Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Love the genre, but this album not really too impressive for me. Lacklustre
first half of this slaps. sadly tails off a bit in the second half
I enjoyed this!
This was a weird album but not unpleasant, just really outside of my musical preferences. Rap, R&B, techno and not typically what i pull towards, so I wouldn't listen again. That's not to say its bad, its actually works well together and is cohesive. The signers voice is beautiful and evokes deep emotion. The beats and music go very well with the vocals complementing it almost perfectly. There is a lot of depth here and as I listen I can imagine the person that loves this. I respect it for pushing the boundaries of music and making something that is beautiful and unique.
I like the super chill vibes of this, feels a lot like Portishead, and they even share one of the same samples. That being said, I don't have the same memories/nostalgia attached to this as I do to Portishead, and I did get a little bored with the pace of things. My favorites were the two faster songs, Black Street and Brand New You're Retro, because the tempo was more interesting to me. Suffocated Love was pretty good too, and overall I enjoyed the sexy coolness of the whole thing.
Starts very strong but doesn’t end as interesting as I’d hope. The beats are at the same time sparse but layered with a lot of really cool ideas. 6/10
Never heard of this so let’s see 1. Overcome. Cool, creepy. Eerie. I digs. Sounds like a video game score 2. Ponderosa. Equally eerie. I digs but I can see myself getting tired of the vocals on this record 4. Hell Is Round The Corner. Did Alessia Cara sample this? Update: they both sampled another song from 1971. Cool find 6. Aftermath. Yeah, this album is basically the same vibe all the way through. Good songs, but the same thing all the way through. 9. Suffocated Love. This one’s different. But yeah, I’ve grown tired of the vocals (female vocals mainly) 10. You Don’t. I’m glad we’re getting some variety now in terms of sound 12. Feed Me. Might be my favorite All in all, quite Silent Hill-y. Would put it on as background music when playing a horror game but that’s probably it.
Good but no Massive Attack
fine but forgettable. Got better after the first song or two.
Not usually my sort of thing. Has its high points though, especially the cover of Black Steel
Pretty cool lo-fi beats with Tricky and Martina bouncing lyrics off each other the whole album. Kind of weird at points but overall a cool album. I saw a tweet this morning that impersonated British rappers that made me laugh that said: She suck on my willy it's quite delightful if I catch you in West Gloucestershire you'll catch the rifle
A mix of Portishead, Bjork, and DJ Frane. This record is pretty decent and has some good quality beats. The vocals are nice, soothing and dreamy. Very reminiscent of the artists mentioned earlier, but it does have its own distinct sound, in a way. Solid.
It didn't blow me away but I didn't expect this sound from '95 and it makes sense to be on the list. Interesting content but not that exciting overall.
sounds like 2002 in 1994. Mr. Zorg in Fifth Element. Bristol. femal vocals sound like björk at times then worked with her two years later.
I’d never heard of this album, and I still can’t tell if I want to return to it or not. I could instantly hear the Massive Attack connection. There was a lot of genre mixing going on, a lot of languid chillbeats, a lot of unexpected flute. In general, it was a bit boring. The most memorable was perhaps the danceable track “Brand New You’re Retro.” Most of the songs went on for far too long, but it was certainly an interesting listening experience, and not something I would have picked up on my own.
Pretty massive in 1995. An album from the Karmacoma guy, yeah ok, thought little me. I really liked Black Steel. Had no idea about the Public Enemy connection but enjoyed the guitars. Ponderosa decent too. I do not remember him using the same Isaac Hayes sample Portishead used. Unfortunately for Tricky I can only hear Glory Box throughout. Pumpkin is pretty ace with a sickly sweet uncertain vibe. Aftermath, oh yeah, this song was huge! It's going on the late night playlist for sure. Abbaon Fat Tracks - what the fuck are these lyrics haha, I can't believe my teenage friends didn't bring this to my attention, much childish humour could have been had. I liked it ok when it came out, never stuck with me like Massive Attack or Portishead did, and I feel the same now. Album goes on two tracks two long for sure.
