Following on from their last studio album, Massive attack release their soundtrack to the new Luc Besson movie, Danny the Dog.
Massive Attack’s Danny the Dog is a non-diagetic soundtrack to the film of the same name that follows the story of a street-fighter who has spent his life being cruelly treated as a dog. Since the music is a system of the entire film, very little is structured as one might expect a complete song to be. There are moments of classic Massive Attack such as “Collar Stays On” and “Polaroid Girl” where downbeat, trip-hop drums are laid over the band’s characteristic grooves, but this is not a typical artist album. However, despite for the most part being accompaniment, songs like “One Thought at a Time” and “I Am Home”, stand out for their structure, the former having a great, sixties psychedelic guitar-sounding hook. Another highlight is “Two Rocks an a Cup of Water”, an emotional piece voiced on plucked strings, bell-shaped waves and piano, best described as Boards of Canada in an easy listening mood. Danny the Dog should not be treated as the latest album by Massive Attack for without the moving image it seems in-complete but it does contain some beautiful pieces of atmospheric music that should serve the film very well indeed. –David Trueman
