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Heligoland [+digital booklet]
 
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Heligoland [+digital booklet]

Massive AttackMP3 Music
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)

Price: $7.99
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Album Savings: $4.91 compared to buying all songs

  • This version contains: 10 songs and 1 digital booklet
  • Original Release Date: February 5, 2010
  • Format - Music: MP3, Digital Booklet PDF
  • Compatible with MP3 Players (including with iPod®), iTunes, Windows Media Player
 
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  Title Time Price  
Play   1. Pray For Rain 6:44 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   2. Babel 5:19 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   3. Splitting The Atom 5:16 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   4. Girl I Love You 5:26 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   5. Psyche 3:24 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   6. Flat Of The Blade 5:30 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   7. Paradise Circus 4:57 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   8. Rush Minute 4:51 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play   9. Saturday Come Slow 3:43 $1.29  Buy MP3 
Play 10. Atlas Air (Instrumental) 7:48 $1.29  Buy MP3 
  Digital Booklet: Heligoland n/a Album Only  
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Product Details

  • Original Release Date: February 5, 2010
  • Release Date: February 5, 2010
  • Label: Virgin Records
  • Copyright: (C) 2010 Virgin Records Ltd This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) 2010 EMI Records Ltd
  • Total Length: 52:58
  • Genres:
  • ASIN: B0035RVU54
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,454 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

This however is not a good album. Justin C. Smith  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
I heard a preview of this CD on NPR and liked what I heard. Minnie Min  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
96 of 101 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Massive Attack albums are rarely immediate. Same with Heligoland: at first, the synths at the beginning of "Splitting The Atom" and "Flat Of The Blade" sound off-key and simplistic. I heard the three-note lead in "Paradise Circus" and wondered how on earth that simple sound could sustain a five-minute song.

But when I listened to "Paradise Circus" a few times, my perception started to change. The clattering, echoing drum track combined with the lead to create an eerie atmosphere. Above all, the song has possibly the most intimate vocal performance of any Massive Attack song. Hope Sandoval's voice is scratchy, but the way you can hear every minute shift in her throat, together with the deliberately slow pace of the vocal, gives an impression of a wide-awake, intensely focused late-night rumination. It's a remarkably sexy song, but it also expresses uncomfortable qualms: the lyrics say that "the devil makes us sin," and that's exactly how the song sounds, like someone giving in to temptation, but feeling uneasy about possible divine repercussions.

The entire album is characterized by this subtle feeling, like constantly looking back over one's shoulder. Heligoland sounds softer and more electronic than, say, Mezzanine, without those overdriven guitars. But it also sounds much more swampy and dissonant (maybe "sullen" might be a good word to describe the tone of the drums in "Pray For Rain") than Protection. This makes it difficult to like the album on the first listen, but at some point, one starts to appreciate the spooky, off-kilter atmosphere.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars mixed February 26, 2010
By ChefBum
Format:Audio CD
I was looking forward to Massive Attack's latest release, coming a number of years after "1000th Window".

I've always enjoyed Massive Attack's music, right from "Blue Lines" and past "Mezzanine". The mix varies from record to record, with "Blue Lines" being very much hip-hop oriented, whereas "Mezzanine" is very dark and sounds almost like rock in some places. "Protection" is somewhere in between the two. Massive Attack always mixes it up, and sometimes are unclassifiable in terms of genre.

This latest review seems to be another sign of the times. I also have Portishead's latest "Third", and it appears that the two bands have been comparing notes. The latest albums from both reflect a similar aesthetic, with more sparse beats, particularly in the first few tracks of this release. However, I feel a bit manipulated, as though the track order is the band's deliberate way of setting up listeners for a new experience. Only later tracks on this release start to resemble what we have come to expect from this band.

Overall, it only works in parts. The first track, "Pray for Rain" is the best example of this new, sparse aesthetic. It's almost acapella. But as things get better deeper into the disc, it appears that Massive Attack has become more abashedly derivative. "Rush Minute" has EXACTLY the same opening drum line as Bauhaus' "Bela Lugosi is Dead", but fails to do anywhere near as much with it as the song progresses. In fact, the entire song seems to be based on that classic drum line. It's not a *bad* song, but haven't you come to expect a bit more originality from these guys?

And in another song, I hear exactly the same simple, three-note dark chromatic minor chord progression that is used as the theme song to "28 Weeks Later".
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Hmmm... February 10, 2010
By Tim
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
At first I thought this album lacked cohesion, and only a few songs really stood out.

I'm editing my review 1.5 years later to say that I appreciate this album for what it is, and have grown to thoroughly enjoy it. Even the stranger tracks (notably "Flat of the Blade") have grown on me.

