited Portishead—“Heligoland?? marks a bold resurgence into the musical scene for duo Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall. Massive Attack’s new record is a dark dreamscape, totally engrossing in its vigor, proving that...
...this LP as elsewhere, Massive Attack’s music can tend towards the formulaic. Take a catchy beat, drench it in spare, sinister loops, mix in some guest vocals and voilá—the songs on “Heligoland?? rarely deviate from the template. As a result, it’s sometimes easy for the tracks to fall into a lull or feel stagnant. “Girl I Love You” and “Flat of the Blade,” though solid tracks overall, are prime examples of this kind...
...same time, however, the band prove that sticking to a formula, if the method of choice is strong enough, can produce stunning results. And when all is said and done, “Heligoland?? subscribes to a pretty good method. Nobody does the bleak soundscapes and skittering breakbeats that characterize trip-hop, which Massive Attack themselves helped pioneer, to greater effect than Del Naja and Marshall. So for the most part, the songs of “Heligoland?? are highly successful. These ten tracks are united around a dark, chilling vision that completely absorbs the listener...
...spite of such minor flaws, however, “Heligoland?? is a resounding success. While the past seven years may have seemed like a great hiatus in music-making, the efforts that went into this album were clearly time-intensive, and they were not wasted. With a host of tracks that are at once arresting, menacing, and beautiful, “Heligoland?? reestablishes Massive Attack’s captivating musical aesthetic and proves to be a bold reminder that Del Naja and Marshall are still going as strong as ever...
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