I shouldn't be disrespecting your name change I'll try to remember that you changed it from now on

Album Rating: 4.5

I've thought of another thing that I hold against Mezzanine. Blue Lines exists, and that is by far my favourite incarnation of the Massive sound. I'm never as connected with this one as with Blue Lines and I think I never will be.

Why not both

Album Rating: 4.5

Haha yeah, fair enough, that could have been possible too. I guess the more soul and jazz heavy approach does so much more for me than the more rock oriented one they go for here. Plus we've talked about Man Next Door. And I do not feel I could ever overplay Blue Lines, whereas I kind of overplayed this one.



Pots I feel like we've spent a thousand comments on this topic over the years. I think I won't ever be able to describe it better than this I'm afraid...

Album Rating: 4.0

We can't really English these things

Album Rating: 5.0

Blue Lines is fresher, more of a creative collective of minds seeing what they can do with the tools at their disposal.

Mezzanine is dark, isolating, holds little hope.

Album Rating: 4.0

Team Blue Lines over here as well.

Album Rating: 4.5

Yessssss! That record is so lovely.

It's a top 20 of all time one for me personally.

Album Rating: 4.0

I could maybe squeeze it into my top 100, although it's been a while since I considered anything like that and it could do with a ton of updating - a theoretical speculative top 100.

Album Rating: 4.0

Definitely Team Mezz here, it has hope hidden in the darkness

" I guess the more soul and jazz heavy approach does so much more for me than the more rock oriented one they go for here"

I find this odd considering how much you love Dummy. This and Dummy are two peas in a pod. I somewhat doubt if Portishead had a more soul and jazz heavy trip hop debut it would so negatively impact your perspective on Dummy so I dont fully understand why your greivances with Mezz are so overshadowing tbh. If I were to guess your Mezz rating based on the way you talk about it, I'd guess a 2.5-3 lol.

Album Rating: 4.5

Hahahaha no way, it's all nitpicking!!!! I do really love this one too of course.



What I really love about both Dummy and the s/t Portishead are: Beth (duh!!!!) and the very pronounced hip hop beats. They're so much more present than here on Mezzanine. More jazz on Portishead's first two and Blue Lines. I do not really feel that Dummy and this are very similar, maybe in tone, yes. But with Portishead I really love the darkness, with Massive I prefer the warmer vibes for sure.

"and the very pronounced hip hop beats. They're so much more present than here on Mezzanine. "

Debatable

Personally for me the similarities between this and Dummy are exceedingly apparent. I dont even know how someone could argue that they arent. So we are gonna gave to agree to disagree on..... everything

Literally cannot think of a single more spiritually, atmospherically, aesthetically, sonically synchronous and iconic pairing than Dummy and Mezz. Making a competition between the two feels wrong.

Album Rating: 5.0

Dummy is a blue note smoky jazz number with minimal scratches and slow beats to evoke a sense of noir while reflecting on the loneliness of the soul. It’s contemplative, subtle.



Mezzanine has beats, guitar samples and flowing vox which offer a full frontal soundtrack to the apocalypse and is as subtle as a brick to the face.

If anything, what's up for debate is whether or not Maxinquaye deserves a seat at the table for the holy trifecta of second gen Trip Hop.

I dont think it does and I dont think any other candidate pairs with Dummy and Mezz the way they do with each other so I'd personally say there is no trifecta. Only a duo.

I'd prefer Psyence Fiction finish off that trifecta but it isnt nearly on the same level either.

Album Rating: 4.5

tbh I don't even think Endtroducing quite compares to Mezz and Dummy, but that might just be me

Never once said they were identical I'm just not here to nitpick for disparities between two objectively very similar albums that are both iconic as fuck and reinvented trip hop and downtempo

"tbh I don't even think Endtroducing quite compares to Mezz and Dummy, but that might just be me"

Endtroducing wouldn't even be in the discussion for me

Ftr dummy has tonnes of scratching and is about the same tempo as Mezz aceoss the board