A different kind of Massive Atack album

100th Window was the first album by Massive Attack for me.
The fourth studio album had just appeared at my new purchase in February 2003, which is why I
probably just decided for this and not for the more well-known albums like Mezzanine or Protection.
After first hearing this CD not yet captivated me completely, perhaps because I was expecting something else. It is not like the others Massive Attack albums, perhaps also because of the fact that only Robert 3D the Ninja is involved (one of the founding members of Massive Attack). The second member Grantley Marshall then took a paternity break and Andrew Vowles left the band after a mezzanine, as he did not like the musical development of the band. So the new direction tended much more to slower beats and dark sounds, which already struck the predecessor mezzanine.
But even more clearly showed the change in the album 100th Window, whose musical interpretation also split the fan base. The development is a step by which each band must deal in my opinion and Massive Attack, this is very well done with 100th Window. The true greatness of this album revealed itself to me only after repeated listening, especially with headphones I realized how good this album was produced. This is especially noticeable in the interplay of clearly defined bass lines with the very fine high samples which was brought to me with the song A Prayer for England "to perfection. Like on older albums of Massive Attack, the pieces are very well by guest vocalists such as Sinead O'Connor, Horace Andy and Damon Albern rounded by Gorillaz.
The whole album pervades as a meditative mood, which makes it a kind of concept album for me. Therein lies the strength of 100th Window, and making it into something very special and for me even after prolonged listening to a must-have album in electronic music. Anyone looking for the typical sound of Massive Attack will be perhaps disappointed by 100th Window and should prefer to buy albums like Protection or mezzanine.
But each of the produced looking for very good electronic music is and takes more time for this CD
as it is by listening only once quickly be disappointed by this album.