Massive Attack

I just bought the “Mezzanine” CD by Massive Attack after it was mentioned on the “Best Music To Have Sex To” thread as well as the top album list on that askmen website. How freaking awesome is this band? Wow!! What about their other CD’s…are they half as good as this one? The only other song I’ve heard from them is “Protection.” Any suggestions on other CD’s? I’m not really into any type of techno, at least the stuff they play at most dance clubs, but these guys absolutely rock!

Glad you’re enjoying Massive Attack! I was one of the folks who recommended them. Unfortunately, their other albums aren’t nearly as good as Mezzanine. Check 'em out if you’re interested, but I don’t really care for them. Similar groups that are worth checking out include Morcheeba and Lamb.

Forgot one – the album “Maxinquaye” by Tricky.

If you like Massive attack you’ll also like Portishead. Female singer(very hot) and it is kinda like MA. MA’s other albums are good too.

And if you like Portishead (hmmmn), I’d recommend Delerium’s Karma. Sneaker Pimps are pretty fun too.

So, is Massive Attack similar to Portishead, then?

Blue lines by MA is also great. If you like the “trip hop” genre, try Morcheeba, and there are a couple of great compilation albums: “Rebirth of Cool” (esp. the fifth), and there is also a great cd from a berlin record company with all their artists on it. It is called “!K7 Promo”
Enjoy the trip, but I’ll stick with Rage Against the Machine and Drowning Pool for my workouts!

Yah, portishead is like massive attack. At least in my opinion. Download some of their stuff. I am sure you’ll like it. They have a live in NY album which is amazing.

Many thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I just went out and bought the live Portishead CD…hope it’s as good as advertised. They didn’t have Maxinquaye by Tricky so I’ll probably order that one.

Kahuna…good call on the “rebirth of cool #5” im actually sitting here at uni listening to it now, great albulm. portishead is very similar to massive attack…great music for the right moments

Blue lines is way better than Mezzanine, but then it is a different sounding CD. Different female vocalist for a start, with Shara Nelson doing the vocals. She then went solo.



Mezzanine, is, for want of a better word, crunchier, even the more introspective stuff like Tear Drop. The female vocals were done by Elizabeth Frazer, who is better known for her work with The Cocteau Twins and the This Mortal Coil side project [both on 4AD]. The sound of these two groups, is far more ethereal than the work she has done on Mezzanine.



The middle Massive Attack CD, Protection, uses Tracey Thorn from Everything But the Girl for the female vocals. Protection is a lot more laid back than the other two CDs and was a real favourite in the cafe scene.



There are two Portishead CD’s and a live in Concert Portishead CD. The first CD, Dummy has the distinct radio singles: Sour Times and Roads [which was used in the Tank Girl movie].
The Second CD Portishead:Portishead had a few less well-known singles like Cowboys, but is probably the more consistent CD, it is notable for a grittier texture and greater use of loops and effects



Someone mentioned Delerium. Delerium are a side project of semi-industrial band Front Line Assembly; their sound has changed markedly over the years originally they were dark ambient/ experimental/ electronic, their last three CD’s, however, have incorporated various female vocalist some like Sarah McLaughlin are well known, whereas others like Lisa Gerrard from Dead Can Dance and Kirsty Thirsk from Rosetta Stone are better known on the indie/ goth scene.



Dead Can Dance is highly recommended especially Toward the Within, which is a semi-live CD and perhaps the best place to approach them from. Lisa Gerrard has also done soundtrack work on Gladiator and Baraka.




If you are interested moving into the goth/ethereal/ darkwave scene then you should really listen to Love Spirals Downwards’ third CD FLUX [www.projekt.com], very similar feel to Mezzanine. If you like darker atmospheric stuff try Lycia’s COLD [also on Projekt].



That’ll do for now, if anyone else is interested i’ll post more music stuff from the indie side :slight_smile:

This thread has been invaluable. I am absolutely digging Massive Attack. Crumb, but it’s awesome. This and Portishead is just about the best music to have as a background (I first fell in love with Portishead when they played the whole CD at a martini lounge. Man, but it makes you feel aware!)