Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Portishead knock off
loveeee. Fav tracks: Black Steel; Suffocated Love; Brand New You're Retro
Dude, we got more trip-hop on here? Fuck yes. This is my kind of thing! Although, I will say that I didn't enjoy this quite as much as what I've heard from groups like Portishead and Massive Attack. Tricky's Maxinquaye is comparable to albums from those bands in some ways, but it also stands out on its own in other ways. The production is, as one might expect, quite great. It has the chill vibes that I've come to love from the trip-hop genre, though this album is notably darker than its contemporaries. It works though! There's some solid sample usage, with "Love is Round the Corner" using the same core sample as Portishead's "Glory Box." Granted, this does result in a bit of a problem when I listen to the song where I kinda wish I was listening to "Glory Box" instead, but this is still a nice song. The album's pretty solid from a vocal perspective. Tricky's voice is certainly unique, and Martina Topley-Bird's voice is quite nice to hear on many of these songs. The writing has some interesting themes to it, so the album definitely has substance. The opener "Overcome" is probably my favorite song here. I thought "Black Steel" was kinda weird, but also maybe good? It's basically a cover of, of all songs, Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos." I mean, that's a great song, but it's an interesting choice that led to an interesting cover. I genuinely don't know if I like it or not. Overall, Maxinquaye is a good listen. It's earned its legacy as one of the definitive trip-hop albums, even if its not my personal favorite of the bunch. Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit. 4/5.
Its classic trip hop
Bij elk nummer starten met, mwah, wordt een 3, maar er dan weer compleet in zitten na een minuutje, mooi. Portishead en Massive Attack doen wel echt meer voor me, maar ook dit is top
Ja als grote triphop-head erken ik dat Maxinquaye niet en de buurt komt van de heilige gralen die Mezzanine en Dummy zijn, hoewel sommigen het daarin oneens met me zullen zijn. Op de beste momenten is deze plaat echt waanzinnig cool, maar het is soort van rommelig op een manier dat de andere genoemde albums niet zijn. Wellicht is dat wat het cool maakt, maar het maakt ook dat deze wat minder landt.
not that tricky
What a boring experience this album was. I guess trip hop isn't for me.
I like the songs where it's just Tricky, the collabs add this rap aspect which throws off the vibe honestly. So it's gonna be a 2.5 for me
5. septembar 2026. 17.43h truly ga nikad nisam nesto previse slusala ali je fanki i seksi best: overcome, black steel, abbaon fat tracks za hell is around the corner: In the Winter of 1994/95 two separate artists used the instrumental backing track to Isaac Hayes' "Ike's Rap II" from the BLACK MOSES album for songs on their respective albums
Zzzzz
Was certainly better than I expected
Interesting generally
Background music
Ein Rap Rock Mix. Ist interessant zu hören, auch wenn es nicht meine Lieblingsmusik ist. 3/5
Unironically had the worst fantasy football draft of my lifetime while bumping this album. This isn’t even the worst album I’ve had on here this week. Crazy shit. There’s actually some cool beats on here but man this just isn’t my type of music.
God I love triphop so much it such a fun and genre bending sound. It only works if you listen to so much music. So many references to other music but man I love this it feels earned the beginning guides you through with some songs like Pumpkin that song is so dark and feels really heavy instrumentally and works so well it is like no other song I have heard like every song on this album. A COVER OF PUBLIC EMEMY MAN I THAT IS HIGH ART THIS IS AWESOME. HIP HOP RESPECTING HIP HOP SO AWESOME. BLACK STEEL IS REAL ART GOD I LOVE IT. Anyways unqiue music will always make me think I love it and I love Porishead alot lol.
I enjoyed this. Hadn't heard anything quite like it before. It has all the tricks, tools, moods, and unease of trip hop, but where Portishead is shrouded in the mist and Massive Attack creeps up slowly, Tricky comes right at you. It's trip hop for days you're feeling edgy and energetic. Good stuff.
Listened before?: never Overcome - 5/5 Ponderosa - 4/5 Black Steel - 5/5 Hell Is Round the Corner - 4/5 Pumpkin - 5/5 Aftermath - 4/5 Abbaon Fat Tracks - 4/5 Brand New You're Retro - 3/5 Suffocated Love - 3/5 You Don't - 3/5 Strugglin' - 3/5 Feed Me - 3/5 Average score: 3.8/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the first 2/3 was really good, especially the tracks that featured more of Martina Topley-Bird's vocals. however, i found the more i heard Tricky's voice on this album, the less i enjoyed the tracks. despite all that, i mostly enjoyed my listen
Interesting. Like it.
Is this a Tricky album or a Martina Topley-Bird album? Not much stood out for me here. 3
Like it 3/5
Not sure what this is but I know it’s not anything I like.
*sigh* it's such a shame that most albums on this list are really not very good.
Taken individually, on a track-by-track basis, "Maxinquaye" offers a collection of decent, primarily understated pieces. However, when listened to as a complete work, the style fails to sustain interest across its nearly 60-minute run-time. Three stars. 1 "Overcome" (3/5) 2 "Ponderosa" (3/5) 3 "Black Steel" (3/5) 4 "Hell Is Round the Corner" (3/5) 5 "Pumpkin" (3/5) 6 "Aftermath" (3/5) 7 "Abbaon Fat Tracks" (3/5) 8 "Brand New You're Retro" (3/5) 9 "Suffocated Love" (3/5) 10 "You Don't" (3/5) 11 "Strugglin'" (3/5) 12 "Feed Me" (3/5) Total - 36 Average - 3 415/1001 216/415 albums reviewed were new to me
⭐⭐⭐
Classic
After what has felt like a war of attrition, with 7 of my last 8 albums being given a 2/5 score, I finally get something of genuine quality! I was late to the party with Tricky despite being a fan of Portishead and a little bit later, Massive Attack but I find myself enjoying pretty much everything I've heard from him, but particularly his brilliant debut! It's an unsettling and claustrophobic album as Tricky pulls you into the dark underbelly of his world. The contrast between his vocal and those of Martina Topley-Bird brings a tension and sensuality that the album revels in.
This list and I are having a bad run. This album doesn't help.
International electronic rap
Catchy synth-pop vibes
я кажется не запомнила трики с женщиной-подпевалой (только с Нелли?) но она хорошо вписывается. также что это за тексты в 95? вы ву танг?
Not bad, but that is a lot of samples.
Evocative and bleak with really interesting and cool production. I like this a lot. I must say though, that album cover is ass. It looks like something a d-list mumble rapper would AI generate. Not docking points for it, but it is genuinely bad.
I don’t know how to rate this.
Interesting. I liked it.
This is new to me and I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did! My experience with the previous 90s electronic albums on this list has not been great, but this reminded me a lot of Portishead crossed with Flume (one of the very few contemporary electronic artists I listen to).
pretty chill
Just not for me. Tried listening to it and while it sounds interesting there just isn’t enough going on. Sure there’s textures but I just don’t find the appeal of an album like this. It sounds different but enters a region where it’s too different per se. Some songs hit but to me majority don’t. Fav song: Black Steel
It’s a cool trip hop album. I really enjoyed the following tracks, ‘Overcome’ ‘Black Steel’ and ‘Pumpkin’. The album to be can be viewed as a rain-drenched poster near a 90’s era club. I was quite surprised with how much I grooved to this album, as I was half-expecting a more harsher sound based on the cover. Rating 3.5/5 GEMV (18.08.2026)
This was pretty awesome, actually. Sometimes sexy, sometimes a little sinister. It’s a nice mood to sit in for a while. I’m glad this came up on the list, must-listen #390.
