Another 'quid at the boot fair' acquisition from the weekend. I'd enjoyed Protection and Mezzanine a decade earlier, but subsequent stuff hadn't moved me.
I think the novelty of their work dimmed after Protection, and the songs were forced to stand up in their own right a bit more, and in some cases found wanting.
So I haven't heard this, their most recent (final?) album until now. Pray For Rain opens, with vocals from TV On The Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, a slow, and steady start to the album, with Martina Topley-Bird contributing Babel, a fairly ordinary song, pleasant, nevertheless. Old friend Horace Andy returns on Splitting The Atom, a brooding but unexceptional track, although Girl I Love You is a little more upbeat and interesting, and the sparse, repetitive guitar theme on Psycho (Topley-Bird) has a certain simple appeal. Elbow's Guy Garvey pops up on the electronic Flat Of The Blade, perhaps not his finest hour, but Paradise Circus, sung by Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval is a lovely piece. Rush Minute kind of flows along, pleasant but not really impacting, as does Saturday Come Slow, featuring Damon Albarn.
Final track Atlas Air just feels so Massive Attack, extended, laidback, and a gentle run out.
But sadly, I'm not convinced. The songs don't feel strong, and nearly twenty years after Blue Lines the arrangement no longer seems innovative. However, it's a pleasant listen, but don't expect to be blown away.
3* - enough to listen to, not enough to get excited about
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