Dark, dreamy
Hell is around the corner
Great background music for focus purposes. 3/4
I have a little bit of mixed feelings about this. The album starts off awesome. Overcome is one of my favorites on the whole album, but then it kind of falls off right after. There's a few other good songs, but, as new and experimental albums tend to go, there's also some duds. All-in-all, the album is pretty fine. There's some really good songs, and the style and artistic decisions definitely paved the way for a couple of albums that have already come up on this list. I'm not wholly impressed though. Favorite Song(s): Overcome, Hell is Round the Corner
You can actually tell the point at which Tricky gets bored - about 2 minutes into Brand New You're Retro. Yes, this is a joke. Album not recorded in sequence, at least as far as I know. But true that its incendiary opening piddles away into nowt a fair bit before the end. (As covers go, Black Steel is up there with the best.)
I love the beats and music, but the vocals/rapping kind of turn me off to it
Bonus star for the memories. I didn't care for this nearly as much as I did as a young pup. That is mainly because of the lyrics. Musically it a straight up masterclass of trip-hop.
Thought this was alright.
I somewhat enjoy this record but it really feels like it was a time and place type thing.
The production is the highlight on this album, and Martina Topley-Bird’s vocals are fantastic as well. Unfortunately Tricky’s vocals are so weak and unimpressive by comparison and he sounds so unconvincing, especially with some of the raunchier lyrics. There is some really chill and atmospheric trip-hop as well as more upbeat tracks like the techno-laced Public Enemy cover Black Steel, but the album does run out of ideas a bit towards the end
Enjoyable trip-hop
30 second review: It's moody. Liked songs added: - Black Steel
Played it at my desk working. Very chill. Barely noticed it was on....or when it was over. Better than Mariah tho!
Tick rock, it’s trip hop o’clock. Sounds like Don Cheadle in the Oceans films.
Good album. Definitely stays in the same tone the whole time. Easy to listen to, but not very dynamic in the end. 3/5 Might listen again
To me, it was pedestrian, uninteresting and nothing special. The redeeming factor was vocalist, Martina Topley-Bird who I thought elevated the listening experience and made it...a bit better. The music, beats and lyrics were okay, so I definitely didn't dislike the album, but I didn't particularly like it either...so it's kind of a tricky dilemma.
Super cool and impressive, not 100% my thing
Didn’t really do much for me, I guess it’s alright?
Kelpo albumi, ei siinä sen kummempia.
The most mellow trip hop electronics I’ve heard to date and I like the sound. Good move by Tticky using a female vocalist, she makes the album! Great debut effort (3.4*s)
Tricky is better as part of Massive Attack and unfortunately the same goes for Topley-Bird. That makes this debut album just ok. I'm a big fan of Trip Hop and this just wasn't as memorable as the greats. The things that do stand out are not all positive. The song "Hell is Round the Corner" is a straight ripoff of Portishead's "Glory Box" which is far superior. I hated "Abbaon Fat Tracks" for the overly sexualized (and way too direct) lyrics, please be more TRICKY with that one boy. "Black Steel" was a bit better for its exploration of rock guitar over driven beats but it skips all over the place after that. I did not like the MJ samples and 90's noise on "Brand New You're Retro" and "Strugglin'" was just that, a struggle to listen to. Overall this falls short and just feels too grimy for me.
With Massive Attack's Blue Lines already on the list...is this one really a must? I did like it better but sounds very much the same. Some more slow trip-hop beats with a woman on vocals. A bit more sinister though with guns cocking and Tricky sounding all grimey like. Def some good background chill music for a hookah lounge or opium den...2.5.
