Heligoland | 
| Artist: Massive Attack
Label: Virgin
Category: Music
List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £4.95
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New (55) Used (3) from £4.95
Seller: actionrecords
Rating:  57 reviews
Sales Rank: 207
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.4
EAN: 5099960946621
ASIN: B002ZPIC1M
Release Date: February 8, 2010
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | Pray For Rain | | • | Babel | | • | Splitting The Atom | | • | Girl I Love You | | • | Psyche | | • | Flat Of The Blade | | • | Paradise Circus | | • | Rush Minute | | • | Saturday Come Slow | | • | Atlas Air |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's been seven years since we heard anything from Bristol trip-hop afficionados Massive Attack. Their last outing was (for many) the underwhelming 100th Window, an album created mainly by Robert del Naja (aka 3D), as his partner-in-rhyme Daddy G was on hiatus being, well, a daddy. From the potent, claustrophobic opening track "Pray For Rain"--all tribal drums, bleak atmospheres and the contrastive rich vocals of TV On The Radio's Tumbe Adebimpe--it's clear that Heligoland is a bid for former glories. As the record unfurls through the angular, choppy post-punk of "Babel" (with Martina Topley-Bird), the lurching "Splitting The Atom" (featuring the familiar falsetto of regular Massive Attack vocalist Horace Andy) and the pounding, bass-heavy "Girl I Love You", the feeling grows that this is their strongest work since 1998’s Mezzanine. Unlike that album, the band make regular diversions here into dissonance, especially on "Flat Of The Blade", a wonky parade of bleeps and glitches matched to vocals from Elbow's Guy Garvey. But there are lighter moments too, such as the relatively weightless "Psyche" (again with Topley-Bird), the sparse "Paradise Circus" (featuring the feathery voice of Hope Sandoval) and the plaintive "Saturday Come Slow", with vocals by Damon Albarn. It might not be a Blue Lines II, but Heligoland’s thick production, superb guest performances and dense, stoned atmospheres make it exactly the stellar return to form they obviously aimed for. --Danny McKenna
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 57
 Not the most exhuberant come-back, but... February 7, 2010
DIOONER
35 out of 42 found this review helpful
Massive Attack.
Just the name itself suggests waves of dubby synths, deep basslines, martial yet half-asleep beats and croony vocals. Sure, they helped define a genre for the 90s, that lame "trip hop" tag so many claimed to be part of and so few deserved, producing much groundbreaking music, especially in the shape of their debut "Blue Lines" (1991), which helped set DJ culture into the mainstream, and "Mezzanine" (1998) that added heavy, howling guitars in the mix to a mostly stunning effect.
So, what's to expect from this, their 5th album proper in a mere twenty years career ? Well, as many other reviewers noted, a bit of the same and something different at once. First striking thing is the actual sound of the whole record. Some pointed out a supposed return to the coldness of "Mezzanine", but that's not at all what I hear here. If "100th Window", their 2003 effort, was a letdown to many fans, being more of a 3D solo effort than a collective work, in fact it furthered the post-punk hint "Mezzanine" suggested, replacing the loud guitar shriek with icy electro beats. The results were, to say the least, mixed, but at least it was still seeking forward, sonically speaking. On "Heligoland", by contrast, everything is understated, from the drum patterns to the shy basslines, from a quiet organ part in the background to voices you feel are more dreamt than actually performed. That's a record that almost begs forgiveness for existing at all, rather than punching its pride in your face, which is why it probably won't get among die-hard fans (let alone the mainstream) the same praise as their giddy peaks mentioned above.
Take, for example, languid opener "Pray For Rain", magnified by TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe ; on previous records, songs like "Safe From Harm", "Angel", "Protection" and even "Future Proof" were kicking proceedings in panache and style, but here you get a moody lament over a tense rolling drumbeat that keeps things tight but never to the point of explosion. If there's a revolution this time around (and as far as I know nobody pointed this out yet), that's precisely the fact that, for once, Massive Attack seem to have opted for a rather organic simplicity instead of creating the beat monster everyone expected (especially in the wake of the awesome "United Snakes" released in 2006 as the flip to "False Flags", and that could have been a welcome addition here).
