History Music / MassiveAttack

--> -- "Mezzanine"

Massive Attack are a Bristol-based band formed out of the Wild Bunch soundsystem in the late 1980s, credited with [[TropeMaker creating the genre]] of trip-hop along with contemporaries {{Portishead}} (and arguably DJShadow too).

They don't much like being pigeonholed into the label of "trip-hop," though, which is probably why every album they've made so far is a NewSoundAlbum. Their 1991 debut ''Blue Lines'' represented the aforementioned launch of trip-hop. ''Protection'' (1994) added more reggae, dub and soul influences to go with a more elaborate production. ''Mezzanine'' (1998) attracted an {{alternative rock}} audience, thanks to its DarkerAndEdgier sound and addition of harsher beats and {{grunge}}y guitar riffs. ''100th Window'' (2003) continued the DarkerAndEdgier bent of ''Mezzanine'', but dialed down the alt-rock influences. Their most recent album ''Heligoland'' (2010) sort of returns to their minimalist ''Blue Lines'' sound but remains just as grimdark as the previous three.

The group's original line-up consisted of Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grantley "Daddy G" Marshall and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles. Vowles left the group after the release of 1998's ''Mezzanine'', citing creative differences. Massive Attack are well-known for featuring a large number of guest vocalists in their songs; reggae singer Horace Andy has appeared on all of their albums and Tricky performed on ''Blue Lines'' and ''Protection'' before leaving for a solo career. Other similar collaborators have included Shara Nelson (''Blue Lines''), Tracey Thorn and Nicolette (''Protection''), [[Music/CocteauTwins Elisabeth Fraser]] and Sara Jay (''Mezzanine''), Sinéad O'Connor and [[Music/{{Blur}} Damon Albarn]] (''100th Window''), and [[TVOnTheRadio Tunde Adebimpe]], [[MazzyStar Hope Sandoval]] and [[Music/{{Gorillaz}} Damon]] [[Music/{{Blur}} Albarn]] again (''Heligoland'').

* ''Mezzanine'' (1998)

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Mezzanine''.

* BrokenRecord: "Angel". **loveyouloveyouloveyouloveyou**...

* BrokenRecord: "Angel". *loveyouloveyouloveyouloveyou*...

* {{Autotune}}: Used to disturbing but awesome stylistic effect on "Butterfly Caught." Del Naja's already creepy whisper is shifted to such perfect pitch that he sounds entirely inhuman.

* DreamTeam: Their {{Burial}} collaboration.

** It's more obvious in some songs than in others- the chorus of "Inertia Creeps" is basically just "moving up slowly/she comes," and a prominent line in "Mezzanine" is "don't frown/tastes better on the way back down." Actually, pretty much the only songs on the album that don't have this are "Exchange," "Man Next Door," and maybe "Group Four" depending on one's interpretation.

* NonAppearingTitle: Frequently.
* {{Sampling}}: Also frequently. The original version of ''Mezzanine'''s "Black Milk" led to a lawsuit from Manfred Mann, whose Earth Band song "Tribute" was used as a base without permission - Del Naja explained that they were led to believe that their sample fell within "fair use" limits and were surprised to discover they had sampled the entire song; later releases on ''Collected'' retitled the song "Black Melt" and replaced "Tribute" with a different sample.

* RealSongThemeTune: Most notably, ''Series/{{House}}'' uses an instrumental cut of "Teardrop" as its theme. In addition, the band's songs are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Attack_discography#Media_usage commonly used]] in media, even though not neccesarily for theme tunes.

