Oh god, this song...

[@iximusic]

Thanks so much for watching my Massive Attack video! If you enjoyed it, could you do me a favor and follow me on Patreon (for free)? I'm trying to grow my community over there! www.patreon.com/iximusic

[@briandavidgregory]

This whole album is just amazing

[@hilmarkoerner2603]

wanted to write the same! I remember this was on continuous play for weeks when I discovered it. Mesmerizing! Oh god, the nuances in every little sound....It's creeping on you ... my favorite on the album is 'Man Next Door'

[@palpytine]

As are all their albums. Most especially the tracks with guest female vocalists.

[@James-J-J-J]

Massive Attack are amazing. Love them!

[@rabbithole1227]

@@palpytineyes… RIP Sinead O’Connor. What Your Soul Sings is one of my favorites.

[@weedanwine]

Yup Incredible

[@theshakyproject2971]

This album and Portishead's Dummy are what turned me on to Trip-Hop. I first heard Teardrop on a Pure Moods compilation CD. Then Sour Times in the film, Killing Time. I didn't know what that sound was called, but I needed to ingest all of it. From there, it was Bjork, Sneaker Pimps, Tricky, DJ Shadow, Morcheeba, Hooverphonic, Goldfrapp, etc. I couldn't get enough.

[@JDsHouseofHobbies]

YES!!!

[@EdgyNumber1]

A pair of interesting compilations you should check out, 'Fused' and 'Wired' featuring not just trip-hop but a lot of break beat music that was going on about that time. There was heck of a lot of fusion in different types of music back in the mid-late 90's.

[@cliffhughes6010]

I'm a child of the 1960s who grew up with The Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Hendrix, Led Zep, Motown etc. But the 1990s with Massive Attack and the other bands you mention, not forgetting Radiohead, is the only era that compares.

[@EdgyNumber1]

@@cliffhughes6010 Honestly, there was just so much going on in the 1990's particularly in the UK where everyone was just mixing everything up and creating new genres and subgenres, whether it was rock based, electronic based... or a mixture of the two. The music you describe of your youth is awesome too, some great names in there. Of the early Motown stuff I was always addicted to the tunes with the heavy use of that gorgeous detuned (upwards) bass guitar they used in a lot of their recordings.

[@albertrobles2498]

I also had that Pure Moods cd.

[@bobseashols517]

This album is 28 YEARS OLD yet seems just as good today.

[@JH-lo9ut]

Can you give me something as good as this, but made in the last decade? (This is both a rhetorical question and and actual request.)

[@bobseashols517]

@@JH-lo9ut Tool.

[@iximusic]

I have a few recs! Kiasmos (self titled), Om Unit - Threads, SOHN - Rennen, MADANII & LLUCID - Sober, Deftones - Ohms, Metric - Art of Doubt

[@scaberouswretch3673]

It’s 26 years. Album was released on 20th April 1998.

[@deceptiveobnoxious4237]

Yeah it's from 1998 so will be 26y in a few

[@otdewiljes]

Before 'Netflix and chill' there was 'Mezzanine and chill'.

[@MyNameIsBucket]

And Enigma before that...

[@jackbadger3976]

there was never any chill...

[@rideitalia]

“Chill”, like an animal…

[@gcolombelli]

Portishead live at roseland is a great one also.

[@rip0v]

iykyk

[@leaningtower73]

The whole Mezzanine is for me one of the best albums of all times along with Sergent Pepper's, Dark Side of the Moon, Nevermind, Violator, Ok Computer. What a masterpiece that blends electronic music, soul, dark industrial, trip hop, new age!

[@danielhenderson3753]

Agree!

[@echambers1112]

That is a hell of a list.

[@JimmySchwietert]

Add Air's Moon Safari. Brilliant album

[@neobscura]

Reading this makes me happy because that's how I feel about it but I never voiced it in fear of being judged "are you serious now ?".

[@basslightyeah]

Hell yes! The final minutes of Group Four are such a phenomenal full circle moment, similar to Eclipse on Dark Side of the Moon

[@spyrule]

Legitimately, one of the best single albums ever made. pure sound scape

[@Jubanen12]

haha Ive had this album in my car for a long time now (older car with cd player) its pretty good car music imo... (especially during night drives)

[@benedictnothing]

The singer is Horace Andy, a proper roots reggae guy from back in the 60s who works a lot with Massive Attack and plays live with them, and weirdly this song is a cover/rework of one of his old songs. You should hear his original (You Are My Angel); it's great but feels weird when this is the version you're most familiar with.