Yet for all simple it appears, "Heligoland" is a much thought of record, being neither minimal nor easy, it's just that the main body of work hides behind the curtains. As always, the vocalists guestlist must have been quite helpful too : the two Martina Topley-Bird contributions, on the false calmdown "Psyche" and the tense "Babel" shine on, while, oddly, the exquisitely lightweight "Paradise Circus" - an obvious choice for the single - could have been an outtake from that singer's great LP, "Blue God"... except that it's performed (almost haunted, more like) by ex-Mazzy Star diva Hope Sandoval. Also, while not being a big Elbow fan to be frank, I have to give an accolade to their frontman Guy Garvey, who provides his wonderful, almost atonal falsetto on "Flat Of The Blade", making that difficult seemingly weird song sound like an early Peter Gabriel lost gem. Overall the record is less diverse but more consistent than other Massive LPs ; like another reviewer rightly pointed out, there's no real standout tracks yet there's no filler either (I still can't figure out, though, why Damon Albarn has been casted for the relatively dull "Saturday Come Slow", apart from his obvious friendship with the band).
Still, for all great those guests' performances are (and it has to be noted that for each one of them, the backing tracks seem to have been made up especially this time more than ever), it's from 3D himself and regular partner Horace Andy that the best comes again here ; at first together with Daddy G. on the narcotic anthem "Splitting The Atom", then the latter delivers on "Girl I Love You", which despite what its unworthy title might suggest, is a broody reggae-rock hybrid, driven by an epileptic bassline, while, like on "100th Window", the former gets to sound alarmingly worried and warmly seductive at the same time. At that, "Rush Minute" and "Atlas Air" are arguably the best things here, almost towers of song reaching the same heights the frightening "Antistar" did as the closer on the much maligned predecessor to this album.
So overall, "Heligoland" might not be as groundbreaking as the stuff Massive Attack are most known for, but it showcases a collective (with the back of Daddy G, largely absent from the previous decade's output) daring to experiment in his own field, which will be fair enough for some, and disappointing for others. But believe me, a bit like their underrated "Protection" (1994), that beast of a sensitive record (their best effort in my opinion, still), this really, almost physically, GROWS on you.
Quality reigns February 11, 2010
6th.replicant (London, UK)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
A slow burner that from the 2nd listen onwards gets better with each play. Multi-layered & multi-textural, never dull or predictable, full of underlying energy & passion - IMHO this a beautifully crafted album, on all levels.
Has that distinctive quality that is pure Massive Attack, yet still manages to sound fresh & inventive. Heligoland was obviously meticulously conceived & executed, but does not fall into the category of 'dull & self-indulgent'.
Also exquisitely produced & mixed - it'll make your hifi sound extra special.
repetitive depth which grows with repeated listening February 10, 2010
Deven Gadula (san francisco, ca, united states)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This album is not going to be liked by all fans of Massive Attack, or at least not right away. The depth of music of Blue Lines or Protection, or the intensity of Mezzanine seems to be lacking here, although probably everyone will notice that the music is stronger that anything we have heard from Massive Attack in the last 12 years. I would dare suggest that the depth of music is still here, but it has been...relocated. Miles Davis once said that his musical style kept changing on him, just like a curse. Well, after 16 years in business Massive Attack has gone experimental, atmospheric and minimalist all at once. However, all those changes affect mostly the added layers of the background of their music.
