Angel

Utter menace, complete annihilation, and love in a world without light are all hinted at in what is perhaps the darkest, heaviest song Massive Attack has ever recorded. The first track on their third LP, 1998's Mezzanine, "Angel" kicks off a set that places the band in dirgier and more organic waters than they had previously tread, as they struggled to overcome the burden of being the superstars they had become. The process of recording this time out was, as Daddy G explained, "[starting] something we've got to finish. It was a much bigger thing than any member of the band." While the beat here is slow, druggy, and deep, what ultimately drives "Angel is the wall of guitars that are reminiscent of a very early Cure. They are relentless, insistent, and hypnotic, and are the perfect foil to the sparse vocals, performed by longtime honorary bandmember Horace Andy. Leaving the safe boundaries of his reggae waters, Andy delivers a performance that takes on tones and implications that one would never expect. When his voice cuts through the music, repeating, "love you, love you, love you," one can't help but think that maybe he doesn't. And, as his voice soars over the sonic crescendo, these two seemingly disparate styles become as supple as glove leather. Within the space of several minutes of utter unease, Massive Attack unravel every popular conception of who they are and what they do in a near apocalyptic re-creation of themselves.