UNLEASHED was previously released under the title DANNY THE DOG on Virgin (74393).
Includes 2 bonus tracks.
Massive Attack: Lorna Marshall (vocals); Neil Davidge (guitar, keyboards); Mike Mooney, Angelo Bruschini (guitar); Stuart Gordon (violin); Louise Jeffrey (piano); John Baggott (keyboards); Sean Cook (bass guitar); Damon Reece, Johnny Mattock (drums); Alex Swift (programming).
Personnel: RZA, Thea.
Recording information: 2004.
Massive Attack's brooding, atmospheric trip-hop has always had a cinematic quality, so it is no surprise they were tapped by director Louis Leterrier to compose the score for his film UNLEASHED (formerly titled DANNY THE DOG). The soundtrack is strictly instrumental, and while longtime fans may miss the group's vocals, the variety and depth of the music more than compensates for this. Unlike the of-a-piece mood of albums like MEZZANINE, UNLEASHED is a varied stylistic collage that references techno, industrial, dub, ambient, and film music.
Cuts like the piano-and-strings duet on "You've Never Had a Dream" or the pulsing, eerie "Opening Title" are sweeping and evocative, perfectly suited to accompanying images on the big screen. The mood veers from delicate and melancholic (the music-box melody of "Two Rocks and a Cup of Water") to aggressive and mesmerizing ("The Dog Obeys," the skittery house rhythms in "Atta Boy"). The musical palette is so broad here, in fact, there is little that recalls the band's earliest work (except perhaps the deep, floating groove of "Polaroid Girl"). UNLEASHED may be Massive Attack's most ambitious and intriguing effort, in its dynamic range, coloring, and compelling blend of electronica and film music.
What the critics say...
Uncut (p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Obsessives will find much meaning herein..."
CMJ (p.5) - "Massive Attack has developed a much darker, apocalyptic feel to its soundscapes, yet these icy tracks are more dramatic than they are downers."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 - "DANNY THE DOG strays across a range of styles: minimal piano-and-drone sequences reminiscent of early '80s Eno, sentimental string sections, grungy acid break-beats and intense, claustrophobic interludes..."
