tempobet yeni adresi
like this album classics review

03/10/2015 : MASSIVE ATTACK - Blue Lines

MASSIVE ATTACK

Blue Lines

MusicAlbum Classics
Trip Hop

[100/100]   

Virgin Records
03/10/2015, Didier BECU

1991 was a scary year. After two weeks, we knew that the world would be involved in a dangerous war. It was frightening to see images of jets that were bombing Baghdad, and we never forget the pilots who proudly stated that the effect was just the same as that of a Christmas tree. So yes, 1991 would become a very dark year, and not only because of the guns, but also music wise. Out of a sudden, the video of Unfinished Sympathy was screened every hour on MTV. It is perhaps the most depressive video thatwas ever made. It’s quite simple done, but no one can forget the images of Shara Nelson who is walking through the streets of Los Angeles watching all the misery around her. At that time bands had to be careful, as innocent tracks like War by Edwin Starr or even Abba’s Under Attack (imagine that!) were banned by the BBC because of the Gulf War. Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grantley "Daddy G" Marshall and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles wanted to have a massive airplay for their single, and they took no risks and simply changed their name to Masssive. And it worked, the song became a super hit and until today it is considered as one of the most important songs of the (British) dance scene.

I must admit that it was a strange feeling for me. As a youngster I was addicted to indie music, and yes, of course my feet were moving when hearing something like Rappers Delight by Sugarhill Gang, but I was never into rap or hiphop at all. Apart from some albums by Prince and Michael Jackson (don’t laugh, he’s a genius), I even had no records of black artists, and there was certainly no soul in my collection. Yes, before you start correcting me, I’m well aware of the fact that Massive Attack is categorized as trip hop, but that term was only invented by British journos three years later. For some reason all these bands seem to come out of Bristol, and so are the pioneers.

Soon after, I was hooked on that song, it was literally a book that came open and I wanted to know more. And what a sound it had! Not only did the collective use genius samples (from PIL to Isaac Hayes), but the lyrics were so damn real. For once you didn’t have to be a black kid from the ghetto who grew up with an UZI to understand what these lines were about. They wrote (in fact, they still do) songs about daily urban life, scary or sad images you see every day, feelings you get every second as this world is unfair (unless you’re a rich kid who doesn’t have to sing that stupid tune by Roger Whittaker). Every song on this album is just perfect, and even almost 25 years later nothing changed. This is pure beauty, and yes, those jets are still bombing the Middle East…

Didier BECU
03/10/2015


Music reviews

09
10
NERO/GRIS
Silenci
07
10
SUBATOMIC STRANGERS
Resuwrecked
01
10
BLOKKONTROLL
I-II-III
28
09
SUNSHINE BLIND
Scarred but Fearless
27
09
DARK MINIMAL PROJECT
Pleasure Is A Sin
26
09
PROMENADE CINEMA
Afterlife

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

NEWS

14
10
43 years of “Wahre Arbeit, Wahrer Lohn” by Die Krupps: A Blueprint for Industrial Resistance
09
10
Baby Turns Blue and 43 today!
03
10
BIMFEST XXIII – 2026 - Full Line-Up Announced!
28
09
De Delvers announces third full-lenght album 'Zwarte Siroop'
27
09
CURSE MACKEY Unveils ‘Imaginary Enemies’, A Darkwave Descent Into Grief & Revelation
25
09
Today, exactly 38 years ago The Klinik released 'Plague'!

Concert reviews

17
08
KRAFTWERK
Royal Palace Open Air - Brussels - August 14 2025
22
04
GAVIN FRIDAY
Live at 404 / De Vooruit - Ghent - 01/04.2025
28
11
BELGIAN ELECTROWAVE IS NOT DEAD 3
Belgian ElectroWave Is Not Dead 3

GET A COPY OF OUR MAGAZINE
SEND TO YOUR HOME

INTERVIEWS

27
09
CORPUS DELICTI
''All is quiet, the motion's cold. I face the wind as I'm taking the road.''
18
09
WHISPERS IN THE SHADOW
This album isn’t about bashing religion and faith. That would be a pretty cheap trick.
17
09
ZWAREMACHINE
We were able to secure the support slot for Front 242. Everything was looking positive until Bas’s cancer reemerged and there were complications.
27
08
BEAUTIFUL FREAKIN' WEIRDO
An Interview With UK Industrial Metal Act, Beautiful Freakin' Weirdo
29
07
EX-VOTO
“Decisions. In a modern time. Transmissions. From the inner mind.“

PHOTOS

21
09
KRUPPS
Kulttempel Oberhausen
12
09
ULTRA SUNN
De Casino St Niklaas
12
09
ULTRA SUNN
De Casino St Niklaas
08
09
AUX ANIMAUX SUPPORT SHE PAST AWAY
Kulttempel Oberhausen
07
09
SHE PAST AWAY
Kulttempel Oberhausen
17
08
NEW MODEL ARMY
Summerkultur Dinslaken
23
07
DUCTAPE
Amphi Festival Keulen

ADVERTISE
IN PEEK-A-BOO

VIDEO CLIPS

17
10
ZANIAS
Unseen (Official Video)
16
10
DOPE
Blood Money
15
10
SOFT CELL
Martin (The Hacker 2025 Remix)
14
10
DARK MINIMAL PROJECT
Schlafen !
13
10
PEAK FLOW
Don't Die In Your Sleep (Remix)
13
10
CRASH COURSE IN SCIENCE
Flying Turns (Live @ BIM 2009)
12
10
COCTEAU TWINS
Hazel