Mezzanine

Review by Dorothy Parvaz

I've never been much of a Massive Attack fan, truth be known (1991's Blue Line seemed over-hyped to me), but Mezzanine has made me a believer. Hallefreakinlujah!

From the pulsating bass intro of "Angel" to soulful sweep of "(Exchange)" at the very end of the album, you won't be disappointed or bored but once. And though you've probably heard music like this before (former Massive Attacker Tricky comes to mind), trust me, because this album is done so well, you won't mind hearing it again. It's creepy and beautiful in the worst (read: best) ways.

There's an Oriental flavour woven into the album. Listen closely to the vocals in "Teardrop" and you could imagine the lyrics being delivered in Mandarin without missing a beat. And check out the hypnotic Indo-beat in "Inertia Creeps." This isn't a dance album. This is a contemplative, deliberate attempt to hijack your brain waves. Chances are you won't be able to put up much of a struggle.

So just light some candles, treat yourself to some absinthe and pop in Mezzanine. Don't worry, you won't be gone long -- the album is only 63 minutes long.