UMC/VIRGIN EMI
Released in 1998, and initially titled Damaged Goods – after the Gang Of Four album, telling of the New Wave records Robert Del Naja sampled in the record’s early stages – Mezzanine’s arrival was heralded by Teardrop, on which, even with her wraithlike tones, Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser proved insufficient to overcome the dominant bleak tension. The generous 50 minutes of accompanying tracks, produced by newcomer Neil Davidge – who gave them a grimly futuristic polish – rarely broke this mould. Fraser, for instance, made further attempts to lift the mood, with Black Milk far airier, but the increasingly terrifying Group Four merely benefited from the disconnect between her voice and the malicious environment. Opener Angel throbbed, then pounded, with Horace Andy’s sweet vocal swamped by a malevolent, relentless bassline and distorted guitars viciously reinforcing its climaxes. The monotony of the reverb-soaked, dubby Risingson was uncomfortably claustrophobic; Inertia Creeps’ rumbling Balkan rhythms were pierced by unsettling effects, while explosive guitars elevate the thrusting Dissolved Girl, halfway through. There were cracks of light, notably the strings-drenched (Exchange), while Mad Professor’s spacious mixes – which appear for the first time on this heat-sensitive 3LP package – help. Just don’t turn to his blistering version of Metal Banshee for relief.