It's interesting to view this album through the lens of history. Whether aware of it or not, most music fans are quite familiar with Massive and the long shadow they've cast over pop music. But 11 years ago, the mix of musical styles that would later come to be termed (somewhat simplistically) trip-hop was new and invigorating. Listening to it in 2002, "Blue Lines" has the effect of taking you back to the year of your choice: 1975 ("Be Thankful For What You've Got"), 1988 ("Daydreaming"); 1991 ("Lately"). Yet, this album is no retro piece. Instant classics like "Safe From Harm", "Unfinished Sympathy", and "Five Man Army" herald new approaches to hip-hop and dance music in particular, and pop music in general.

Amazing! The amount of personality thrown into this is outstanding. It really feels like I'm playing with a character out of WALL-E.