[@danielhenderson3753]

Whoa, thanks for the background! So that's two reggae covers on this album.

[@benedictnothing]

@@danielhenderson3753 Ah yes! Man Mext Door?

[@danielhenderson3753]

@@benedictnothing yep!

[@tendrel_sound]

i always thought it was a chick

[@Anonymous-lw1zy]

OMG! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bIvJin93irOspKc

[@Sonsequence]

One of my sound engineering teachers played this to the class and explained that he uses it to test the bass response of any sound system he works with.

[@neptunethemystic]

That bassline bleeds all over the drums like the nectar straight from the flower of aphrodiate herself! 🌺

[@chimpana]

I was at university in Bristol when this was released. Same time Banksy was starting to put his stuff all over town, and Portishead were doing their thing. Great music scene in the city at the time.

[@IanMcCausland]

same time as Banksy eh?... maybe the same ? 🙂

[@shortsightedfarseer4350]

Same for me. Friend had a really good hi-fi setup, I remember driving into town to buy this when it came out and going back to his to listen to it. We just looked at each other with our jaws on the floor when this kicked in.

[@bsmith6646]

​@@IanMcCauslandha!

[@r7coo]

Don't forget Roni Size

[@bsmith6646]

@@r7coo yes! And DJ Krust. Great jungle / drum n Bass has come out of Bristol

[@matteightytwo]

And Dissolved Girl is the most underrated track of all time

[@mathteacher1729]

"...wake up, Neo."

[@alejandroprc]

The sound of the baseline building up at the beginning and the first kick, rimshot, and hi-hat…sonic perfection. One of the best song intros IMO.

[@GavinHewitt]

Most of it comes from the incredible brain of Neil Davidge

[@miracleofsound]

Love your vids! Mezzanine is one of my favorite albums of all time. Such a thick, dark, beautiful atmosphere from start to finish, a masterpiece :)

[@horseenthusiast9903]

The whole album is simply AMAZING. I really need to get the cd. It's a weird way to describe it, but this song sounds like liquid velvet to me. Or the comfortable disquiet of being in your pajamas at noon, knowing you're not leaving your little apartment anytime soon, and looking out past the curtains at a foggy day already half-over.

[@realraven2000]

Also check out protection. It will blow your mind.

[@neobscura]

That's a way better description than I came with but that's it. The bass support the whole thing but the drums and all the guitar ambiance just slide over it like texture, very controlled texture. It's a must have imo. It's their best album, the second closest to that feeling is 100th window on SOME tracks, but it doesn't feel as genuine somehow.

[@realraven2000]

@@neobscura 100th window is also amazing, kills me every time. I think a lot is owed to the way Massive Attack uses "clashing" harmonies or modes (on top of having really memorable textures). "What your Soul sings" is the most amazing composition of that decade imho; Sinead O'Connor + Massive is just a killer team all around.

[@neobscura]

@@realraven2000 There are some great songs on it, but I felt like it was just Robert Del Naja flexing. It felt "overworked" for lack of a better word. Idk I'm not good at explaining it but it felt so far away from Mezzanine which was a cohesive, organic masterpiece. To me it boils down to two sentiments: Mezzanine was an oppressive deep sound with expertly placed tickling sound while 100th window felt like something with less soul and an overwhelming amount of "tick and tss". I suck at descriptions I know. Mezzanine was nourishing, 100th was all texture. "Sinead O'Connor + Massive is just a killer team all around." I've to agree on this though, it's one of the few songs on this album to hit the mark.

[@annettecorbett9842]

I love this description! (Especiakly since I am actually in my PJs right now, looking out on a misty mid afternoon)

[@Roymunson_]

Horace gets away with limited notes because his delivery flirts with the home location of each note. Sometimes sharp, sometimes flat, sometimes oscillating between both over a single held note. So he may sing "around" 3 notes but the performance uses like a dozen microtones that make it hypnotizing. Always reminded me of a very beautiful Mongolian chant in the way the notes modulate and avoid staying in one place for too long.

