Tripped Up: Massive Attack, 'Heligoland'

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COMPARED WITH PORTISHEAD'S fantastic 2008 album "Third," Massive Attack's fifth and newest LP, "Heligoland," is a perfect example of the student surpassing the teacher.

Both bands were prominent in Bristol's mid-1990s trip-hop scene, with Massive Attack widely regarded as the grandfather of the movement upon the release of its outstanding 1991 album "Blue Lines."

Then both bands took long hiatuses: Portishead's previous studio album was released in 1997, and Massive Attack has been focused on soundtrack work (the Jet Li flick "Unleashed" and a Hurricane Katrina documentary titled "Trouble the Water") since its 2003 snoozer of an album, "100th Window".

But where Portishead modernized its trademark sound with a new urgency and uneasiness on "Third," Massive Attack's "Heligoland" sounds more like a re-tread of its 1990s sound rather than a reinvigoration.

There are, of course, worse things to emulate, and so "Heligoland" is certainly a pleasant, nostalgic listen, with a star-studded list of guest vocalists reminiscent of the collaborators the group used on 1995's "Protection." But ultimately, the album leaves Massive Attack sounding like it's still stuck in the past.

The closest Massive Attack gets to a breakthrough is on "Paradise Circus," which is sung by Hope Sandoval. She's an obvious choice for a guest vocalist, given Mazzy Star's dreamy, downtempo vibe, and her dejected sigh imbues the song with deep sadness.

But other tunes don't make maximum use of their vocalists: TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe sings on the trancelike "Pray for Rain," but the song fails to grow, despite its nearly 7-minute length, and never achieves the passion that Adebimpe brings to his own band's work. He would've been a better choice for "Saturday Come Slow," with its fervent cries of "Do you love me? Do you love me?" Instead, that song is tackled by Damon Albarn, whose nasally whine grates rather than pleads, an unfortunate choice for a composition whose instrumentation is among the most dreamlike and intense of the album.

Other songs fare worse: one-time Tricky protege Martina Topley-Bird's two contributions ("Babel" and "Psyche") fall flat, and the electronic "Atlas Air" closes the album with a whimper.

Were it conceived by any other, lesser group, "Heligoland" would likely win points for re-kindling the dying embers of trip-hop's heyday. But as a Massive Attack album — particularly as a Massive Attack album in the year 2010 — it ultimately fails. This is a group that was known for its cutting-edge approach to fusing hip-hop, soul and countless other influences. Even with a few great tracks on "Heligoland," it's disappointing to see this group grasping backward at ideas from its past rather than channeling its innovation into a new sound.

Written by Express contributor Catherine Lewis

Photos courtesy EMI Publicity