This did the opposite of grow on me. I enjoyed the sound in the first half maybe of the album but wasn't so keen on the second half.
It was ok. Maybe a tad long. Good on the background.
Enjoyed the vibes, but don't think this will make regular rotation
7/10… trip hop / electronic indie / *1995
Better than I thought it would be but I did skip a few songs when they droned on a bit
Well I like this immensely. Not at all understanding why on this list. Trip hop hits the sweet spot, and Tricky embodies it perfectly. So leisurely it's somnambulent. I love this but my 3 is for my irritation that niche perfection justifies inclusion.
I was at a 3-star, with a review that reflects I found this equal parts groovy and annoying. When the repetitive passages and beats weren't working, they were really difficult to get through. Which means I didn't really enjoy the album, the good bits were good, but not great, and the passages that were unenjoyable were really difficult to endure.
Yeah, this is a good one. So moody, slinky, and grimy. And Martina is such a gem. Great Public Enemy cover, too. All-time classic.
Love Tricky. The album is a bit over long, but great stuff throughout.
Massive ... failure!
3.5 rounded up
One of the best albums on the list. Amazing use of samples and genuine variety throughout. Love it.
gran proyecto de trip hop pero no terminé de cachar la vibra, mis gustos en el trip hop tienen otras inclinaciones, auque bastante solido, no auto
I am aware of the existence of Tricky from his involvement with Massive Attack on the Blue Lines album that I gave a 4 star rating on this site. Seems like he prefers to have someone else be the lead singer. On this album he has Martina Topley-Bird doing most of the singing, where I think he is doing the rapping. I like it better when she is singing. This was fun listen. I learned that the bassline that is used on the song "Hell is Round the Corner" wasn't lifted from the song "Glory Box" by Portishead. They both sampled it from an Isaac Hayes song called "Ike's Rap II" - which was from 1971! I ended up liking 8 songs on this - "Overcome", "Ponderosa", "Black Steel", "Hell is Round the Corner", "Pumpkin", "Aftermath", "Suffocated Love", "Feed Me" Liked songs on Spotify: 8/12 Rating: 3/5
It was okay…. Not quite as up there as Portishead would be in my books with a similar type of sound, but not awful.
I think I’d still describe this as one of the “big three” trip hop albums, the deep velvety red counterpart to the ghostly blue suede of Dummy and the smooth, black and white linoleum of Mezzanine. However, it’s undoubtedly the weakest of the three. The highs are very high; just check out opener “Overcome,” the crazy cool cover of Public Enemy’s “Black Steel,” and “Hell Is Round the Corner” which shares a sample with “Glory Box.” It’s a good album, but there are lows here that the best of Portishead and Massive Attack never quite sink to. But you have to listen to Tricky if you want to understand the Bristol sound. Maxinquaye has grown off of me over time but it’s still great trip hop; it just wouldn’t be my first recommendation.
#75 A decent, but long, trip-hop album with obvious Massive Attack influence and horny lyrics. Highlights: Overcome, Hell Is Round The Corner, Pumpkin, Aftermath
I always figured that Tricky represented the sleazier side of Massive Attack's pioneering early work; I was right. Sleazy isn't inherently bad, though. The man just likes to get his fuck on. This record is kinda weird to me in that it doesn't quite know where to go, a lot of styles and genres thrown together ("Black Steel" comes out of nowhere and I'm not entirely fond of it).
Yeah, much imitated, but a bit darker and stranger - less smooth - than I remembered. I can hear the edges. Still a landmark 90s album.
Much better than expected.
Ohhh, I LIKE this! Never heard of it but the grooves are JUICY! Nice slow jams with really nice vocals. Yes! Love a great new find.
A classic 90s trip hop pioneer. 4/5.
This is a good lesson in Heuristics. I saw the album, title, read the description and already didn't like it. It wasn't great, but much better than I assumed. So an extra star for the bias
Why is this on the list? Trip Hop? Not for me
I didn't really get it. 2/5.
An album from a guy who left Massive Attack sounds just like Massive Attack. Like most early trip-hop, it lacks atmosphere. Unlike Massive Attack, there are a few songs on here that really have a rocking pulse.
Ponderosa - moja ulubiona piosenka z albumu
Album #130: Maxinquaye - Tricky Genre (W): Trip hop, experimental, dub, electronic, R&B, post-rock, British hip hop Singles: Aftermath, Ponderosa, Overcome, Black Steel, Hell Is Round the Corner, Pumpkin I have not listened to this album before. Thoughts?: The production is great but some of the lyrics are a little boring. Favorite tracks: Overcome, Ponderosa, Black Steel, Hell Is Round the Corner, Afermath, You Don’t,
Yllättävän kova Massive Attack kaltainen. No sehän olikin sama tyyppi siellä taustalla. Enemmän hiphopia
Enjoyed this album on a hot summer's day. I like the first half better. The very sexual songs made me a bit uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s a bit too slow for my taste.
Nice, ich mochte vor allem die Vocals und die Tracks, die ein bisschen gitarrenmusikmäßig waren (z.B. Black Steel)
Some quite weird music rose the level of popularity in 80s & 90s Britain. Gotta give them some credit for that.
Ok. I prefer my rap a lot harder than this. ★★★
Another album I played to death when it came out. But you can see why, it's epic although it takes a lot of time to appreciate. A grower, if you will. Nice to be reminded of it's epicness and an album I'll likely listen to more now I've rediscovered it. Easy 5 stars and an essential album for the book.
How does he make these sounds? Extremely atmospheric, languid, sleezy and engrossing, for me it got a little much by the end, I felt like I needed a shower and a decent night sleep.
pretty dope massive attack esque tracks, a little less glamor then in that other album and some of the songs blended together for me but still great moments and overall experience.
classic 90s
ok
I’ll never get those 15 minutes back. DNF
Maybe should have left that one in the archives
Damn, this was really good! Hearing lyrics repeated from Protection is a bit weird, even if apparently they were written for these tracks first.
Loved this album when it came out. Still holds up.
A bit odd and kind of creepy. But not horrible.
3.5/5
Groovy, some fun reggae influences late in the album and clearer guitar than most trip hop. I do see why this is rarely brought up alongside other trip hop though, may not be quite as memorable Highlights: "Ponderosa", "Aftermath"
Some alright songs on here, some shite. Felt like someone listened to Portishead and wanted to rap over them. Nothing astounding, and not really a must listen to for me.