[@educostanzo]

This is the album I always pick to test headphones and speakers. The sound is crystal clear, one of my favorite productions ever A ton of dub influence on this one too, with all the weird delays and accents, what makes total sense having Horace Andy on the vocals

[@cyclonasaurusrex1525]

How did I never think of this? Great idea!

[@TheOriginalHairyDave]

Me too. It's been my go to bass tester for 25 years.

[@horseenthusiast9903]

Hey, same! That, or Björk's "All Is Full Of Love" if I'm short for time (amazing range in the version that's got the bassy beat! Between that beat and the shimmering instrumentals, it really tests the high and low end of the speaker's range). Right now they're all telling me that my Victrola record/cd/tape player kinda has shit speakers :( but my new headphones and my shower speaker work great!

[@stevecarter8810]

Yeah, it's like British dub reggae at its core, with elements from rock, indie and hip hop adorning the surface

[@Intermernet]

A couple of other recommendations: Skylined (part 2 of The Narcotic Suite) from Music For The Jilted Generation by The Prodigy is the ultimate bass response test. There's a bass synth that fires every 4 bars from near the beginning of the track. It plays one note that descends rapidly below the threshold of human hearing, and pushes speakers to destruction. Derezzed (Glitch Mob remix) from the Tron Legacy - Reconfigured album. Remixes of Daft Punk's soundtrack to Tron Legacy. It has an amazing frequency distribution with just the right mix of crisp high-end, hard transients and heavy bass to really test any speakers or headphones.

[@spamfilter32]

This song is an incredible example of minimalism and how powerful that can be in music.

[@aristideau5072]

hands down the 90's really had the best music ever

[@CB-nd9ki]

In this genre I have to agree, early 90's though

[@OpeningsOpenings]

Yes the trip hop bunch was 🔥 Even some acid jazz and early drum n bass

[@OpeningsOpenings]

Oh wait and then the avant- pop and folk was good too Bjork PJ Harvey Jeff Buckley Boards of Canada Tricky Tori Amos (golden Era) Michele NDegeocello

[@vocecaiunocontodomalakoi7541]

@@OpeningsOpenings Also the metal scene, black and death metal expanding, alternative, groove metal with pantera, industrial getting bigger, avant garde acts, neurosis started post metal, sludge and stoner getting bigger than ever, so much great stuff

[@OpeningsOpenings]

Oh how could I forget Pantera!! Now I need to go listen to Planet Caravan

[@DaveBloodstream]

Being using this song as an alarm tone on my phone for the past 10 years or so... Doesn't matter how little you have slept, this song never makes me wake up in a bad mood, and the way it builds up is great to not get totally shocked out of slumber. I really recommend it

[@Audio_Simon]

What? Why not "wake me up before you go go" lol 😅

[@r7coo]

It's my ringtone as well 😀

[@rw9207]

28 years young and still punches as hard as the day it hit like a chilled out freight train!

[@MrArchie800]

No no no!! Was that really 28 yrs? Fuuuuuuuuuuuu#k!!!!!!!!

[@gabrielhunter3351]

Seriously!! ?It can't be....😱 Hahaha

[@rw9207]

@@gabrielhunter3351 Yes f***ing seriously! lol

[@marijnr]

2024-1998=26

[@rw9207]

@@marijnr Thanks for the correction, Captain Pedantic. I'm sure this will change the outlook to my entire day.... or the 10 seconds why I type this.

[@MagnusMFX]

Immediately from the bassline, serotonin kicked in for me

[@stopmikeandjim3196]

This album is the audio equivalent of Vantablack. It's so dark it seems to suck the light out of the room

[@pulykamell]

Your second sentence is exactly how I’ve been describing this album since I first heard it.

[@good_king_guitarman1334]

Listen to it in the dark, then it becomes an experience.

Nah, the equivalent of Vantablack is The Black Hit Of Space. It didn't just go to number one, it went into minus figures. ;-)

[@d3j4v00]

I dig the poetry of your sentence but i can't perceive it as dark at all. It's so warm and full and uplifting, like being the golden yolk of an egg.

[@Panda_man..]

@@d3j4v00 i think it’s so wonderful that people can look at the same piece of work and take/ feel very different ideas and emotions.

[@HelderP83]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you start a video.