This is another album where I'm unsure if my ambivalence towards it comes from the quality or it being outside of my wheelhouse. The beats are lush and enjoyable, but some of this leaves me feeling a little sleepy. "Abbaon Fat Tracks" snapped me out of it a bit; hearing "I fuck you in the ass" does that to a person. I will admit that "I ride the premenstrual cycle" is kind of funny. Then again, isn't this album named after his mom? I suppose I'm glad I've heard another 90s album I wouldn't have touched otherwise, and there is something wholly unique about 'Maxinquaye'. I do want to share quote from Tricky that I love: "Some artists use [unusual time signatures] to try and make their music weird. My music is weird because I don't know what I'm doing." Cheers. Highlights: Black Steel, Hell Is Round The Corner, Brand New You're Retro, Strugglin'
En verdad la primera canción me atrajo mucho a lo que estaba apunto de escuchar, pero lo encontré sufriendo el síndrome de misma canción looped pero a lil different. Very low 3.
Feels like a debut album - a collection of songs that don't meld together, each one it's own experiment, some working, some not. That's how great artists are made, but also how albums can feel rough and dated and fail to hold up to their peers. I think I'd always pick Portishead out Massive Attack over this. I should try out his other albums.
Not bad. Nice sound.
Pretty relaxing trip-hop vibes, but also a bit too generic sounding
occasional bjork vibes
Liked parts, meh on others.
Super interesting and unique sounds. Come back to this one again for sure.
First time listen. Not bad, interesting.
Not necessarily my thing but I respect it. Gives off a cool vibe and the vocals are great, if perhaps a tad too low in the mix.
What a cool sound. Kinda like edgy hip-hop meets acid beats/house music or something? I like it, and it all sounded really good and well-composed and -recorded. I'd never even heard of Tricky before, but I recognized him from The Fifth Element. Not really my genre, but I definitely appreciate it for what it is. Three stars.
Murky beats with rather anonymous female singing. As a longtime enjoyer of hip hop beats I can dig this. But it lacks the moodiness and beauty of better trip hop releases.
Woah, second day in a row for Bristolian trip hop royalty. This should probably be a 4 but its bleak, claustrophobic sprawl is actually not the easiest listen so, regretfully, it's getting a 3 today.
Chill music, but lacks some edge to hook me to listen this again
Different. Not your typical rap album. Good vocals.
Donkey Kong Country cave level music if it was evil and twisted. Goes on for about seven millennia too long, but it was pretty good background noise I suppose. Not on the same level as Mezzanine.
I've been trying to figure out my thoughts on this one for the better part of a day. Ultimately, I think I'm more interested in Martina Topley-Bird than Tricky. It's interesting to me that Apple Music describes this as "a make-out must, but it's the pervading sense of danger that makes is so sensually sinister." I'm not really looking for romantic entanglements that can be described with "danger" or "sinister" so maybe that's my holdup. Black Steel was my favorite track which makes sense since it's a Public Enemy cover. Actively disliked Strugglin', Suffocated Love, and Abbaon Fat Track. Basically, the ones that felt most violent.
Trip Hop, but not quite... Not quite Massive Attack, not quite Portishead, Not quite Sneaker Pimps, somewhere in between but not quite.
Not fir me
First song chill and atmospheric. Almost a little industrial.
Interesting for not for me (3)
There are clear signs that part of this stuff was written by Tricky while he was part of Massive Attack. "Overcome" is his version of MA's "Karmacoma". In general, a much slower album than one might expect of this genre. This is a decent debut album and one might see the struggle of Tricky to cut the strings to Massive Attack. I think, that later releases by him were more distinct.