The longer it went on, the less I liked it
Topley-Bird's voice is pretty mesmerising. It brings an alluring, ethereal quality to the already fairly lush, complex instrumentation and musicianship. I remember liking Massive Attack's vocalist too. Seems Tricky doesn't stray far from his parent band in that regard. In the opener, Overcome, we hear this combination in full force with the restrained yet surprisingly complicated percussion part, some soft synths and flutes here and there... and of course the great vocals. It could do with a little more structure – if you're going to recite this song to your friends, where would you even start? – but it certainly succeeds at being a beautiful amorphous blob of semi-ambient soundscape. In Ponderosa, I'm a lot less convinced by (presumably) Tricky himself trying to duet the vocals. It doesn't work at all. Leave Martina to do her thing. The song lacks melody and overall just goes in circles, with the two people talking assertively over each other accompanied by a bad drum part. Black Steel improves tangibly – though with a piece that verges so suddenly into 70s-esque rock, I would've liked to hear a better melody than the two-note thing performed by Topley-Bird. Hell Is Round The Corner presents us the best example of trip-hop so far. I like the descending bassline, and apparently so do most of Tricky's audience, because this is his most streamed song. The peak is definitely around the middle, when the vocal swaps from male to female. Pumpkin is great. Sprinkled with doom and alt rock, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Aftermath is solid: better than the Rolling Stones album and Muse song of the same name. A little repetitive, but dang it, you know I'm grooving to the semi-distorted, semi-psychedelic, laid-back swing groove. Side 2 starts off rockily with another uncomfortable duet (like the earlier Ponderosa). The female vocal is pretty good, but the male vocal with its faux-sexy vocal fry is just gross and unpleasant. Especially during the oh-so-poetic line "I fuck you in the ass". Still, the jazzy instrumental just barely makes up for it. Then there's Brand New You're Retro, an incomprehensible song that pretty much quacks a bunch of noises at you for three minutes and then vanishes. You're left bewildered and appreciative of the cool ascending bassline. Suffocated Love adds one more to the tally of tracks with nifty instrumentals and questionable-to-bad vocals. Incredible groovy, but at what cost? After the passable reggae track You Don't, we reach the lacklustre closing duo, Strugglin' / Feed Me. At least most of the preceding songs are alright. 3/5 Key tracks: Overcome, Hell Is Round The Corner, Pumpkin
3 stars I liked this better than Tricky’s appearance on Massive Attack. There were some interesting things here but overall it was more samey and a little long.
Kinda boring. Slow. Dark. Moody.
p755. 1995. 1 star. Tedious and badly dated background music for 90s Bristol nightclubs. Once heard, immediately forgotten. It speaks volumes that the best track is a poor remix of Portishead's "Glory Box".
While this had a few fun beats, I wasn’t drawn in.
Yes!
Es como un blues-rap raro.
don’t think i get the greatness of this one yet
Interesting. First time listening to this one. Not as good as Portishead or Massive Attack. Brand New You're Retro I quite liked. Really had to go look up the lyrics to Abbaon Fat Tracks - which were....interesting. The underlying trip-hop was really good, but still not on par with Massive Attack or Portishead. Not a three though, that seems too harsh.
petite preference pour le premier disque mais j'aime les differentes possibilites et album passe partout
It’s been so long since I listened to this whole album but it still stands up. It’s right up there
I could probably fall asleep to this (derogatory)
This was enjoyable, but definitely a step down overall from Massive Attack or Portishead. Also, considering Martina Topley-Bird was on every single track, it's a bit cheeky to call the album a Tricky one rather than including her in the title.
A very 90’s / funk / hip hop soind
2.5
lol no
Never heard of Tricky before. I liked parts of this album. The influence of Massive Attack was very prevalent in some of the tracks. The other tracks weren't as solid. It sounded a little unrefined and uneven.
Sexy and seductive. Sounds like the Cowboy Junkies meets Portishead meets Thievery Corporation. I can’t tell for sure, need to listen again, but this might be a 4. And I’ll give it a 4 for now (which is saying something— it takes a lot for me to be impressed by electronic music).
Very good
Fantastic trip hop album
Love this album. Black Steel is one of the great cover versions, which is still played regularly at home. Martina Topley-Bird really makes these tracks stand out as well. Production is brilliant with a sense of grimey doom.
First half was great but second half gets boring, very similar to Massive Attack vibes in the first bit, can’t reasonably give it a 4 but it’s close
Strange album. I really struggled through it. There’s some cool stuff in here for sure, but there’s more of it that I just didn’t care for.
One song was enough. I rather chew my leg off.
A bit of Portishead lite. It’s a decent ‘Trip Hop’ sound, and I recognised more than I expected (Hell is Around the Corner) but probably not much that will stick in my mind.
This was an intriguing experimental trip-hop album, downbeat and groove-based, built around lots of strange but effective samples. The atmosphere is dark and hazy, reflective of the lyrical content, which focused on dysfunctional relationships and drug culture. The combination of Tricky’s raspy, mumbled spoken-word with Martina Topley-Bird’s breathy singing was effective. ‘Overcome’, the Public Enemy cover ‘Black Steel’, ‘Hell Is Round the Corner’ (based on the same sample as Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’) and ‘Suffocated Love’ were good, but my highlight was actually the most experimental track, ‘Strugglin’’. I’m still not sold on electronic stuff overall, but this was pretty decent.
more cool 90s portishead massive attack type stuff, saving for ambient, probably wouldn't listen actively again
Ew, David
This one was tricky! Didn't love it but didn't hate it. The electronica always ruins good music for me.
Ranges from forgettable to annoying. Strugglin’ was a painful slog and dropped thus from a meh 3 to an ugh 2.
Just awful.
More Alison Goldfrapp? How is Round the Corner not a Portishead sample? (I swear they are indistingushable.) Anyway, I do not need any more of this stuff.
6/10 - alright beats for the background, can see the massive attack influences
Bristol has always been a city of contrasts. Leafy suburbs sit alongside sink estates. Grand civic buildings (which even a cursory glance at a history book will tell you were paid for by the slave trade) were of little comfort to a generation of young people with no jobs and no prospects. It’s hardly a surprise that the 80s saw riots born of despair and hopelessness, but from the literal ashes a new musical genre appeared that reflected something of the mood of the time. Tricky was part of the Massive Attack project, but was understandably frustrated to be seen as just a vocalist (albeit a damn good one). This is first solo album and it is noticeably darker and more introspective. It’s a musical evolution of the trip-hop sound rather than a revolution, but the real revelation on this album is the discovery of Martina Topley-Bird who Tricky found sitting a wall near his flat, singing to herself after finishing her college exams. Her voice perfectly complements the music here.
2/5 nothing outstanding
Inget unikt
Black Steel carries the album MASSIVELY
not for me...
A few good songs on here but it just doesn't do much for me. Guess I'm not a trip hop guy.
Dark subject matter. Dirty production. Enchanting vocals. This was a gem
Cool vibes, and I reading the wiki description I get why its on the list, but not for me. I few songs I did really like, but probably wont come back. Black Steel was the best song.
I’m not sure how an overproduced ‘House’ album can feel raw but this does. Tricky uses sounds and styles not common in the EDM world. Here, it works. Martina Topley-Bird’s voice is the showcase, though, a beautiful juxtaposition to the urban beats being thrown down. Key tracks for me were the nebulous Pumpkin and its successor Aftermath, both of this seemed to be a continued movement in Teicky’s techno-opus. I had to listen to this album twice as the first time it was turned off but a less than impressed roommate. The second time I listened with headphones and I thank them for the correction. It was definitely a different and preferred experience.
Random thoughts: * Trip hop scene was wild in the 1990s. So much coming out during this time. * This sounds grimy and and dark. Really captures a certain vibe and sticks with it throughout. * Weird that Tricky wanted to break away from Massive Attack because he wasn't musically represented and then he basically handed over the reigns to other vocalists. This is very much in the same vein as Massive Attack. * Overall, this is dramatic and dark music. I need to go back and listen with headphones on. * I want to come back and revisit all of the 90s trip hop scene from this list. In the right mood this can be great music.
A very interesting listen, one I was not expecting. I had never heard of Tricky, though I had heard of Massive Attack (and turns out I had heard some of Hell Is Round The Corner before), so this was new territory for me but I found it quite good. The atmosphere was so cool and so different compared to most hip hop records I've listened to before. I love the dark vibe to it. Fav Songs Overcome Hell Is Round The Corner Pumpkin Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? I'd say so yes, a very different hip hop experience compared to the norm and I can feel it's influence on other artists at the time ala David Bowie. Good album.