[@mleg7104]

Exactly! - Thanks to Ixi for the uninterrupted run from start to finish, that allows us to fully appreciate this glorious track. Obligatory!

[@SaumBodhi]

Yes

[@crow-dont-know]

This will often flag the video for copyright violation, so you have to be careful

[@emulus4000]

@@crow-dont-know She literally put in the description that due to copyright laws, she can't make money from the video. She knows what she's doing

[@thumper1747]

Wasn’t this used in Snatch?

[@wradar]

This song’s pairing with the arson scene in Snatch is A+ musical and cinematic direction. (TBH, the whole soundtrack rocks.)

[@grantcanada1]

This song is the definition of what TENSION is.

[@jdblueemerald]

Mezzanine, in my opinion, is one of the best 20 albums of all time. Pure genius at work in it.

[@KenJustken]

These are my words for this song: Hopeful, ominous , breathy, contentious. You are great.

[@rld1982]

I always feel like this song is the sound of inevitability

[@theshakyproject2971]

"Goodbye, Mr. Anderson." :)

[@gearoidosullivan356]

It does have a sense of foreboding alight. I love the slow build of the intro. If you're not familiar with it, you should check out FOREST SWORDS - PANIC. it is a bit more upbeat, but also uses that low bass to create an unsettling feeling building up.

[@glacieractivity]

Thank you, my friend. I have been searching for a word for some decades.

[@antdujar]

It’s funny, because “dissolve girl” is in the first matrix movie when neo wakes up from his desk to Morpheus’s message. But this song could easily be Agent Smith’s theme of inevitability 🤘🏽

[@mike18699-e]

@@theshakyproject2971"my name... is NEO!"

[@seanrichards9569]

Horace Andy recorded a couple of versions of this song in Jamaican studios over the early / mid 70’s then later on I believe he redid it a couple of times. Angel is a phenomenal track, and production spot on, but the vocal performance absolutely REQUIRES understanding the historical context, and I’d humbly argue the best vocal take is the earliest version he did with Bunny Lee, which was also released as various dub plates mixed by the great King Tubby. Production for its era is fantastic and the performance absolutely phenomenal.

[@danielhenderson3753]

The major 2nd in the bassline is what I would call "profound". A similar effect as when the sharp 4th hits in the whole note scale. And the bass guitar pulls the attention away from the 2nd note to de-emphasize it. In my experience getting away with those dissonances is all about emphasis and balance. A brilliant choice. The drums are so inspired. I like a nice layered beat. Huge snare and a click resembling a rimshot but even tighter.

[@CedricJustice]

Oh, hi, Daniel! Also, that bass is detuned to C. That makes it even more profound.

[@blehblehbleh86]

I was going to say the exact same thing.

[@ChuckWasHere]

R.I.P. Angelo Bruschini. This song would be nothing without his playing.

[@kadinnui2282]

I don't understand how he is not talked about among guitarists. It's nothing complicated, I know, but come on! All his work with MA is just so perfect.

[@ericclemens8420]

Absolutely. Let's pay tribute to Angelo Bruschini who died last year, who "reinvented the electric guitar" in this piece.

[@NowellValeri]

First time I heard this song my life changed. My girlfriend of the time didn't think Mezzanine was all that great. So I stole her CD and never gave it back. I still have it 😂

[@qwqwqwqw99]

I used to play this album a lot for my passengers when i was a lyft driver. Most people didn't care but once in a while someone would really feel it.

[@FelipeBudinich]

That would take me baaaack

[@Mfleshwound]

Important to note that they pull all this off live perfectly

[@thorstencotte2822]

…Or sometimes even better.

[@DeeNimmin]

"It prowls" Perfect.

[@aaronalbores3999]

This was my introduction to Massive Attack, back in the day. I just listened to the intro and i was already hooked. Why is that that i never felt this song as threatening or dark? I just thought of it as mysterious, hypnotic and deep. Very, very, very deep. It steals your attention, then it slowly pumps energy into you with that amazing bass sound and groove, and then it breaks into a new powerful groove forcing you to release that energy by moving your body to the rythm. For me, at least, this is an absolute masterpiece. The grooves, the ambiguity of the scale and the voice, the minimalistic use of the notes of the scale, the sound design, the slow pace in which it evolves and grows from a heartbeat into a heavy song... Few songs can make me feel that way. And the guitar... oh god...

