I’m gonna be honest with you people: I am totally hungover. Not the head-splitting, vom-inducing sorta deal, just a straight-up lack of brain cells. I just sat and stared outside at a house — nothing interesting or extraordinary, just a plain old house — for like an entire minute before I realized, “Oh yeah… I’m writing a story.” So what I’m trying to say here is, don’t expect a lot from me. Fortunately, this isn’t about ME, it’s about Massive Attack and their upcoming album, Heligoland, out February 9 on Virgin Records. It’s the follow-up to their recent Splitting the Atom EP, and it has more guest stars than a crappy holiday special. Except it won’t be crappy at all, because it’s got Horace Andy, Daddy G, and 3D working together again, and guest vocals from Damon Albarn, Hope Sandoval, Martina Topley-Bird, Guy Garvey, and Tunde Adebimpe (TV On The Radio). Plus, Portishead’s Adrian Utley and his guitar show up on “Saturday Come Slow,” Damon contributes keyboards on “Splitting the Atom” and bass on “Flat of the Blade,” and even DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy gets involved on several tracks. There’s also “Rush Minute,” Robert del Naja’s affectionate tribute to the Canadian prog band Rush, in which he culls all his favorite moments from 1975’s Caress of Steel album into a 60-second primer of the band.*
In other news, Massive Attack has several U.K. shows in the works, as well as (yay!) a U.S. tour later this year.
Tracklisting:
01. Pray for Rain
02. Babel
03. Splitting the Atom
04. Girl I Love You
05. Psyche
06. Flat of the Blade
07. Paradise Circus
08. Rush Minute
09. Saturday Come Slow
10. Atlas Air
* I totally made this up.