Very unique genre...looking it up, it's listed as "trip hop" and experimental. The background beats are decent but sometimes the vocals and additional sounds are weird. It was okay but I didn't love it.
Mostly very boring and lifeless. Most songs remind me of funeral dirges. A few tunes have a nice groove which keeps me from giving this 1 star. Topley-Bird has a great voice which, I think, is wasted here. A real chore to listen to.
What a surprise. I'd never heard of or listened to Tricky but was really thrilled after a first listening. Will be listening to this album more.
Not my usual style of music mainly due to lyrical delivery however this is good with Matina Topley-Bird as principal vocalist
I used to be really into trip hop, and yet somehow I never got _that_ into Tricky. I think it's because I like the combo of down-tempo with symphonic/other instruments AND with a strong/emotional vocalist, and Tricky himself talks more than he sings. And maybe also because his material is a little too dark (e.g. Abbaon Fat Track). Maybe I like him more as a producer? I kind of knew "Hell is Around the Corner" (because he sampled Portishead) and also "Black Steel". I didn't really know the rest.
Somehow the first time I've listened to this all the way through, but it totally lives up to its reputation. Maybe rounding up a bit after just one listen, but feel comfortable doing so since I feel this holds its own next to Portishead and Massive Attack.
So good still. Utterly different from everything that was out there at the time, and still feels deeply original despite the passage of a lot of time.
I couldn’t really get into this. Appreciate this album is highly regarded but I just found it abit uninteresting and a bit lifeless at times. Might have to give it another go but not really a fan on first listen, found a lot of the tracks too similar sonically.
Good chill music. Didn’t blow me away, but I did enjoy it. 3/5
Love
I don’t know.
It is just too much of a mish mash to work. The mix of samples and vocals just doesn't work. It is jarringly incoherent.
This album really clicked for me when it was first released, and I loved it and played it many, many times. I found the music new, surprising and exciting. Normally, when I discover an artist that excites me like that, I obsessively follow them, but that didn't happen with Trciky. I tried listening to his next few releases but they just didn't click for me (and I actively hated Nearly God). And I have been contemplating why that is... When first released, this was a like a spookier, messier, noisier version of Massive Attack (who had famously rejected Aftermath as not appropriate for their record). It was spacious, smoky, blown-out, druggy, paranoid and full of a quiet, seething anger. Tricky didn't know the rules, so he wasn't bound by them. Reading about the process of production, it seems like had little to no idea what he was really doing. You can hear by the rough mixes and demos on the deluxe version (don't bother; tracking them down, they are not good) that the songs were largely formed from repetitive improvisation. He was like an outsider artist throwing together an improvised collage. It worked (credit to Mark Saunders for making it technically work), but I suspect mostly because of judicious editing and mixing. The vocal contributions of Martina Topley-Bird and Alison Goldfrapp should not be underestimated; without them, this risks becoming a very thin gruel. He had enough vision, good ears and some excellent collaborators to deliver one of the defining records of the decade. His approach was much copied but rarely equaled, even by himself. He has released a dozen albums since this, and they are increasingly irrelevant. He has never managed to recapture the lightning in a bottle of Maxinquaye. Writing this review, I feel like I have talked my way out of a good rating, but I think back to what a shock this record was when released. It was so fresh and surprising, taking the noisy sample-based production of the Bomb Squad (of Public Enemy fame) and slowing it down to a spooky crawl. I still find is an uneasy and surprising listen. Not for everyone, but I really dig it. Four stars.
4/10 - Couldn't finish the album cause it was very samey from what I listened to aside from one song. Strong vocals but lacking diversity.
Not a fan of this.
Tricky's mother.
I seriously NEEDED this. After slogging through what felt like endless 60’s “cannon” offerings- The Band, Crosby,Stills and Nash, BOB, two from Dylan actually, The Who, this album is like hitting land after a long time at sea. I almost want to give it 5. It’s emotional. The second half falls off. I can’t give it a 5. But… I’m having a physical reaction of relief. I guess it’s generational. But this exercise is teaching me that as much as I might appreciate the 60’s, and while there may be artists from that time I revere, overall- I hate the 60’s. Oh album generator- please- tomorrow give me 50’s jazz, 70’s soul, 80’s new wave - anything, except the 60’s. Not even the Beatles. No. And this. This was so, so appreciated. That cover of Public Enemy is awesome. That’s how a cover is done right. 4 Boolean: true
Nothing Tricky about it: This album is just moody drivel.
This was pretty interesting and I dug it.
Flits between cool and boring. Grab a nightcap and groove to it until you fall asleep on the settee
Oomph! Sexy! Makes me almost want to try guys! Almost…
Very British very background
I've really been getting into trip hop lately, so this was a timely listen. Glad to have checked it off the list. I knew Hell Is Round The Corner already and it's probably my playlist pick, even if Portishead has my favorite sample of Ike's Rap II by Isaac Hayes. (Fun fact, Alessia Cara's Here also samples that song.) I may need to listen again to contextualize it in the timeline of trip hop history. Maybe I would have a better understanding of the production choices then. I am at a 3.5 with this, and I'll round up to 4. I really enjoyed the vibes but was often left wishing the tracks had been developed just a bit further with additional interesting sonic elements. Ooh, also, I had a hilarious misheard lyric from Abbaon Fat Tracks..."there'll be big fauna at my hotel, motel"...nope, that's not it. Cover your ears, moose.
Love me some trip hop, and this one delivered! Unfortunately it wore on just a bit too long for my tastes, but there was some really great stuff in here nonetheless. 7/10!
Interesting album. Loved a lot of the first half, with Overcome, Black Steel, and Aftermath being my faves. Was kinda cool hearing Hell Is Round The Corner use the same sample as Portishead’s Glory Box after hearing Dummy last year from the album generator. It’s hard to not compare the two albums considering they came out within a year of each other and do a lot of similar things. I do unfortunately think this one kind of fell off a cliff after Aftermath. I also think Portishead did it better. And I gave Dummy a 4. So this would probably get a 3.5.
Dark, hypnotic, moody...... The first few songs actually blew me away, but it seems like they couldn't keep the gas going all the way through! The back half dragged on a bit too long by comparison. Standouts: Overcome • Black Steel • Aftermath
Wow, I love the dark soundscapes created on this album. There are none of the crescendoes we sometimes got with Massive Attack, but I would never call it one note or boring. There are a few too many missteps for it to be a 5, but this is definitely going into my collection.
Genuinely some shite
Pretty good trip hop, but a tad too minimalist at times for me
Hard to avoid bias when ive had 4 trip hop albums recently. This was the best one, but I still think its a boring genre.
A spacey, super laid-back kind of electronic music I just can't engage with. Doesn't do anything for me
A great album even though triphop wasn’t really my thing. Enjoyable to revisit some of these songs
A uniquely 90’s record that tries to make the most of the seemingly bleak world it was born out of. “Ponderosa” was the first track that caught my attention, it’s probably the brightest and most melodic of the bunch. “Black Steel” is a great protest/struggle song that took a sharp punk turn for its chorus. Is this a Public Enemy cover? That would make a lot of sense. Another aspect about this album is how overtly intimate it is. Sometimes, it’s done well, like on “Suffocated Love”. A sing about how two people at their wits end view love, how one uses intimacy as a means to an end, and the other hopes marriage will lift them out of their struggles for good. Then there’s tracks like “Abbaon Fat Tracks” which just have some lines that are so out of left field that they end up being distracting. The last song I liked was “You Dont”, mostly for its instrumental. Let’s give this a firm 3/5. It lives a bit in the shadow of Massive Attack / Portishead, but still holds a specific, unique space
2/5 Favorite Song: Feed Me
Pass
Wow, this album feels like it's in a league of its own, and I've tended to not like this sort of downtempo style. Tricky is just nuts for putting so much dense variety in songs that build on loops.