[@LikeWhatever]

They tapped into something special when they made this album. Protection is up there for me as well.

[@zazenit]

Also No Protection - Mad Professors dub version is magical

[@Gee-xb7rt]

Have you heard Everything But the Girl"s album from last year, Fuse? It's very good.

[@LikeWhatever]

@@Gee-xb7rt One or two songs, not the whole thing yet. I liked what I heard.

[@Gee-xb7rt]

@@LikeWhatever just on another thread with someone trying to defend Grimes, lol. Don't want to sound mean, or like "kids these days" but I don't get a lot of what passes as music these days.

[@LikeWhatever]

@Gee-xb7rt I don't get a lot of it either. There's good stuff to find but sometimes you have to search for it.

[@tedhunter5285]

Group four is my favourite on this album....dark and brooding ......then the angelic female vocal comes in later......saw it live at V 99 as the sun was going down and the yellow and white lights took effect......amazing..

[@Amathene]

Absolutely one of the greatest songs on one of the greatest albums ever.

[@MolloyPolloy]

I saw massive attack perfrom this in the Olympia theater in Dublin the year the album came out. Stunning.

[@davidellis5141]

Teardrop with Liz Fraser ( Cocteau Twins ) on vocals is as good ! The album is essential 👌

[@elmostachojuanoh]

The fact that as a 1st time listener of the piece, you allowed youself and the video to just start with the whole song is very much appreciated, thanks!

[@iximusic]

It was not my first listen, sorry for any confusion! This is an excerpt from a listening party on my Patreon but I'm glad people are enjoying the lack of spoken intro. Maybe I'll do that in future videos!

[@elmostachojuanoh]

@@iximusic Oh sorry for my wording, i meant i appreciate it myself as someone who is actually listening for the first time* Glad you are considering keeping it, since it is great for accesibility and an incentive for viewers to blindly click on any analysis, and it fits with your pacing too!

[@davebox588]

​@@iximusic please, no intro. I always skip through those anyway. Being able to listen to the whole track before the analysis makes this for me the second best analysis I've seen on YT (best was recreating "Clubbed to Death" {Rob Dougan} from scratch.)

[@JD-xo2wz]

This album was the only one that never left the CD changer in the trunk. One of the most pristine recordings ever made.

[@lynnpehrson8826]

Mezzanine is like the heaviest album ever but is simultaneously chill.. but also dark and paranoid. It embodies a feel that no other artist has (imo) NIN and deftones have came close.

[@Luemm3l]

this song is iconic, brings back so many memories, it was in movies, series, video games, but the whole vibe is city at night, you are striving alone through the conrete jungle... there is nothing over UK trip hop, bands like this, Portishead and a lot of others more... just musical magic to me.

[@alsosean]

Nicely done video and analysis! I heard this album end to end many, many years ago when I was out playing pool with friends while in university and I was completely blown away by it. Bought the album a few days later. Complex and simple with lots of dramatic space. Just amazing stuff. It’s stayed as one of my favourite albums. Mad love for their work. Cheers!

[@rikiba851]

Horace Andy was an accomplished Reggae artist in his own right, before Massive Attack employed his voice to such great effect (and I think this was the greatest and most iconic use of his voice). For his own reggae stuff, a favourite of mine was always 'Hey There Woman' from his 'In the Light' record. Definitely worth a listen if you never heard it.

[@Ryan_Q3L]

I worked at the Camelot Music store in my local mall.... when this album came out I played it over the loud speakers in the store. I turned it up really loud and when that first high-hat and drum hit, everyone in the store freaked. I was hooked.

[@aldo34]

Big Massive fan since Blue Lines. Sadly Angelo Bruschini who played the guitars on this track passed away late last year. This is a masterclass in tension building and layering.

[@l3eatalphal3eatalpha]

Blue Aeroplanes - And Stones

[@juancruzciacci1262]

Your full reaction to this song makes a whole difference. Thank you so much. I'm still watching

[@sharpphilip]

Their Mezzanine anniversary tour not long before Covid blew my mind. 😮 Lots of memories of being a moody 19-year-old with this in my car CD player…

[@seanparker5595]

I saw the OG tour in 1999, or thereabouts, in Australia. Pretty amazing concert.

