massive love affair

There have been very few bands that have completely changed my life.  I will be the first to admit that I'm not an audiophile.  I listen to one radio station in the car, I own a dozen or so CDs, and I can't name anything new or hip.  I like dancing and I like music, but I'm not an aficionado by any stretch.  I like what I like and I LOVE Massive Attack.

This little duo with an ever-changing fringe has been around since 1988 and I only really got exposure to them in 1999, when a friend (with what I would call "weird" musical tastes) gave me a little album entitled "Mezzanine".  Let me tell you, I fell in love.  In deep, undying, obsessive love.  Almost ten years later, that same friend, seeing my sickness, fed it by giving me every single thing Massive Attack has ever released.  I now have 204 singles, remixes, radio edits and live tracks.  And I'm still not sick of them.

The other day, sitting in Celebration Square on a Friday afternoon, surrounded by suits spilling out from the Civic Centre, enjoying Food Truck deliciousness,  I heard the familiar opening heartbeats of one of my favourite songs of all time and just about died of shock.  Fourteen years after its initial release, this dark, trip-hop, subculture band was being blasted for picnic background music!  I couldn't be happier for them.

And actually, now that I think about it, Massive Attack has become much more prevalent in mainstream media - from car commercials to TV show themes - introducing themselves to a whole new demographic.  I kinda love it.  As a non-audiophile, it makes me feel good that I actually "found" a band first.  Though, truth be told, I owe it all to Mishu. 

Despite their new-found (and growing) ubiquity, Massive Attack is still my secret soul music.  Their beats and rhythms have accompanied me through dozens of late-night essay sessions, love and heartbreak, victory and defeat.  When I had to choose my gamer handle, I went with DissolvedGrl; when I needed a blog handle, I couldn't think of anything more appropriate.  Even as I type now, it's playing slyly in the background.  And I have hope that there's always more, that better things are still to come..