So, I'm deleting my original review and adding a star. Well done, MA. I still have my fingers crossed that one day you might just release all those other tracks that didn't make the final Heligoland cut.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Only Time will give us a Better Understanding March 12, 2010
Format:Audio CD
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this album. This has somewhat turned into a Curveball or Changeup that, Now that I've figured out it's not what I orginally thought it was, I have time to recollect and wait on it.
Out of 10 songs, there are 6 that I immediately bite on. The other 4 are still up in the air (for me).

1.) The biggest thing I've noticed about Reviewers thus far, is the complete Lack of ANYTHING, Like or Dislike, for the #6 song "Flat On The Blade." For me, there's something very Awe-Inspiring and Powerful in the latter-half of the song once the Brass and Strings kick in along with the combination of the lyrics with Guy Garvey's voice. I think the lyrics here are the strongest of the Entire album, and at least for me, EPITOMIZE what Massive Attack means to me. Very straight-forward lyrics (that aren't that straight-forward once you really think about it) with very Confident (almost Cocky) delivery.
"I'm not good in a crowd - I've got Skills I can't speak of - Things I've seen will Chase me to the Grave - How does it feel? The weight of the Steel? The Flat of the Blade? How does it feel to Kneel in Defeat to the choices you've made?- Take it they give it, and Rivet for Rivet, I will Build for my Family a Bulletprooof Love."
I guess call me crazy, but those aren't lyrics that I can just TOSS to the side and be like "Ehh, dull, next song." Anybody who does that, is FAR more simplistic and simple-minded than they give themselves credit for. I've been thinking about these lyrics alone for 3 DAYS now.
I think the reason I like this song so much is because it feels VERY reminiscent of Radiohead's "Pyramid Song.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Collected but still distinctive
Especially liked Paradise Circus which I first heard as the theme for Luther. They are good enough that I have as a channel on Pandora.
Published 5 months ago by Steven J. Felton
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Massive Attack
Outstanding album. When I discovered Massive Attack's Mezzanine, I was convinced it was their best CD. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Overhed
5.0 out of 5 stars Very warm sound. Highly recommended.
It is very different from 100th window and I'm really glad about that. It is similar to Mezzanine because Grant has worked on it too but the sound is much warmer.
Published 11 months ago by Lyubomir Minkovski
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it, after a few listens.
Great release. My measure of a really good album is the growth factor, in that it gets better and better and "grows" with each listen. Read more
Published 19 months ago by S. Langston
5.0 out of 5 stars Permanent Rotation
Awesome album. 3D and Daddy G have gone beyond on this one and where they were was pretty fantastic. Every track is strong and the production skills are amazing. Read more
Published 19 months ago by ciphersort
4.0 out of 5 stars Not Mezzanine or Blue Lines, but close.
I have loved Massive Attack ever since I first heard "Unfinished Sympathy," an exquisite song on a good soundtrack for a terrible movie (Sliver). Read more
Published 21 months ago by Erik Russell Olson
4.0 out of 5 stars First Massive Attack for me
I had never heard of Massive Attack prior to watching the television show "Luther", which has Paradise Circus as their intro.

First listen was a little slow for me. Read more
Published on June 5, 2011 by sixdemonbag
3.0 out of 5 stars Kind of weak
We've heard better from Massive Attack. A couple of strong songs but the album never made it into my regular mix. Don't blame me if I compare this to Mezzanine--blame MA. Read more
Published on April 14, 2011 by Picturesque Music
4.0 out of 5 stars Not their best work, but a return to form with a lively guest roster
Released in 2010, HELIGOLAND was the first team effort by Massive Attack in over a decade, as the interim 100TH WINDOW was mainly a Robert "3D" Del Naja solo effort. Read more
Published on April 13, 2011 by Christopher Culver
5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the shadow of a doubt...
I started quite late in listening MA, just a few years ago (naturally having started with Blue Lines and Mezzarine). Meanwhile I own 4 records. This one for sure is the best. Read more
Published on January 7, 2011 by Amazonion
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Massive Attack - Heligoland
I LOVE "100th Window"!! It's dark and encompassing, haunting and unique. The sign of a band not afraid to take chances. This new one, on the other hand, initially sounds rather incomplete in some cases, and sparse - something MA have never been before. I vote for "Splitting the... Read more
Feb 4, 2010 by David Parker |  See all 10 posts
Where is "United Snakes"?
It's on the vinyl.
Jun 24, 2011 by M. Cloney |  See all 2 posts
Heligoland - Screwed by pre-ordering
Yes. I dont understand why i got only the 10 song version because of pre-ordering! I dont think that was made clear at all!
Feb 10, 2010 by Paddy |  See all 12 posts
Massive Attack - Paradise Circus Be the first to reply
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