This took me ages (weeks) to get through because I kept stopping halfway through the first track. Was so sure this would be a polite 2 stars, but once I got to later tracks I really settled into the groove of it. Not sure I'll ever come back to it, but not bad overall! I can see why it was a hit
Off the beaten path in a positive way
Chill coolness. I actually do appreciate the atmosphere, but at times it wasn’t doing much for me. Maybe I’d enjoy more in a different mood. 3/2.5 I liked the woman’s voice but the guy’s was sometimes annoying, especially when he was doing his tryhard-sexy vocal fry voice
Well now. Here's an album that certainly deserves it's place on this list. This is a definitive one for those of you obsessed with genre labels. Tricky left Massive Attack to do more of his own thing and he really has, despite several of his Massive Attack lyrics being recycled here. It's trip-hop alright but moves away from the reggae re-makes and orchestral juggenauts of his previous band and move into a creepy and varied new sound world. The audacious Public Enemy cover of 'Black Steel' was very popular at the time and stands out like an enjoyable sore thumb amongst all the dense atmospheres and rumbling electronica of the rest of the album. Comparison is always drawn to Portishead for their shared use of the Isaac Hayes sample but to my ears the 2 songs 'Hell is around the corner' and 'Glory Box' couldn't sound more different and just show how a sample canused originally. There's no blues guitar and noir-film samples on this, nor does Martina Topley-Bird wring her heart out on every song like Beth Gibbons does. In fact Martina's detached composure is a signature of this album. So it's an original, far reaching, and unique album with personal themes explored in a way only Tricky would seem to. It's a class act. I just don't like it that much paersonally. A bit short on tunes, wanders on too long. I do find something about it a bit too creepy and claustrophobic. A landmark, worth visitng.
i am basic and i will confess trip hop for me is portishead and massive attack
Some excellent instrumentation and a great overall soundscape is tarnished by annoying vocals and some seriously horrible lyrics at points. I have no problem with an overlying theme of sex in an album, just look at Vespertine. But this? “I fuck you in the ass, just for a laugh”? No thanks. Keep that to yourself please. My main gripe however is around half of the vocals, being seriously unpleasant over-the-top Britishness. It’s such a shame, because the instrumentation is, as mentioned, excellent. Not a bad album by any means, just absolutely not for me.
This definitely an interesting and unique album. Very experimental sound. I'm not a huge fan of it's low energy. But I appreciate Tricky going outside the box here.
Cool album Standout songs: Black steel Aftermath Brand new your retro
Nog een genre waar ik me eigenlijk veel eerder al dieper in had moeten storten.. Trip-hop. En ik moet zeggen, dit album was een hele fijne om er wat beter in te komen. Als ik denk aan Trip-hop denk ik aan Massive Attack. En wat blijkt, hier zit Tricky ook bij. Dat is alvast fijn om te weten, beginnend aan dit album. Black Steel is eigenlijk een nummer dat niet helemaal thuishoort op dit album. Het origineel van Public Enemy is bijna niet terug te horen, los van de lyrics. Wat een bizar lijpe cover. Het is het nummer dat mij het meest greep. De vocalen zijn echt top, wat heeft Martina Topley-Bird een geweldige stem. Gemaakt voor dit genre. Het nummer is punkachtig, hiphop, maar er zijn nog genoeg elementen om het als Trip-hop te beschouwen. Ik kan ook genieten van nummers als Aftermath en Strugglin' vanwege de ultieme laid-backness, fluitjes, eindeloze drumbeats en mompelende vocalen. Er zitten ook wat leuke sampletjes in, Michael Jacksons 'Bad' in Brand New You're Retro. Dit nummer heeft een geweldige transitie rond de 1e minuut. Een andere sample was natuurlijk Glorybox die Tricky schaamteloos gerecycled heeft in Hell is Round the Corner. Rating: 8/10 Highlights: Black Steel, Aftermath, Brand New You're Retro
