Massive Attack – Blue Lines (1991)

Massive Attack's debut album Blue Lines is widely thought of as the first ever trip hop album. The term trip hop wasn't really used back when this album came out, but it changed the style of electronic music as we had known it before. Massive Attack's songs were slower than most of the electronic music so far and they had a more hypnotic and meditational sound. Looking back in history now, makes it very clear that with this album, something new was born. Nowadays, trip hop is a clear genre with similar rhythm and aesthetic that was mostly born in Bristol in the early 90's. There aren't that many other albums that could be labelled as the first defining album of a certain genre as easily as this one. Personally, I think many albums that came after this are better, but there's no denying the genius of this album on the grounds that it was the fist one of its kind.



For some reason, I remember buying this album really well. My friend had previously made me a mix tape with some Massive Attack songs from the later album Mezzanine, but I didn't really know anything else about this band at that point. I was travelling in Prague with one of my best friends at the time and saw this album with quite a low price at a record store there. I had been intrigued by the band for some time and I decided to buy this one. The first time I listened to it was in my friend's parents' car coming back from the airport. I was a bit surprised by the album. It didn't sound as dark and heavy as the songs I had heard on Mezzanine. Also, the album wasn't as melodic as I had expected. It has some hip hop songs on it as well. At the time, I didn't really care at all for these kinds of musical styles and therefore I think I didn't really listen to this album much after I had bought it. Except the opening track Safe from Harm, which I thought was a terrific song with amazing sounds and melody.

Now, about 15 years later, I listen to Blue Lines and I wonder why I haven't listened to it more. All of the songs that I didn't like at the time now sound really good. Maybe that just says something about how my musical taste has gotten broader and how I've grown to be more open to different musical styles. The second song on the album, One Love is a great hypnotic song that utilises electronic sounds really well while still maintaining a kind of organic sound. Blue Lines is like a slow and hypnotic hip hop song. There's not much of a melody here, but the sounds are great. Be Thankful for What You've Got uses great rhythms and samples at the back of groovy vocal melodies. Five Man Army draws influences from reggae and dub music that I've only started understanding quite recently while living in Brixton. Unfinished Sympathy is a very airy song with huge sounds that sounds a lot like many Moby songs that came a few years after this. Lately sounds like very raunchy funk song with its simple, yet pounding bass line and drums.

Even though I've said praising things about other songs on this album in this text, there's not really any other song that I want to link to than Safe from Harm, so here's its music video. It's a cool black and white music video with the band members performing in a messy block of flats with blinking lights.

It's good to see that my musical taste has broadened enough for me to appreciate this album just as much as the later Massive Attack albums. Right now, it seems clear why this album is praised so highly. It was first of a kind and a truly groundbreaking piece of work.

Listen to the album on Spotify.