Rocktrospectiva: The Sound Resurrection Of "Heligoland" Turns 15

Released on 8 February 2010, "Heligoland" was the fifth studio album by English electronic music duo Massive Attack. Named after a German archipelago, it was their first studio album in seven years, following 100th Window (2003). It was also the first album to feature Daddy G since Mezzanine (1998), therefore making it the first album by the band to be recorded as a duo. It also features recurring guest vocalists Horace Andy and Damon Albarn along with Martina Topley-Bird, Guy Garvey, Tunde Adebimpe and Hope Sandoval. The album spawned two singles "Psyche" & "Paradise Circus".

It took nearly five years to recorded it, nevertheless, the ten previously month before the official release, were the most productive, during that period Del Naja and Grant Marshall defined their creativity path, ten months of intense creativity who led the ideas of what does the record should sound, even though, the duo wasn't full convince despite de good ideas, so they return to their native town and started to pick what tracks could work and what not, that was also a good idea for the label, cause they also don't like what they heard begore, back in Bristol everything started to flow, now they had the colaborations they wanted, especially with Damon Albarn but also artists such a Horace Andy, Hope Sandoval, Martina Topley-Bird, Tunde Adebimpe and Guy Garvey, an all-star line up to create the record full of expectations, at the end, the duo and the album achieved what they were expected.

One of the finest colabborations was with the Jamaican Horace Andy, a key character on the album, basically because Andy is a legend and he connects with literally what does the band means, his style and reggae roots full of history in the United States, the UK and Jamaica. "Heligoland" is the name of a small German island placed in the North Sea, a 2kms., triangular-shaped place, it was also used as a Nazi work field, but nowadays it's a fine place to take a rest, according to Daddy G, the title comes from something he saw on a book, you can take a lot of words from that, they we discovered it was about a little island in the North Sea, for Del Naja, it's about the history of this place, the struggle on it's own definition, linked with the loony portrait of the album, a lot of thing can come out.

All over the ten track, you can hear a load of protest, counter culture and passion to think and reflex, the opener "Pray For Rain" introduce the fine voice of Tunde adebimpe, with a vintage sound and shallow melodies as a base for the pray for rain by Adebimpe, "Babel", uses the voice of Maetin Topley-Bird the female voice of Tricky's first three records, her presence is astonishing, the sound is full of breakbeats and industrial noises that highlighted Martina's voice. "Splitting The Atom", the jewel of the crown by Horace Andy, and co-written with Damon Albarn and a narrative by Del Naja, as a way to talk about the social and politician panorama now broken, but actually it has been like that, when the band started there was the Gulf War, then when released "Blue Lines" it was the economic depression and unemployed, there was a raise in fascism and nowadays (back then) the panorama was the same. "Girl I Love You", another Horace Andy perform, and agressive sound with a subsonic bass line and a simple beat but persistent, "Psyche", lopps with strings and several Spaniard and Latin sound, again Martina Topley-Bird performance, who sings as a seduction. 

Then comes "Flat Of The Blade" with Guy Carvey from Elbow as a guest, a pretty Massive Attack style, slow but sure under a constant evolution, percussion is remarkable, "Paradise Circus", a dub bass line with Hope Sandoval performing, "Rush Minute" is under Del Naja voice with even more clear references to Massive Attack, and the finish "Saturday Come Slow" performed by Damon Albarn, an acoustic piece with intense percussion that clearly connects Albarn with the sound, "Atlas Air" is the best track to close the record a dance of synths with a deep base as a reminiscense of the trip-hop days.

Heligoland remains fifteen years after its released, with a intense narrative and even a fresh sound and vibe proposal appealing to a world still remains in disorder and chaos.  

 

Heligoland Track List: 

1. Pray For Rain

2. Babel

3. Splitting The Atom

4. Girl I Love You

5. Psyche

6. Flat Of The Blade

7. Paradise Circus

8. Rush Minute

9. Saturday Come Slow

10. Atlas Air