Trip Hop, blijf het een wonderbaarlijk verhaal vinden hoe het neefje van het oer-Amerikaanse Hip Hop het levenslicht zag in het 'nietige' Bristol, in een uithoek van Engeland. Veel verder dan de founding fathers gaat m'n interesse in deze muziekstijl niet, met Massive Attack en Portishead kwam ik al wel aan m'n trekken. Ik kende de naam Tricky wel, en z'n bekendste nummer 'Hell Is Round the Corner', maar had even gemist dat hij ook echt in de triangel van Trip Hop pioniers hoorde. Het was aangenaam kennismaken moet ik zeggen. De productie op dit album vind ik minstens zo sterk als die op debuutalbums van de reedsgenoemde Trip Hop acts. Het is allemaal wat rauwer en grittier, het kraakt en het piept, en dat komt het genre echt ten goede. Trip Hop is een traag genre, maar het besluipt je wel echt, en Trippy zorgt ervoor dat je telkens achterom kijkt. Toch moet ik direct Martina Topley-Bird ook credits geven, want ik had louter fluisterende vocalen van Tricky zelf niet aangekund. Wat een goede stem heeft ze, die zorgt voor een prettige verlichting te midden de sinistere instrumentals. Het eerste nummer waar m'n hart sneller van ging kloppen is 'Ponderosa', dat klinkt als een Trip Hop versie van Clap Hands van Tom Waits. Wat een vreemd nummer; die krakende stem, de primitieve instrumenten, en dan opeens die piano waar je nekharen van overeind gaan staan. Love it. En dan back to back met een cover van wellicht m'n favoriete song van Public Enemy. Favoriete muziek dat gecovered wordt is vaak een recepy for disaster. Niet bij 'Black Steel'. Respectabele re-imagination, met een drum 'n bass sound die het thema van de song perfect past. En het ijzersterke trio (misschien wel het beste trio tot nog toe in de generator) wordt afgesloten met 'Hell Is Round The Corner', het duivelse broertje van het melancholische zusje 'Glory Box' (Portishead). Exploiteert dezelfde Isaac Hayes sample, wat gevaarlijk is gezien de populariteit van Glory Box, maar zet een volledig andere mood neer. Kille atmosfeer, maar echt een mokerchille beat. En het enige nummer waar ik me niet echt stoor aan de vocalen van Tricky. Het niveau van die drie tracks wordt bij lange na niet meer bereikt later op de plaat, en het lome karakter van Trip Hop breekt de drive op het album een beetje op. Sommige nummers missen een theelepel of drie aan spice. 'Brand New You're Retro' breekt die trend, en brengt wat meer power. Had een instrumental van Public Enemy kunnen zijn, en is meer Hip dan Trip. Dat het genre sowieso echt een vuilnisbakkenras is, met roots in onverwachte hoeken, hoor je ook weer op 'You Don't', die wat reggae uit de hoge hoed tovert. Het is een thema wat we intussen veel hebben besproken: de eclectische cocktail aan stijlen die het 90s muzieklandschap tekenen. Net als Public Enemy, Beastie Boys en Beck toont Tricky aan over een brede muziekkennis te beschikken. De samples zijn vaak wat onorthodoxer dan in andere Trip Hop die ik ken, en voelt als een inspiratiebron voor Alternatieve Hip Hop van vandaag de dag. Een hoop elementen hoor je terug in de muziek van acts als Young Fathers, Dean Blunt, Yves Tumor en Danny Brown. Bijzonder hoe een offspring van Hip Hop uiteindelijk toch weer aan het begin lijkt te staan van een nieuw rapgenre. Er zit ook echt wel wat filler-materiaal op, maar ben over het algemeen positief verrast. 7,5/10 Highlights: Ponderosa Black Steel Hell Is Round The Corner
Fínasta fínt og flottasta flott bara.
Mjög flott tónlist og mikil áhrif á triphoppið. Verður aðeins einhæft til lengdar.
Tricky, more like Trippy, am I right? heh.
The second time this week a sample of Chris Hayes’ “Ike’s Rap II” appears; the first being the obvious one on Dummy. I can’t complain. Maxinquaye is a playful and fun album with some cool visions erupting from Tricky’s mind. I’m not all sold on the whole thing; but at times it’s almost excellent.