I have to say honestly that I have been disillusioned with a lot of new music of various styles, lately, and this new album by Massive Attack to me is one of the nicest musical surprises of the last many months, ever since Porcupine Tree's The Incident was released. The incorporation of the experimental ambient layers of sound in addition to the industrial tones which for a long time have been with Massive Attack makes this album unique to me. The overall mood is mellow, peaceful and reflective but it spreads over a wide sound texture. These songs may sound simple and plain at first, but they do grow on us with repetitive listening. I really feel like with this album the music of Massive Attack positioned itself somewhere between Massive Attack and Radiohead, and that is a perfect place to be in. Really, the Zoviet France like undertones of a few of their new songs (this album hides many jewels in the back of itself and its songs) are exactly the layers which make the music of Radiohead so addictive. The song number 7 for example, reminds me a little bit of Radiohead's Videotape.
I especially like tracks: 8,5,7,9,10,1.
Track 1 begins like cover of some bluesy Peter Green song from In The Skies, and then progresses into many different stages and layers. Track 2 is driven by a Joy Division like sounding bass and drum line and it is one of the most energetic songs of the album. Track 3 develops one of the most haunting atmospheric background melodies. Track 4 is full of texture which again, is located at the final minute of a song, a very Radiohead like approach. Track 5 has a Steve Reich like repetitive feeling to it. It is quite beautifully structured with a skillfully interwoven vocal line. Track 6 is very trippy and will probably turn quite a few listeners off. However, there is much more happening here besides the Skinny Puppy like rhythm section which becomes less prevalent as this song progresses. The beauty of track 7 is apparent from the beginning and it has a hypnotic quality. Just play it on repeat 1 and you might experience a beautiful enchanted evenings. Track 8 floats in between Massive Attack, Radiohead and Joy Division, a truly perfect ground. Both tracks 9 and 10 are...very complex... underneath.
Again, please listen to this album quite a few times before you decide that you really don't like it as much. This music will grow on you...
Arguably their best ... May 6, 2010
John Wakeman (Corwen, Wales)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
It's amusing to see the wide variety of contrary views of this album - it just goes to show that it depends on what sort of music you happen to like, as much as anything else. So if you don't like generally slow, dubby, textured sounds with rather morose lyrics, you probably won't like this. The general sound world is very recognisably Massive Attack, but with some interesting new directions. What I wasn't prepared for was how the album would grow on me - how different tracks come 'into focus' over repeated listens - and this is still happening. It's incredibly well produced, with a richness of layering to all the tracks, and some utterly delicious sounds, e.g. the brass lines that increasingly underpin 'Girl I love you'. The stand out track in early listenings was the ethereal and beautiful 'Paradise Circus'. Then I started to notice 'Flat of the Blade' which is the most 'different' and perhaps 'difficult' track, judging by earlier comments like 'In what can only be described as a bizarre choice, Guy Garvey (Elbow) lends his vocal to a song which seems devoid of any point or reason, just a incoherent set of noises ....' Well I'm afraid it can't 'only' be described in this way - I find it one of the most extraordinary, beautiful and moving songs they've ever produced, with excellent lyrics, and a perfect performance by Guy Garvey. All the other tracks are revealing their riches the more I listen ... I think that's the main thing - letting go of preconceptions, and letting it sink in. Unless you don't like this sort of music, in which case listen to something you do enjoy. For me, it vies with Mezzanine as their best album ever.
A slow burner in a land of its own April 17, 2010
Joseph Augustine (Cambridge, UK)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
To offer a comparision with Radiohead's recent 'In Rainbows' for its renaissance factor would not be far off the mark, and having grown up with Massive Attack and listened to all their albums, this one pleasantly surprised me.. and in the best possible way a classic album can..it rapidly grows on you and earworms its way into your day with lots of worming space to spare. Robert Del Naja has swallowed the Nick Drake melancholy tune book and given it an experimental electronic flare that is sometimes equalled but never surpassed in UK music IMHO, and this album still has an overall cutting edge, which is remarkable for a band that has been around since 1988. Therefore luke warm reviews coming from across the pond (e.g. Pitchfork 5/10) are even more puzzling to me - the juicy discordant middle-eight break in 'Girl I Love You' and very addictive base line of 'Psyche' are worth the entrance fee alone :)) A slow burner for sure and, if like me, you were slightly under-awed by '100th Window', Heligoland should not disappoint!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 57
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