Wow - a totally new album to me, and it’s excellent. Real moody at times, and Martina Topley-Bird is cracking. Favourite track: Black Steel
Very interesting
Starts great then meanders quite a bit before ending on a high note.
Yeah this stuff is just so cool, and feels effortless. I wish I was this cool. Wish I could make tracks like this. Great album overall, really can’t fault it, didn’t get bored once. 5.0/5.0 Best Song: brand new you’re retro
Bristol distilled into an album, it's very atmospheric and moody andcool. I don't think i'm chucking it that often, but it was nice to listen to.
Pretty chill album. Was better than I was expecting.
Really cool downtempo stuff
Would I listen again: maybe? It was fine. Pretty neutral about this
tvis deagged
Long album. Pretty boring. It had a couple of good samples on it though (Portishead and Michael Jackson).
2 out of 5. Some parts grabbed me but not that interesting for me as a whole.
Groovy. Kind of background music-y.
Interesting sound
Can’t my put my finger on what this genre is… R&B/Chill Hip Hop? Solid 2.5
Amazing
Thoughts before listening: Probably the quintessential trip hop record, possibly along with Massive Attack. At least thats what I recall from seeing this album show up on nearly every best of the 90s lists I have ever seen. I have, however, never actually listened to this before. Probably going to be some down tempo techno-y sounds with rapping...something like that. Review: I'm old enough to remember when this was considered the future of music. Downtempo, trippy techno beats with smoky r&b/hip hop vocals that are often at a whisper level. There is no way I would have been into this at the time it was gaining popularity, but I can appreciate it now. There are some good songs here, especially when they move away from the formula a bit with a song like "Black Steel" that adopts more of an alt-rock approach. 3-stars
For a debut album, it hits the standard of what it was trying to achieve
Very alternative and breaks away from traditional song structures. The album focuses heavily on mood and murky production with vocals sitting within the mix. I respect what they tried to do artistically but it doesn't quite connect with me.
Very strange album, I’m going to listen again because it’s hard to figure out what is going on and that intrigues me.
You don't come close to Massive Attack than this. No surprise given he was in the band at first. Really really like the tone of this. But I've also grown to love Massive Attack, so that is hardly surprising. While the atmosphere and "setting" of this album is great, it lacks some standout "hit" songs for me. 'Hell Is Round The Corner' feels recognizable and like such a song, but that is about it. Almost all songs on this album are decent though, and as a whole it fits nicely together. Something more uptempo to change it up would be nice, but in general it's not lacking in the groove department. The only real downer is 'Brand New You're Retro'. You can't sample one of Michael Jackson's biggest songs like that and expect it to work. it's just too pop and recognizable, which is everything trip-hip is trying not to be - at least for me. Realistically this is probably a strong 3, but since I'm a trip-hop fanboy I'll give it a weak 4.
Reminded me a lot of Massive Attack and even more of Portishead due to the female singer. This feeling was reinforced when “Hell Is Round the Corner” played, which uses the same sample as Glory Box — what a sample that is, though. Overall, I thought it was an okay album, but it lacked any standout songs that really grabbed my attention. Settling on a 3.
Only 8 of the 12 tracks were accessible on Apple Music
I actually had to edit this review cause I accidentally left my review for Killing Joke here. But now that I’ve fixed that, I got to say the first time I listened to this album I was underwhelmed and I didn’t really enjoy it. Like it felt like none of it was especially memorable and I remember thinking to myself “this is what Portishead would sound like if they were lame” but I don’t know where that came from because on further replays, I have fully fallen in love with this album. It has really cool and interesting production and specifically the percussion is always really creative and different. I still think the Portishead comparison is valid cause sonically and aesthetically they are very similar, but that’s a good thing. Portishead unfortunately only have like 3 albums, so more of that sound is more than welcome. My biggest complaint about this album, and the only thing really holding the album back is the fact that I just don’t care for the male vocals. They are not out of place or offensive, I can even appreciate that he’s trying to match the tone of the music successfully. I just think he doesn’t really add anything that wasn’t added better by the female vocalist, and I’m not saying it needs to be exclusively her, in fact I’d prefer some variety like what The Sugarcubes do. But I think there might’ve been a better voice out there to add to this project. Seriously I couldn’t even imagine how cool this music would be if you got somebody with a Tim Waits type of gravelly sound. Still a great album though! Excited to possibly hear more from them in the future.
620/1001 2026.25.22
Tricky – Maxinquaye (1995) This album started off strong, but in the midst of it, the project became disjointed. It honestly felt like I was listening to three completely separate albums under one name. However, "Overcome" and "Black Steel" dragged this album up to a passing grade. I really liked the vocal work on "Overcome" and the intense production style on "Black Steel." The main takeaway here is that his girlfriend (Martina Topley-Bird) absolutely cooked on her parts. If it wasn't for the presence of those two massive standout tracks, the total lack of cohesion would have made this a 2. Because they saved it, I am compelled to give it a 3/5.
1.5 I had a clever review all queued up for this, but now that im writing it I cant for the life of me remember it. Maybe something about the singers being a mush mouth or something like that. Anyway the album sucked
Maxinquaye shares a lot in common with the debut albums from the other two big Bristol trip hop artists, with one exception: it features noticeably less hip hop influence. The songs here are largely emptier and spacier, with fewer hip hop beats. The album starts out a bit busier, with the second track having some Bone Machine-esque drums. But after the awkwardly rock Public Enemy cover, things get sparse. It's generally at least an interesting atmosphere, but slow songs like "Strugglin'" can be a real slog. The vocals don't add much, and Tricky himself often feels absent. I think if you buy into the nocturnal, sexual vibe this would be a treat, but I find the album too simple and repetitive to do so.
Casi a ala altura de massive attack y Portishead. Alguna canción flojea pero el sonido es interesante.
Never really listen to this before even though I like the style of music and was familiar wither their music. Its pretty good.
I'd probably rate this higher if I'd never listened to any other trip-hop but everything interesting about this album was being done better by their contemporaries
a decent to good triphop album that doesn't really gel as an album or have any standout tracks you want to grab from it it's not bad but this feels like an easy drop from the list to grab something more interesting from the genre
Really wasn’t for me
Que temazo que es "Black steel". No sabía quien era el artista detras de "Hells is round the corner".