This was fine. Not what I was expecting, I think he got more drum + bass later. I’ve listened to one of his later albums (pretty much only because he was cool in The Fifth Element) and really didn’t like it at all.
I was thinking how much this sounded like Portishead then Hell Is Round the Corner came on witch has the same sample as Portishead used on Glory Box. Mad
I have heard several Portishead samples in this list. I haven’t bumped ahead to see if the real-deal made the cut. I actually like the electronic flow of several of the tunes. I’d listen again.
This was a pleasant surprise -- not sure about Apple Music's contention that it's make out music, but overall enjoyable and Black Steel was awesome
A great trip-hop album that predates DJ Shadow’s debut by a year or two. I had listened to Massive Attack and really enjoyed them but didn’t know Tricky split off for solo work. It seems there’s nothing he won’t sample and the end result is very atmospheric and cool. It’s the kind of album that your attention can come in and out of.
It was cool but prob needs a few listens to infiltrate.
Not really my style but I found some songs to be pretty good. Toss up again between 2 and 3 stars. Can some tell the generator to pick some albums that I have to decide between 4 and 5 stars?
Tricky's just not all that. And never really was. Massive Attack's output is holding much better and Goldfrapp's much better still. This is fine as far as it goes but feels oh so dated, especially the sound effects. There are a few decent cuts and the mood/vibe is interesting, but the emotional effect is pretty limited – ranging from credible chilly and clubby languor ("You Don't") to the outright annoying ("Strugglin'"). "Aftermath" was way overexposed and, while okay-cool, never merited its ubiquity, besides being way too long. "Feed Me" is kinda cool, too, but largely anodyne and neither impactful nor memorable. Does trip-hop really matter? And will it be seen as having mattered at some point, beyond the limits of faddishness? By what year will it be forgotten entirely, if it isn't already largely so today? If one never heard a trip-hop cut again, one's not sure one'd notice the difference.
It wasn't that bad. I expected to absolutely despise it, but I found that it was actually easy to listen to. I didn't like the repetition of the beat.
3.3/5 Best Track: Black Steel
Better than expected - very listenable, and I can in the right atmosphere, this would be an excellent choice.
It was fine? I vibed during it, but I didn’t think it was particularly groundbreaking or incredible.
i guess i like trip hop. TIL
I think this might have been a 4 on a different day, I just didn't have a lot of attention for it today. I was intrigued to see the artist was in Massive Attack, who I generally enjoy.
I didn't know that Tricky was a big piece of Massive Attack but it makes sense. Very airy for typical hip hop/r&b...it got a little monotonous for me in the middle tracks but a nice sound.
Definitely enjoyed some tracks here and I partially understand this album in the context of when it was released but it didn't really grab me.
Did Massive Attack produce this? I'm deep in moody 90s movies.
Very strange sound. Some parts of this album were pretty repetitive. The vocals didn't do much for me. I thought the album was gonna be much better when I started hearing some distorted guitar, but then it just fell back to the same repetitive lo fi groove.
More lofi/trip hop, but there were a couple of songs that I actually liked in this one, specifically Black Steel and Pumpkin
listened 2x - good but probably wont come back to this. 3/5
I’ve never spent time with Tricky. I think if I was younger it would have been too pulled back for me but I have a feeling I’m gonna be throwing this record on again and again. It’s probably more rewarding after several listens. Rich, layered, laid back, strong groove, love the lyrical content. Super happy I’ve been exposed to this — this is what I was hoping for from the 1001 albums experiment.
I really liked one song on here and the rest were not anything spectacular, I listened through once, but that was enough for my lifetime.
Some enjoyable hip hop. A few lines stuck out to me here and there, but never really any full songs.
Better than I thought it was going to be
Vet plaatje, waarvan Black Steel er natuurlijk met kop en schouders bovenuit steekt.
Black Steel is een fantastische track! En de rest van dit album kon ik ook best goed hebben.
excellent background music, but kinda empty
Not a bad album but I hope it's not the only thing on the list that is electronic music.