[@geob3963]

Everything you’re saying about the feeling of dark paranoia, you gotta see the music video for this song. Nailed it!!

[@neguchi666]

Ixi, you rock! That thing about Horace Andy's voice cracking at the end of phrases is something that I hear a lot of reggae singers do, and I wish I could listen to more of dub/reggae, but the genre is so heavily laden with religiosity that I, personally, have a hard time with it and can barely listen to any. I always thought of this song as a super simple one, which it perhaps technically is -- but it's music, so it being simple makes it not simple at all :D. Maybe I'm nuts or maybe you all know exactly what I mean. Anyway, keep on rocking, Ixi!

[@neguchi666]

I forgot to mention how important I think these breakdowns are, even or especially for seemingly simple songs such as this one! Thank you!

[@alastairwinner]

I love the bass line in this song. So simple but with some unique syncopation. The production on all their songs is insane especially listening on headphones. You feels like you are totally emersed and surrounded.

[@djdksf1]

I was lucky enough to catch MA doing their 20-year Mezzanine retrospective tour in SF a few years back. Fantastic band with most if not all the original vocal talent present. This record somehow keeps getting better with age. It's both baroque and intricate while still having a minimalist bearing overall. Just stunning. When it came out I remember playing almost nothing else for weeks (well, maybe a bit of Underworld or Orbital as chasers.)

[@gonesavage]

One of the best recordings of all time. Thank you ixi.

[@neobscura]

This album may be my favorite album ever. I bought it in 1998 and I've been listening to it regularly ever since and I don't feel it aged. I'm not musically educated per say but what has always struck me with this one is how perfectly balanced it feels. Yeah it's super bassy and oppressive, but every element layering over it has its place, they all occupy a space without muddying the song. I know it's super subjective but to me this feels perfect. It's not overly complicated, but it's so well crafted. The bass is so round and massive yet all the drums feel slick and tiny, when I first heard this I thought about the album cover: bugs crawling that's how the drums sound. Anyway, this whole album is comfort music. Dissolved Girl is on the other end of this spectrum but feels very similar somehow.

[@jonasjakobsson9006]

Great way of putting it. I am a sonic or "producer" kind of listener to music and no amount of meaningful lyrics can compensate for a bad mix or bad sound. This album is sonic bliss, everything sits just right. The craft is perfect on this album IMO.

[@florabee9283]

I was being re-calibrated at a ketamine clinic and they said I had to bring my own music. I chose Mezzanine. I'm healed now

[@bladetj]

One of my favourite tunes. So mysterious, dark and engaging. The production is insanely good. Great take thanks

[@alessiogiorgianni_official]

No A.I, no pre cooked sound library, no auto tune. Just human brain and tons of creativity.

[@DavidBrown-bs7gg]

Thank you so much for playing the song in its entirety first before talking

[@Narsufin]

Love this breakdown. I remember when this album came out, must be more than 20 years now, and it blew away everyone who heard it.

[@leaningtower73]

It came out on 20th April 1998. Amazing album

[@GizzyDillespee]

That's 26 years ago. In 1986, pop songs from 1960 were classified as "oldies"😂

[@ftlbaby]

@@GizzyDillespee that's what we're doing here: listening to oldies, even if they sound contemporary ; )

[@1967AJB]

Just stumbled across your channel. I’m in my late 60s but love this track/album/band too. I was introduced to them by their lighting director for the Mezzanine tour, who worked on some of my jobs. He was in awe of the band and was giddy he got the job. He was David Bowie’s LD too so that speaks volumes about Massivd Attack! Nice channel, you have an old man subscription :)

[@scottcollier9178]

The whole album has a sinister, sleazy feel to it. Like a character from a dystopian movie is walking down a back alley late at night and you're waiting for something bad to happen.

[@user-sf3os2xb9d]

This was the analysis that I didn’t know I needed! Thanks for your insight and commentary. I first heard this intro in an Addidas commercial for the World Cup Competition, I think 1998. I was already a massive Massive Attack fan. This song has such a sense of foreboding and brooding…it does take you on a trip. I’ve got to hear some of your NIN reviews. Keep it going.

[@jonnyclooney]

One of the THE most incredible pieces of music to hear played live.

