Massive Attack

Interesting and pleasant, but the soundtrack to Louis Leterrier's Danny the Dog will throw longtime Massive Attack fans for a loop. The band's trademark deep sound is untraceable for the most part. It's probably a testament to how hard they stuck to the soundtracking rules, but this program music is rather run-of-the-mill, especially when compared to Massive Attack's proper albums, which -- to be fair -- would overtake most filmmaker's visuals. Harpsichords play over neo-noir beats and guitars echo forever as tension builds, and while the band's keen sense of sonic structure is intact, they're layering things much less than usual here and traveling some previously explored territory. Tracks like "Everything About You Is New" with its reverberating piano, and the faux rocking "The Dog Obeys" are so undistinguished you look have to look twice at the cover to make sure Massive is behind this. The Coil-esque "P Is for Piano" and the funky-fun "One Thought at a Time" almost make it worth it for everyone, but only the hardcore fans are going to get much out of the rest. They can pick away at the recordings and try to figure out who did what while everyone else waits for the next real album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide