Massive Attack - 100th Window
Label:
Catalog#:
7243 5 81239 2 0
Format:
CD, Album
Country:
US
Released:
11 Feb 2003
Genre:
Electronic
Style:
Leftfield,
Trip Hop,
Downtempo
Tracklist
| 1 | Future Proof | 5:38 | X | |
| 2 | What Your Soul Sings | 6:38 | X | |
| Vocals - Sinéad O'Connor | ||||
| 3 | Everywhen | 7:39 | X | |
| Vocals - Horace Andy | ||||
| 4 | Special Cases | 5:09 | X | |
| Vocals - Sinéad O'Connor | ||||
| 5 | Butterfly Caught | 7:34 | X | |
| 6 | A Prayer For England | 5:48 | X | |
| Vocals - Sinéad O'Connor | ||||
| 7 | Small Time Shot Away | 7:59 | X | |
| Vocals - Damon Albarn | ||||
| 8 | Name Taken | 7:49 | X | |
| Vocals - Horace Andy | ||||
| 9 | Antistar | 19:40 | X | |
Credits
Bass -
Jon Harris
Conductor [Strings] - Craig Pruess
Drums - Damon Reece
Guitar - Angelo Bruschini
Harp - Skaila Kanga
Mastered By - Tim Young
Mixed By - Mark [Spike] Stent*
Mixed By [Assistant] - David Treahearn , Paul 'P-Dub' Walton (tracks: Paul [P-Dub] Walton) , Robert Haggett*
Programmed By, Keyboards [Additional] - Alex Swift
Recorded By [Strings] - Mike Ross (2)
Recorded By, Engineer - Lee Shephard
Strings [Arrangement] - Craig Pruess , Neil Davidge , Robert Del Naja
Violin - Stuart Gordon
Written-By - Sinéad O'Connor (tracks: 2, 4, 6)
Written-By, Producer - Neil Davidge , Robert Del Naja
Conductor [Strings] - Craig Pruess
Drums - Damon Reece
Guitar - Angelo Bruschini
Harp - Skaila Kanga
Mastered By - Tim Young
Mixed By - Mark [Spike] Stent*
Mixed By [Assistant] - David Treahearn , Paul 'P-Dub' Walton (tracks: Paul [P-Dub] Walton) , Robert Haggett*
Programmed By, Keyboards [Additional] - Alex Swift
Recorded By [Strings] - Mike Ross (2)
Recorded By, Engineer - Lee Shephard
Strings [Arrangement] - Craig Pruess , Neil Davidge , Robert Del Naja
Violin - Stuart Gordon
Written-By - Sinéad O'Connor (tracks: 2, 4, 6)
Written-By, Producer - Neil Davidge , Robert Del Naja
Notes
Track 9 "Antistar" is actually 8:18 in length. There is then 29 seconds of silence before a hidden instrumental track plays. This track is 10:53 in length.
Recommendations
-
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (CD, Album)
-
Massive Attack - Protection (CD, Album)
-
Massive Attack - Blue Lines (CD, Album)
-
Kruder Dorfmeister* - The K&D Sessions™ (2xCD, Dig)
-
Tricky - Maxinquaye (CD, Album)
▸ show all 3 reviews
Reviews & Discussion
An album unduly slated as a disappointment compared to previous Massive Attack output, which couldn't be further from the proof. Six years on and unsuspecting compositions like "Everywhen" and "Smalltime Shot Away" are as poignantly deep and emotive today as they were upon release. Reverent, reserved, brooding and foreboding, this is my personal favorite MA album (with Mezzanine trailing somewhat behind) and I'm anxiously awaiting the new material set for release in 2009.
Not Massive Attack's best album, but 100TH WINDOW is still an album of impressive beauty and menace. Sinead O'Connor takes the role of chanteuse du jour, and her fragile voice accompanies the lonesome guitar and wistful harp chords on "What Your Soul Sings" with startling fragility. Later, on “Special Cases,” she makes her whisper into more of a growl. Frequent collaborator Horace Andy also lends his vocals: on “Everywhen,” he adds a grace note amongst the dub effects. He also works well with faster tempo, as on “Name Taken.” As with other Massive Attack albums, the overall feel of 100TH WINDOW is one of dense sonic paranoia (“Butterfly Caught” is a good example of this; it’s bass growls with tension), but also has fewer songs to lighten the mood somewhat. “A Prayer for England” is both gorgeous and depressing. And I’ve never thought that Robert Del Naja was the best vocalist, but his grizzled voice matches the overall tone.
The album that would never please anybody. Since reviewers often call one of massive attack's prior albums "the greatest ever" and then label the others "disappointing" this album will always be derided because it is most definitely not "the greatest ever." If you can step out of that mindset you are left with an excellent album that is worth a listen.