The 1998 album marked a turn for the trip-hop visionary band’s to the dark side.
Niall is joined by Craig Fitzpatrick discuss the record in front of a live audience at at Listen Closely, our series of monthly album listening parties in the Big Romance.
Massive Attack – Mezzanine (1998)
The third album from the British pioneers radically reshaped the band’s own bright trip-hop, soul and hip-hop with darker tones of electronic, industrial, and gothic distorted guitars.
Mezzanine eschews the band’s trademark warmth for magnified atmospheres drawing on paranoia, negative space, and whispered vocals to create a mood that mirrored the anxieties of the digital age.
The album caused internal drama. The dark, guitar-heavy vibe of Mezzanine pushed the band into new territory, but it also led to major tension.
We revisit the record and talk about the band’s career’s highs, lows and live shows in The Big Romance with a live audience.
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Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