Had never heard of Tricky before - enjoyed the listen, pretty dark/trippy/chill throughout. Pretty solid overall but no real interest in exploring other albums. 3
No se si me gusta demasiado el triphop, pero la verdad es que ha sido un buen álbum
So I was informed Tricky is playing at the 2026 Riot Fest in Chicago. I thought there has to be something I missed. Nope. Outside a couple songs, this was pretty slow and not very entertaining. Don't believe I'll stop by and check these guys out. Best thing I can say is it wasn't downright terrible. Just not my listening preference. Hell, anytime I see electronica in the genre, I just know it's not for me. Saving my 1's for the truly offensive to my ears stuff. here's your 2 2
2.5 I went into this album with no knowledge or expectations of Tricky and feel like I’m coming out of it with nothing gained. A quick Google search shows he’s a former member of trip hop pioneers Massive Attack, who had an album earlier on this list that I quite enjoyed, but the sound of this just didn’t quite scratch that same itch for me. In fact, I found the first couple songs to be borderline grating, to the point where they aggravated a headache I had coming on, and I had to stop and come back to this a day later. When it comes to Ponderosa, Tricky’s got nothing on Chris Noble (iykyk) I didn’t find the two songs that much more enjoyable today, however, that said, I feel like this album picks up almost immediately after them with Black Steel, which was far and away my favorite track here… though that’s likely because it’s the only one with any energy to it. Like, look, I wouldn’t necessarily say I have a bias against downtempo stuff, I’m capable of getting down with a mellow vibe just as much as anyone else, but the vast majority of this imparts nothing at all. I wouldn’t call it atmospheric, unique, or really that interesting - it just sort of is. And the rare time it tries to say something, well, it gives us Abbaon Fat Tracks, which I wish I could unhear. There are a couple decent moments, but this is mostly a nothingburger. Far from being objectionable, but is being forgettable that much better?
Wat ontzettend saai! Moet je toch niet aan denken dat je hier aan mee moet spelen. Het lijkt ook allemaal op elkaar. Misschien muziek voor bij een film.
Donkere trip hop. De zang en mompelrap werkt vervreemdend. Er zitten veel verborgen details die je bij de eerste keer luisteren mist maar later wel oppakt. Het heeft wat meer aandacht nodig dan je op één dag kan geven met deze 1001 challenge. Ontelbaar veel sampels aan elkaar geplakt, verdraaid en vervormd naar iets waarvan je denkt dat gaat niet werken maar hij bewijst keek op keer het tegendeel. Komt weer op de lijst waar ik wat meer in moet duiken als deze vierjarige 1001 kruistocht voorbij is. $ voor nu maar zal misschien later wel een 5 worden
Ja wel vet, er wordt een goede sfeer neer gezet en het luistert lekker weg. Voor je t weet heb je het album alweer afgeluisterd waarbij je merkt dat het een album is wat aan je moet groeien. "You ask what is this? Mind you business". heel vibey.
At its best in its similarity to Portishead (not sure of the cause-and-effect of the influence between these artists/this genre, but Dummy came out one year before this, whatever that's worth).
Absolutely classic 90s electronica
Det är rätt smånajs men inte mer. Förstår om man får feeling av detta, önskar jag kunde digga det mer. Hade gjort livet roligare. Men thats life.
Mörkare och mer svårsmält än Portishead och Massive Attack, men växer för varje lyssning, om än inte till riktigt samma nivå. Även om det känns lite trist att använda samma sampling som Portishead så är Hell is around the corner riktigt bra. Totalt sett en bra och rätt unik skiva som jag kommer att lyssna mer på.
So, the story goes this guy “Tricky” left Massive Attack to do his own thing, and this is the result. Seems like he wanted to do a lot more hopping than tripping, as this definitely leans reggae/hip hop of the trip hop I’ve ever heard. Decent listen, nothing special.
Trippy and relaxing.
Mostly interesting (groovy) hip hop (and such). The female vocalist brings up the average.
Man this really was annoying in a strange way. First, the vocalist could be the sister of the Artic Monkey's vocalist which isn't a good start. But good lord, Black Seal and others were so damn repetitive. They were going for a sexy vibe but I just found it gross
The connection to Massive Attack is is evident from the get go. I generally like Massive Attack and I generally liked this thing. With that said, I'd give this four stars, but Abbaon Fat Track just crosses a line for me. So three stars it is.
Lowkey claustrophobic.
## Overview *Maxinquaye* is the 1995 debut solo album by Adrian Thaws, better known as Tricky, a founding figure of the Bristol trip-hop scene. Named after his mother Maxine Quaye, who died by suicide when he was four years old, the album is widely considered one of the defining records of 1990s British music. It stands alongside Massive Attack's *Blue Lines* and Portishead's *Dummy* as a cornerstone of the trip-hop genre, yet it remains the most idiosyncratic and unsettling of the three. --- ## Lyrics Tricky's lyrics on *Maxinquaye* are fragmented, impressionistic, and deeply personal. Rather than conventional storytelling, he delivers stream-of-consciousness rants filled with striking, often disturbing imagery. **Key thematic threads include:** - **Cultural decline and disillusionment**: References to drugs, paranoia, and the sad state of 1990s Britain permeate the record. On tracks like "Strugglin'," Tricky channels a drug-trip stream of consciousness that surpasses the paranoia-induced explorations of the 1960s. - **Dysfunctional sexuality and fear of intimacy**: Songs like "Abbaon Fat Tracks" and "Suffocated Love" explore sexual dysfunction with a raw, unsettling frankness. The album is deeply, unnervingly sexual—named, remember, after his dead mother. - **Personal trauma and hauntology**: The ghost of Maxine Quaye haunts the album. Tricky believed his mother spoke through him, and the record functions as a kind of séance—an attempt to channel her voice through his own fractured psyche. - **Media saturation**: On "Brand New You're Retro," Tricky snarls about MTV moving too fast for his bodily rhythms, critiquing the acceleration of modern life. The lyrics are often delivered through a dual-vocal approach: Tricky's raspy, anxious whisper-grunt contrasts with Martina Topley-Bird's ethereal, clear-voiced delivery. She doesn't just sing backup—she acts as a cipher for his thoughts, sometimes repeating his lyrics back to him, creating a dislocated, androgynous quality that makes the album feel like a dialogue between fractured selves. --- ## Music & Production *Maxinquaye* is a masterclass in sample-based production, but it sounds nothing like the polished hip-hop of its era. The production is murky, claustrophobic, and deliberately unpolished. **Production hallmarks:** - **Dense sample collages**: "Aftermath" alone smatters samples from Marvin Gaye's "That's the Way Love Is," The Young Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure," Japan's "Ghosts," LL Cool J's "Eat Em Up L Chill," and even the 1982 film *Blade Runner*. These samples don't just provide hooks—they create a pentagonal array of sonic references that feel simultaneously nostalgic and alien. - **Slowed-down, heavy grooves**: The beats are languid and syrupy, often built from slowed-down bass lines and gritty, textured percussion. The tempo rarely rises above a crawl, creating a stifling, humid atmosphere. - **DIY aesthetic**: The recording sessions were spontaneous and scattershot, taking place in makeshift studios and bedrooms adorned with scratched records and cigarette ash. This lo-fi approach gives the album its organic, lived-in feel. - **Genre fluidity**: The album draws from jazz, blues, prog rock, funk, reggae, industrial, and hip-hop. "Black Steel" is a full-throttle rock cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos," complete with thrashy guitars and live drums—a jarring but effective tension release in the album's flow. The overall effect is what critics have described as "post-apocalyptic voodoo blues enacted through samplers and sequencers"—a sound that bypasses reason and heads straight for the senses. --- ## Themes *Maxinquaye* captures the zeitgeist of mid-1990s disillusionment like almost no other record. Britain was in the grip of Cool Britannia and Britpop optimism, but Tricky offered a dark counter-narrative. **Core themes:** 1. **Paranoia and altered states**: The album feels like a bad trip rendered in sound—hazy, uneasy, and hallucinatory. "Strugglin'" is essentially a dance with insanity. 