[@ja9nge]

Two days ago I stumbled across your channel. And I totally stopped stumbling. Your way of going deep into these compositions and sharing the details is simply transfixing, if I were a tornado I’d stop spinning and simply sit down and listen to you serving these tunes on a plate, beautifully deconstructed. You give me a refreshed interest in re-listening to the masterpieces you decipher. THANK YOU👏

[@jamestaggart2663]

Everyone who grew up in the 90s had 3 albums on CD, without fail: 1. Fat Boy Slim - You've come along way 2. Prodigy - Fat of the Land 3. Massive Attack - Mezzanine

[@brutalrock927]

4. Beastie Boys - Ill Communication

[@dublplus]

Portishead dummy

[@Dashtropie]

Love the analysis! You describe that haunting feeling you get from the track perfectly. It's funny, because the video clip that goes with this song is a perfect representation of the sentiment. I was properly afraid while watching the video for the main character (who is one the band members). The ending is very surprising. :) Would receommend to watch it.

[@veerchasm1]

Mezzanine is probably my favorite album from the 90’s

[@rogerbrook9081]

Leftism is THE album form the 90s, though this is a close second

[@SpyderTracks]

This is so cool, this song had such a HUGE impact on me, it hits me physically and emotionally even 25 years later, and you can see the same reactions I have on your face. It's such an incredible tune that takes you on a ride of waves peaking and dipping, and the dynamics, you put it on what you think is low to start and by half way through you're having to reduce the volume to stop the windows shattering. Loved this video. But I find a lot of music from this period didn't gain the appreciation for them as musical artists until fairly recently really. Everyone told me I'd grow out of it but here I am in my mid 40's still absolutely loving it. Sure it was a huge album, but as you say, to make a full song in a key that doesn't really change is NOT easy to do, and make it relatable and emotive at the same time. To me it's a sign of genius. And a lot of artists of this period had that "different" attitude to music that hadn't perhaps come before.

[@surferdjnj]

So for a while Massive Attack was everywhere but people didn't realize it. The beginning of Inertia Creeps was used in a Victorias Secret ad campaign, Teardrop is the opening credits for House the American TV show with Hugh Lorie, Angel was used in the TV show The West Wing, the episode where Zoe Bartlet gets kidnapped. There were a few more commercials that sampled their music but not remembering right now. Great video choice!!!

[@iximusic]

Dissolved Girl was in The Matrix!

[@pkpmendez3]

And this song was always playing in the episode of West Wing when Zoey Bartlett gets kidnapped. The music was perfect for the scene.

[@r7coo]

This was used in a Gillette razor campaign during the football world cup in summer 98 with Beckam on the advert, in the UK at least

[@Wolvenamsterdam]

I've been a fan of Massive Attack since the first album and this song and album are absolutely mesmerizing! Yet I really just now discovered new things through your reaction. I've seen some videos of you before and your breakdowns are so full of passion for the music and really amazing to watch. Thank you for this ❤I'm a fan!

[@klors]

The stairs in my student house used to have wood panel walls that resonated to the bass part and shook the house… loved it, and seeing them gig this album was immense

[@tombeluzi]

yup, still got the same goosebumps when listening to this album after 20+ years.

[@sunilsolanki]

One of the greatest songs of all time. And Ixi. The snare in the beginning is called a Rim Shot. Truly love all your videos. Much respect. Please do a breakdown of this entire album.

[@thesodajerk73]

It's also a little bit like a sidestick. And the fact that it's so dry really makes it stand out.

[@Nono_on_Air]

Drummer here and I'd like to correct: the clicky, snappy sound in the beginning is a rim click or cross stick. A rim shot is the loudest sound possible on a snare drum and is used later in the song when the heavy drums come in. you can google the details if you are curious. Kind regards!

[@alexbeckhellingmusic]

The singer is Horace Andy. A Jamaican singer and song writer known for his roots and Reggae vocals.

[@graham8436]

Did anyone else see them perform this album live during the 25th anniversary tour? Unforgettable experience.

[@cameronscarth3136]

You always dig out my old faves!!! love hearing your take

[@mattd8725]

Angels are very ambiguous figures outside of greeting cards and American movies. If you listen to new angels of promise by Bowie, he has his angels delivering some pretty curious messages. "we despise, we are the silent ones, we are the turbulent lovers, we listen to the storm".

