A quiet disturbance at the window

A vague disturbance is making me anxious, like I'm being watched. This must be how it feels to sense an earthquake's approach or feel the air change just before a funnel cloud drops.\nA contemplative pause reveals the storm's origin is outside Massive Attack's 100th Window. Played loudly, it would be a quiet album. At moderate to low volume, it's somehow more effective and sneaky. As a guest vocalist, Sinead O'Connor's gentle vocals had lulled me into a relaxed, introspective mood. But, as the album progressed, it began to fill the room like a murky, sick-green smoke.\n100th Window masterfully manipulates the atmosphere in the manner of drifting ambient mood music like Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works II, which subtly switches from serene to foreboding. 100th Window is not effective in the conventional sense. Even the most lyrical of these melodies couldn't be called "singable." And, partially due to the album's slow tempo, fans familiar with Massive Attack's laid-back groove won't detect the "Jamaican aroma" of songs like Protection's "Karmacoma" in 100th Window. Heavier on mood trip than hop, 100th Window is the band's most covert attack.