Massive Attack - Part 3 of the Trip Hop Series

This is part three of the "old" trip-hop series I had started doing a little while back.  Massive Attack has been around since the beginning, and may even be credited as being the first big trip-hop act.  They are responsible for some of the biggest successes the genre has ever seen, and they have many of their works in movies, of which I heard one just the other night.

MASSIVE ATTACK








Massive Attack started in 1988 in Bristol, England with Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall; which once again highlights that the genre originated there.  They obviously have a very heavy electronic influence, and their down-tempo and hip-hop like beats helped create a genre that was followed up by bands like Portishead and Sneaker Pimps.  As a matter of fact Portishead was essentially formed as a result of Geoff Barrow being present at the Massive Attack recording of Blue Lines, which is their most famous album.  They were well known for having picked great vocalists to lay down tracks on their albums, and gained great acclaim for it.  They have apparently been a fairly volatile band ever since their early success, and have had a few problems staying together.  They have in more recent years worked separately on different projects.

I have been listening to these guys for years after hearing a song of theirs in a movie once.  I then started exploring the genre a bit more when I heard Portishead, and that led me back to Massive attack for some more incredible tracks.  Shall we check some of those out??

-Teardrop-
Though it is hard to tell which of their works is most famous, this song has been used in soundtracks, and may potentially be the most familiar to those that hadn't heard of the group before!  Try not to be creeped out by the video..




-What Your Soul Sings-
This is a rather dark tune, but in being eerie it also has some very beautiful and deep qualities.  I am very fond of this track, and it is one that I personally own.




-Angel-
Again a very dark and deep track, and this track has been used in so many movies it is even hard to count at this point.  I heard it just the other day on the movie "Antitrust", which is a rather silly flick, but Angel was on there!




-Future Proof-
Dark and deep, I guess that is the name of the game isn't it?  This is another tune I had heard before, and it has some pretty interesting and creative elements to it.  I just love their sound.. not sure how they make it happen..




-Black Milk-
Another one of their classics.  This one just has an incredibly sick beat, and ethereal vocals.  Love this little diddy.



If this has sparked your interest, be sure to check out their albums; Mezzanine, 100th Window & Blue Lines.  They aren't the only good ones, but they all have some really incredible work on them.

Hope you enjoyed the third and final trip-hop installment, and I am glad to finally get it all out there for those that have never heard of the genre!  My hope is that if I put the originators out there for people who haven't heard it, they may have interest in checking it out even further!

Cheers!

-CS