[@SharmanSomerset]

Horace Andy is the vocalist and his voice just speaks to my soul, well worth getting his work into your life, never ever disappoints x Also recommend diving into the world of dub, a lot of the rhythm elements in their music is clearly influenced by their love of dub music. Thanks for another wonderful video, big love x

[@PianoDentist]

I remember when Blue lines came out - amazing! This album was a good evolution of Massive Attack.

[@AJSTITAN14]

Such a dope record. This was in heavy rotation for us along with Maxinquaye, Portishead, Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Aquemini, everything by Morphine and an endless stream of acid and house techno for the late late nights.

[@CrashTestPilot]

My favorite memory of this is, a bunch of us laying out on the floating dock watching the stars on mushrooms.

[@codytaylor942]

Love your album/ song selections, love your insights and expertise. Fine work you do on your channel.

[@HectorRoldan]

Been listening to this quite a bit lately and usually when I'm not too pleased with people/situations and am needing to pry people away from me or me from them and survive onward.. It's one of those again but thankfully, this series of moments was to have resolve and start a new book of life with better chapters and there's plenty of Massive Attack for that ^_^ Sneaker Pimps on that list as well.

[@praetentious2925]

Like for the sneaker pimps reference

[@soakedbearrd]

I like your descriptions, they are colorful, unique and intuitive.

[@gapster77]

Bristol’s best! Incredible Catalogue of Work 👌🏻

[@fuzexi]

I loved listening to you talk about the music, it’s like an intelligent conversation, deep and refreshing.

[@bringyourownheart]

Don't know who you are...or how I found this channel. BUT...starting off the video without saying anything or some nonsense hey guys, this is a vibe and I'm NOW here for it.

[@unadventurer_]

This channel is good as fuck. You landed in the right place 🤘😎🤘

[@ClownWorld242]

This track paired with the scene in "Snatch" is absolute magic. Every time I listen I see that scene.

[@TheOriginalHairyDave]

If you're interested in something else that feels like some enormous plodding creature, try giving Lustmord's new album, "Much Unseen Is Also Here" a listen. The first track, "Behold A Voice As Thunder" is literally supposed to convey the sense of a titanic being approaching.

[@horseenthusiast9903]

Damn! Just two minutes in and I'm already absolutely digging it. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@bhavearth]

this album is a masterpiece. there's no other music album that I can that come close to the quality of the mastering. listen in hi-res on good DAC + iem/headphone...

[@babylonbroken]

such a trip watching someone listen to this and really be in to it. Mezzanine is one of the greats. Trip Hop as a genre deserves more global reknown.

[@mikewyga4616]

Great breakdown!! Came for the bass, stayed for the.....bass, and everthing else. Gotta love an agressive slow jam. Also your teapdrop breakdown is super nerdy and I am fully here for it! If you're sprialing down trip hop's history give Portishead a spin. I assume you know them but if not thats a guaranteed win. Another new artist, and I do mean artist, you might want to check out is Ren. Most people meet Ren through a song called Hi Ren but you do what you want.

[@neobscura]

The beat you're thinking about in the matrix part is Clubbed to Death from Rob Dougan and the style is big beat. Very famous style in the era which has kinda disappeared these days.

[@stevecarter8810]

I always felt this song owed a nod to led Zeppelin's when the levee breaks

[@moog5260]

big in the 90s, kind of the upbeat brother of trip hop

[@neobscura]

@@moog5260 Yup. Both very good and sadly not really that common anymore.

[@smithc21972]

Correct! And I think (I could be totally wrong) it's an interpolation of the funky drummer sample everyone was using in the 90s.

[@jonasjakobsson9006]

Love this song! reminds me of this album in way

[@epob4961]

Great analysis. I haven't listend to this with big headphones on in ages. Glad I did!

[@AR-fb2cz]

What an album, one of the best guitar (ambient) albums ever. Bruschinis guitar work is simply outstanding. Brilliant record.

[@pinewavestudio]

This record is a complete masterpiece. I'd love to hear your breakdowns on the rest of the tracks!

[@IanMcCausland]

the mash up of dub and metal it feels like a bomber coming over the horizon to bomb your heart, drop its ordinance and move on.

[@Strafuzz]

Stealth Bomber