Bucking the trip hop sound they invented, Massive Attack turns up the volume on their third full-length collection.  The title means "a partial story between two main stories of a building," or "the lower balcony in a theatre," and the album seems to be about the psychological and spiritual crises that comes with emotional distance and urban malaise.  "Angel" starts things off with a slow-tempo pulse and droning bassline, then kicks in with snarling guitar.  It sets the tone for the rest of the album: dark and uneasy.  "Risingson" comes in with 3D and Daddy G trading rhymes, mostly weary and cynical. "Teardrop" is naturally the first single, with Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins fame laying down her trademark loopy melodies and dense lyrics to gentle tick tock rhythms.  A nice song, but not the best track.  Sara Jay's vocals on "Dissolved Girl" come off a bit affected for me; too bad, because the track rocks otherwise.  Horace Andy returns with a spirited performance on "Man Next Door," apparently an old reggae tune about a troublesome neighbor and a quest for peace and quiet.  Throughout the record the beats fall heavily, the rhymes ultra-smooth.  Massive Attack has always been about "cool," with 3D, Tricky, and Daddy G dropping hyper cool lyrics, but here the feeling is one of coldness, not coolness.  Relationships are difficult to maintain, if wanted in the first place.  Nightlife is not very lively.  An expunging is in order.   On the title track we hear the chorus, "all these have flaws."  This album is so much more complex in tone and texture than any of their previous work, apparently due to years of strain and the pressures of performing.  I like it a lot, but for different reasons than their earlier stuff.  Don't be surprised if this is the last we hear of Massive Attack as a group.  Enjoy it now.  Keep an eye on their   Melankolic  label for future activity.  

<<<return