Massive Attack have re- circled into my musical orbit recently. 3D (Robert del Naja) turned sixty this week, as marked by Khayem at Dubhed, their music appeared on the TV the other night while watching the U.S.'s dystopian future become its present, and some friends saw them play live at the end of November (an experience described variously as 'dour as fuck', 'sensory overload' and 'amazing but a bit heavy in places'). When I go to Massive Attack I tend to reach for Blue Lines, Protection and No Protection but recently I've been revisiting some of the later parts of their back catalogue.
In 2010 Massive Attack released Heligoland, their fifth album, an album that saw the return of Daddy G to the band and a slew of guest vocalists and musicians- Damon Albarn, the almost ever present Horace Andy, Martina Topley- Bird, Guy Garvey, TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and Hope Sandoval. Hope sang on a song called Paradise Circus, one of the albums highlights, Hope's voice a sliver of light in Massive Attack's darkness. Not that the lyrics are remotely light- Paradise Circus is a song about sin and the devil. The shuffly trip hop drums and all pervading gloom are very slightly side lit by a piano and cinematic guitar line.
There was a follow remix package of remixes, extra tracks on the digital release with a very smart Gui Boratto remix of Paradise Circus, skippy beats, growly bass, guitars, strings and Hope's vocal.
Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)
Massive Attack waited six years before following Heligoland. In 2016 they put out a four track EP, Ritual Spirit, this time getting Tricky back on board along with Young Fathers, Roots Manuva and singer Azekel. The four tracks, out on 12" and all done and dusted in seventeen minutes, had them back at the peak of their 21st century powers. On the title track Azekel provides a gorgeous upper register vocal singing words that sound almost Shakespearean- 'Who'll mend this broke beat star? Whose strength do I speak of?'. The drums and strings simmer with the usual menace and disquiet.
I still think of 2016 as being fairly recent but it turns out its nine years ago.
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