The group's original line-up consisted of Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grantley "Daddy G" Marshall and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles. Vowles left the group after the release of 1998's ''Mezzanine'', citing creative differences. Massive Attack are well-known for featuring a large number of guest vocalists in their songs; reggae singer Horace Andy has appeared on all of their albums and Tricky performed on ''Blue Lines'' and ''Protection'' before leaving for a solo career. Other similar collaborators have included Shara Nelson (''Blue Lines''), Tracey Thorn and Nicolette (''Protection''), [[CocteauTwins Elisabeth Fraser]] and Sara Jay (''Mezzanine''), Sinéad O'Connor and [[Music/{{Blur}} Damon Albarn]] (''100th Window''), and [[TVOnTheRadio Tunde Adebimpe]], [[MazzyStar Hope Sandoval]] and [[{{Gorillaz}} Damon]] [[Music/{{Blur}} Albarn]] (''Heligoland'').

* CoverVersion: Most obviously, a horrible live one of TheDoors' "Light My Fire" on ''Protection''. Several other songs ("Be Thankful for What You've Got", "Man Next Door") are [[CoveredUp covers of much less well-known originals]], while "Angel" is a version of vocalist Horace Andy's earlier song "You Are My Angel".

We flew and strolled as two eliminated gently

* NonAppearingTitle: Frequently.

->''"I'm a little curious of you in crowded scenes \\

We flew and strolled as two eliminated gently\\
Why don't you close your eyes and reinvent me?"''
-->-- "Mezzanine"

-->"I'm a little curious of you in crowded scenes
-->And how serene your friends and fiends
-->We flew and strolled as two eliminated gently
-->Why don't you close your eyes and reinvent me?"
--->'''Massive Attack,''' "Mezzanine"

* SurrealMusicVideo: "Karmacoma" has a large number of tributes to ''TheShining''. "Teardrop" features a CGI fetus lip-syncing to Elizabeth Fraser's vocals. "Butterfly Caught" is a man sitting in his room as a butterfly tattoo on his face metamorphoses and eventually spreads over his entire body.

They don't much like being pigeonholed into the label of "trip-hop," though, which is probably why every album they've made so far is a NewSoundAlbum. Their 1991 debut ''Blue Lines'' represented the aforementioned launch of trip-hop. ''Protection'' (1994) added more reggae, dub and soul influences to go with a more elaborate production. ''Mezzanine'' (1998) attracted an {{alternative rock}} audience, thanks to its DarkerAndEdgier sound and addition of harsher beats and {{grunge}}y riffs. ''100th Window'' (2003) continued the DarkerAndEdgier bent of ''Mezzanine'', but dialed down the alt-rock influences. Their most recent album ''Heligoland'' (2010) sort of returns to their minimalist ''Blue Lines'' sound but remains just as grimdark as the previous three.

[[quoteright:358:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ma.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:358:3D, Daddy G and Mushroom]]

* {{Music/Instrumentals}}: "Weather Storm" and "Heat Miser" on ''Protection'', as well as the first track that's titled "(Exchange)" on ''Mezzanine'' (which later appears with a vocal track at the end of the same album).

* {{Autotune}}: Used to [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel disturbing but awesome]] stylistic effect on "Butterfly Caught." Del Naja's already creepy whisper is shifted to such perfect pitch that he sounds entirely inhuman.

* {{Autotune}}: Used to [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel disturbing but awesome effect]] on "Butterfly Caught;" Del Naja's voice is flattened and made into a CreepyMonotone that crackles and switches octaves at random points.

* EpicRiff: "Atlas Air" has one of the most memorably catchy riffs known to man.

* RealSongThemeTune: Most notably, ''{{House}}'' uses an instrumental cut of "Teardrop" as its theme. In addition, the band's songs are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Attack_discography#Media_usage commonly used]] in media, even though not neccesarily for theme tunes.

Massive Attack are a Bristol-based band formed out of the Wild Bunch soundsystem in the late 1980s, credited with [[GenreLaunch launching the genre]] of trip-hop along with contemporaries {{Portishead}} (and arguably DJShadow too).

* AudioErotica: The vocals for "Paradise Circus" are probably intended as this.

* {{Music/Instrumentals}}: The "Exchange" interludes on ''Mezzanine'', "Weather Storm" and "Heat Miser" on ''Protection''.