2. **Gender and identity**: The vocal interplay between Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird blurs gender lines. In promotional materials, they famously exchanged male and female roles, creating a progressive, gender-bending aesthetic. 3. **Urban decay**: Where Massive Attack's *Blue Lines* had a certain smoothness and Portishead's *Dummy* an ethereal elegance, *Maxinquaye* is grimy and sewer-like—amplifying the urban sprawl into something more sinister and shadowy. 4. **Hauntology**: The album is haunted by the past—sampled voices from old records, the ghost of Tricky's mother, the decay of British culture. It embodies Jacques Derrida's concept of hauntology before the term was widely applied to music. --- ## Influence & Legacy *Maxinquaye* was immediately acknowledged as groundbreaking and became one of the most emulated albums of the 1990s—which, paradoxically, may have diminished its creator's desire to revisit its sound. - **Trip-hop canon**: It cemented Tricky, Massive Attack, and Portishead as the kings of mid-90s trip-hop. While *Dummy* was adopted by the mainstream, *Maxinquaye* remained the choice of the trip-hop connoisseur—bleaker than Portishead, more inventive than Massive Attack. - **Influence on subsequent artists**: The album's DIY ethos and dark experimentalism pointed the way for acts ranging from King Krule to Young Fathers to Death Grips. Its influence extends across trip-hop, industrial hip-hop, and alternative R&B. - **Commercial success**: It was the UK's 65th best-selling album of 1995 at the height of Britpop—remarkable for such a challenging record. - **Tricky's own ambivalence**: Tricky himself has expressed conflicted feelings, at one point calling it "a shit album" because it spawned so many imitators. He claimed he couldn't do another *Maxinquaye* because the market became flooded with copycats. --- ## Pros | Strength | Details | |----------|---------| | **Innovative production** | The sample collages and murky, DIY aesthetic created a sound that was genuinely new. No one had made music that sounded this claustrophobic and sensual before. | | **Vocal chemistry** | The interplay between Tricky's raspy paranoia and Martina Topley-Bird's ethereal vocals is the album's secret weapon—Yin to Yang, creating an androgynous, dislocated atmosphere. | | **Atmospheric cohesion** | Despite genre-hopping from trip-hop to industrial rock to dub, the album maintains a remarkably consistent mood—dark, humid, and hypnotic. | | **Lyrical originality** | The fragmented, stream-of-consciousness lyrics feel genuinely unhinged rather than performatively edgy. | | **Standout tracks** | "Aftermath," "Ponderosa," "Black Steel," "Hell Is Round the Corner," and "Suffocated Love" are all classics. | | **Cultural significance** | It captured a specific moment of 1990s British disillusionment and expanded the possibilities of what "black British music" could encompass. | --- ## Cons | Weakness | Details | |----------|---------| | **Pacing issues in the second half** | The final tracks—particularly "Strugglin'" and "Feed Me"—are the most avant-garde and "difficult" material on the album. While not bad, they drag slightly and disrupt the flow. Some critics feel the album would benefit from tighter editing in its latter half. | | **"Black Steel" as a momentum killer** | The Public Enemy cover, while brilliant in isolation, is a jarring shift to full rock instrumentation placed early in the tracklist (track 3). For some listeners, it risks killing the album's hypnotic momentum. | | **Over-familiarity through imitation** | Because *Maxinquaye* was so widely copied, its innovations can sound less radical to modern ears than they were in 1995. Tricky himself complained that it "sounds just like hundreds of other shit albums out there" now. | | **Accessibility** | This is not music for casual listening. Its slow tempos, murky production, and unsettling themes demand full attention. Some listeners find it boring or oppressive rather than immersive. | | **Sample redundancy** | "Hell Is Round the Corner" uses the same Isaac Hayes sample that Portishead used on "Glory Box" (released around the same time), which has led to accusations of unoriginality in that specific instance—though Tricky claimed he heard early Portishead mixes and deliberately used the same sample. | --- ## Verdict *Maxinquaye* is a landmark album that remains essential listening nearly three decades later. It is not always comfortable or easy, but it is undeniably powerful—a stifling yet oneiric experience that expanded the boundaries of what trip-hop, hip-hop, and pop music could be. While it suffers slightly from pacing issues in its final third and from the very success that made it one of the most imitated records of the 1990s, its highs are so extraordinary that they more than compensate for its flaws. For listeners willing to surrender to its humid, paranoid atmosphere, *Maxinquaye* offers a journey unlike any other—a post-apocalyptic narrative rendered in sound, where every crevice of darkness is explored with sensuality and invention. **Essential tracks**: "Aftermath," "Ponderosa," "Black Steel," "Hell Is Round the Corner," "Suffocated Love," "Brand New You're Retro"
Obscure, mysterious, an album hinting at hidden depths that turn out to be shallow surfaces reflecting back at each other. Haunted dub production - deconstructed samples reworked into ambient fodder. A deep bass rumbles at a slow ambling pace leaving loads of space for the echoes to scatter and skitter across the high end. The middle is dj scratching, diva vocals, mumbled raps, and snaping snares that punctuated the trippy tipsy stoned blur.
3.5 vibey but kinda weird. Did not catch me
Not for me. Feels like some tracks belong on an sad sound track
I only know Tricky from Evolution Revolution Love, that great collaboration with Ed Kowalczyk (shouldn't there be a Live album on here somewhere?). I didn't so much like this album (though I did), as I was drawn in by it's claustrophobic and suffocating atmosphere.
I think I have a type... Regret that I saw them in concert before I really knew the catalog 4/5
Nice
Some of the songs were ok but not for me, like Overcome, Hell Is Round The Corner, Pumpkin, Aftermath, and Suffocated. The rest were a hard pass. Half of the songs are 2s, half 1s. Hard to give a final rating. The 2s are decent enough that I'll stick with that. Best song: Suffocated
It's all perfectly...fine. Trip hop was never my jam even when it had it's moment in the 90s. Listenable, but not memorable.
Comme Portishead, mais en moins bien
I hate rap and hip-hop and most r&b, but this is none of those - this is just junk.
No es escuchable este album, son ritmos aburridisimos con lyrics como i fuck you in the ass just for a laugh ? Pésimo 1/10
Unique sound, Topley-Bird’s vocals are perfect. Maybe slight diminishing returns in the back half but Overcome is fantastic. High-end 4
Out of all the great music that came out of 90’s, the author picked this album of all things to have us listen to. What a joke. There was a reason why this got lost back then. And there’s a reason why now no one listens to it. Because it’s boring and it sucks.
A bit too creepy and unsettling
A cool juxtaposition to the live music I'm about to hear all day at Incineration Fest. When the Bristol trip hop scene comes up in conversation, most people are likely to default to Tricky's alumni in Massive Attack, or Portishead as the most important purveyors of the sound, but I think this possesses equal merit and significance. It's a densely populated, kind of claustrophobic masterclass which transcends time in providing an individualistic experience within the movement. This differs to the likes of "Dummy" or "Blue Lines" as the production exudes a murkier feel, amplifying aspects of the urban sprawl that can be observed in early trip hop into something more sinister and shadowy, whilst uniquely apportioning the dub and soul elements explored by their peers. The vocal interplay is fantastic, with Martina Topley-Bird's ethereal, dreamy style contrasting with Tricky's raspy, anxious, frequently bordering on a whisper voice. It lends the album an arcane, kind of androgynous feel that works a real treat.
It's mostly a slow synth poppy record. It's not really my wheelhouse. It was OK. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it.
I kind of do like triphop and I kind of do like tricky Tricky, and I have listened to several of his albums at school, but I think I like those other albums more,
3.2 some fairly average trip-hop, with some decent rock elements. At one point I was thinking these were a Portishead rip-off, and then low and behold, a Portishead sample appears. Enjoyed the Black Steel cover although it did drag on a bit at the end, which I think epitomises the album really. Pleasant listen, but not really sure it added much to music. Can't fully see the reason for it's inclusion.
