It's hard for me to believe that the time has come to talk about 2003 as 20 years ago... Yet, here we are.
That year was deeply defining for my little career as a journalist.
In early spring, a group of students from my masters travelled to Northwestern University in the deep storm of the war in Iraq. Even the most democrat of these students supported Bush and Blair's war, while us, French students, were revolted and for once proud of our government, which refused to attack Saddam Hussein and his people.
In the autumn, I went to leave and work in Central Europe, reported in Prague and Berlin, volunteered at film festivals and wrote some of my first complex articles.
The sound of that extremely political, defining year, was really that album: '100th Window'.
At the time, I couldn't care less about who had produced it, who hadn't worked on it, and why it took so long to get it out after 'Mezzanine'.
It was futuristic, political, edgy, sharp, clever, so "on point", a fast-warding jump into the 21st century, the soundtrack of my nocturnal bus rides through a snowy Europe, and immensely beautiful. The reviews in France, which I couldn't care less about reading at the time (I had my own opinion), were extremely positive.
So, ... when I came to Bristol 12 years later... I was so surprised by the backstories and how detached the city was about that great record. For more, read the 10th chapter of my book, one of my favourite.
Extract:
Massive Attack - 'Special Cases'
More on my book:
Column for Classic Album Sundays
Interview on France 24 English
Book Review
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