- The debut release of Robert del Naja's Battle Box project, which features quivering vocals from Elbow's Guy Garvey, doesn't stray too far from the depressing palette of recent Massive Attack albums. Battle Box 001 isn't just music to listen to on rainy days: it actually sounds responsible for generating thunderstorms.
Del Naja is adept at wringing movement from minimalism. The original zeroes in on a single corrosive scrape that bruises Garvey's falsetto. The fluttering vocal and clanking percussion coexist as predator and prey, although it's difficult to decide which is which. Hotflush's Guy Andrews provides a remix, but its gloom sterilizes the menacing, fidgety energy of gathering troops that the original conjures. A lurking leviathan is implied, but the creature never raises its head above the seasick bass line.
トラックリストA Battle Box feat. Guy Garvey
B Battle Box (Guy Andrews Remix)