I was doing well in catching up with my album backlog before getting to this album. The first few songs on this album caused me to hit a wall so hard that I did a 180 and ran away from 1001AG for about 4 days. Unfortunately, the bad songs on this album sounds what I imagine a drug trip sounds like and cannot make up for any redeeming factors of tolerable songs. I feel like there are parts where the music is good--it could be good, but when everything is put together it is not good.
Hey! I just listened to this for the first time a month ago after doing a deep dive on trip hop. Love the head bobbing Aftermath. Whispering flute, twangy guitar, echoing vocals, just a great overall vibe. Hell Around The Corner is good, using that same Isaac Hayes sample that Portishead uses. I think the bleakness on this may be appealing to some, it’s not especially my bag. If I was in the mood for some Trip Hop I’d reach for Massive Attack or Portishead before ever getting to Tricky unfortunately. I’m glad I listened to this album but I probably won’t be coming back for another spin.
I'll preface this by saying I wasn't the biggest fan of the Massive Attack record in this collection so I didn't have high hopes about a solo record from one of their members and I was right. I just don't think this album is for me. I know someone out there loves this and that's awesome, but I found it boring. I'm not mad I had to listen to it but I probably won't remember this album after today. 2/5
В натуре трип хоп
8.0/10 Thought this was pretty cool...
Dark, dreamy, drippy trip-hop. Head-bopping grooves, occasionally risque lyrics. Good album all the way through, no complaints.
Decent enough background noise
6.
I like it. Smooth, cool.
Maybe no soy tan open mind con la música como pensé
Laik para la canción 4
This one starts promising, but as with many trip-hop records, it melts into nothing by the end. It's still better than most of its contemporaries, and Tricky has a lyrical style that touches on all sorts of other topics beyond just brooding club music. It ain't great but it's definitely not terrible either.
The lead singer has a nice voice, the mix of genres and sounds, in some of the tracks from cacophony to a real track is trippy. It’s different and not in a bad way.
Still so so great. Blew my mind in release, and it still sounds so cool and unusual.
cool sound but not my thing
I love it when members of a group leave and immediately show how crucial they are.
One of the greatest trip-hop albums ever.
trippy cool
Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Near Perfect - I love this album. One of the most obvious high points of trip hop. The sister album, Protection, that Tricky used many of the same lyrics on is my favourite Massive Attack record and he was clearly just operating at a ridiculous level around this era. This album just sounds incredible. The grooves are so deep and rich, the vocals are smoky and seductive, and overall this is almost flawless.
A british hip hop artist that is good. I'll be damned. I think this is the first one I thought belonged on this list and the rest were all 1 stars for me.
My rating 3.4 This was quite enjoyable
Cool, almost lazy dreamy trip hop but very deliverately constructed downtwmpo hip hop beats with fun insturments flitting in and out. Has tape warmth, very listenable, effortless quality. This is like a massive attack portishead genre mashup somewhere between the two
No hay mucho que decir más que seguramente lo escuche de nuevo. El primer tema el mejor. Nota: 4.1
you could line up all the British electronica groups we've had on this list and I would struggle to tell them apart. Its so goofy how similar sounding they are despite trying to be so differen. Its not terrible or anything, just more of the same soft spoken vocals against industrial machinery noise. The French and Swedish got you guys beat in the genre.
Oh wow a British downtempo electronic album with basically the same female vocalist who does all the British downtempo electronic albums. How original! I’m so glad we didn’t have a dozen albums on the list before this that sound exactly the same! Oh and it’s got jungle rhythms too?!? I’ve never heard a British album that does that either! In other words, it’s fine but just listen to Massive Attack instead right?
Du trip hop, un mélange de hip-hop, soul, dub et rock. Je m'attendais à mieux. Très softy comme album. Je retiens plus la voix de la chanteuse que les mélodies et arrangements de Tricky.
Too chill for me
Not really my thing
This album was close to bringing me in, but never could. A whole album of this isn't amazing, but a song here and there is fine. The genre has potential. Didn't hate it, but I wanted it to be over.
I liked this! Definitely up my alley. Pleasant surprise bc I had no idea who Tricky was.
An interesting album where I can hear the influences that it had on other albums. Overall while interesting is not one I can see really coming back to.
i described this as british hip hop with noises and sounds and that might not be accurate but that's how it sounds to me. Needless to say, not for me.
Massive Disappointment.
3.5
не знаю почему здесь все его обосрали
Tricky indeed
Interesting but not really my thing
Solid album throughout. Not on the level of Portishead or Massive Attack themselves, but decent.
Really torn on this one. I try not to rate 3s because it's a cop out. Most times its not to hard to grade it 2 or 4 overall but this one has songs all over the place. For 1995 it's not quite a genre busting or novel record, but it has its moments. I think this one is saved by Martina Topley-Bird's collab, the best songs feature her at her best!
Alternative Massive Attack like not bad but eh. kinda cool, the artistry is there. I just wont listen to it again..... this is making me realize some of my previous 3s should be 2s but oh well
Trip hop, experimental, electronic, R&B, dub, post-rock, British hip hop, sampledelia.
Unnerving but very sexy album, black steel is an all-time great song
A chill listen and I enjoyed it, but nothing really stuck out and some songs felt overly long.
Ya this was weird. Several of the songs on the album aren't even available on Apple Music for whatever reason. All I remember about this album is the surprising mention of butt-fucking, which... ok.
I generally like these kinds of sounds, especially as background working music but this was a bit of a drag. I am struggling to understand the foundations this laid? Could have been worse, that's for sure.
Sounds like this is from a member of Massive Attack, and just like their albums in the project it started as something I thought I’d like but quickly became background music. Not mich to say since this was somewhat ignored
started falling asleep listening to this shit
Funny, just last week I reviewed something as "Massive Attack but with balls". And now this. Fun, cool vibes and some songs an absolute bop. Bit long tho.
This album feels tense, ominous, anxious and bleak. I usually love trip-hop, but I didn’t connect with this album at all.
Cool, chill
loved this one. but the female singer made this album great. give her more crediiiiits
meh
This was a diverse interesting album and a 1st listen of Tricky for me. The female vocalist has a nice smooth delivery and I enjoyed the mostly relaxing nature of the album. Some good rap hip hop and pop tracks.
2.5 A few songs I got was into but overall not for me
Sorprendemente bueno, flashero, tranquilo. Me añadí un par de canciones, y sorprendentemente sexual, por más de que creo que no hace alusión al sexo nunca.
Surprisingly fun and interesting
Complicated feelings about this album heralding Tricky’s exodus from Massive Attack after two incredible albums. But MA would go on to release their masterpiece three years later, while Tricky would drop this banger of a solo debut. Maybe ultimately it was the best for everyone involved. What a phenomenal record this is. Essential listening for trip hop and downtempo.
Man this could be on a modern FIFA. Impressively ahead of its time.
Not that interesting, but a couple of bangers.
If "meh" was an album. Also a pretty good example of why trip-hop didn't survive the 90s/early '00s
This was a cool album. Wasn’t quite sure where they were about to take me with it especially when the woman was saying she was a black man. But they landed the plane!
Boring. Lifeless. These are the best 2 words I can use to describe this. There's almost nothing of note here. Boring beats, quiet barely audible words, sort of mumbly, just nothing. Barely a melody can be heard. The only reason this isn't a 1 is because there's one song I didn't mind - Black Steel. 2/5
Really gelled with this and how chilling it got