The first half of this album is really good, and the second half is just ok. Overall, I'm not sure I'd revisit it, but it was pretty cool. 3.25/5
Fine.
Good album. Has a good vibe but maybe a little too long as an album. I prefer the trip more than the hop in trip hop and on this album. Not up to par with Portishead or Massive Attack but still good when the mood strikes.
Nicht so wirklich mein Ding aber auch nicht komplett scheiße
Dark and Brooding. The album kind of tails off after a strong start..
3.75
This is a similar sort of vibe to Massive Attack (albeit a bit less Caribbean), but just not as good. Hadn't actually realised he was in/around Massive Attack until Googling it after writing that first sentence. There are a couple of good tracks - Black Steel is the one with the most energy, Hell Is Round The Corner straight afterwards is way more chilled but still good. Probably just about a 3.
It’s alright. Moody and well made, vocals are great. A bit too long maybe
Good quality sound.
Not bad but not my thing
Pretty good. Nice and mellow. Although nothing grabbed me enough to up the rating to a four.
Very nice, smooth and sexy. I only knew a little Tricky before, but this is pretty good
As a listening experience this is more challenging or interesting than it is enjoyable. Much of it is wreathed in murk or occluded by sonic fog. Atmospheric, even a little chilling, but also a little stultifying. When the blood gets pumping a bit, such as on 'Black Steel' or 'Brand New You're Retro' I perk up. Another highlight are Martina Topley-Bird's spectral, barely-there vocal performances. She's eerie! A strange sound universe. I don't like it much, but I appreciate it.
Funny, I watched a video on YouTube over the weekend with this audiophile guy who was raving about this record. I started listening to it, but stopped and now here we are. The circle of life and all that. I should point out the guy in the video was British and as such is required by law to like this kind of music. (That's factually correct, right Alex?) Hell, he maybe is the author of this very list. I'll look into it. Anyway, I didn't find it earth shattering or as good as the Portishead record we just listened to. But I did like moments and overall it has a cool kind of temperature to it. "Pumpkin" was my favorite song. That's something I could listen to multiple times and I even looked up Alison Goldfrapp on Wikipedia because I liked her voice on that track. The opening tune stood out and I did notice that there's some solid cussin' going on here and there, but mostly it was just some good sounding background beats.
Good background music, nice vibes, nothing offensive. A bit experimental but nothing chaotic. Its aight.
Had its moments but was maybe a bit long/meandering?
I can respect how different and innovative this album was when it was recorded, and Martina Topley-Bird has an amazing voice, but ultimately this one is just a little too samey for me over the course of the record.
C+ Overcome 3 Ponderosa 4 Black Steel 3 Hell Is Round the Corner 3 Pumpkin 3 Aftermath 3 Abbaon Fat Tracks 3 Brand New You're Retro 2 Suffocated Love 3 You Don't 2 Strugglin' 2 Feed Me 2 This was good, but it ended on a very meh note. Sorry Tricky, you're not that guy pal.
deceeeent
Was on repeat in the background a few times today. Can’t say I was entirely engaged. But a nice casual groove.
This one surprised me! I was under the impression Tricky was a rapper, and expected a rap album, and this is not that. Learning that Tricky was (and is again) a member of Massive Attack makes much more sense, as this has more in common with that type of dark down-tempo electronica than it does with Biggie or Pac. This, I am learning, is called trip-hop. Huh! Cool to learn new things. That said, while Martina Topley-Bird's vocals are lovely, and the music at times is quite chill, chill can easily become boring when stretched out to an hour. I recommend the track "Black Steel", but as a whole, this goes on a little long. Still better than the rap I expected, so I'm choosing to round up from 2.5 stars.
Tricky Some cool deep grooves. I like the dissonances in the samples. Martina Copley Birds vocals are cool. His vocals are more like whispery spoken word. Black steel was my favorite
Kinda cool, idk 2.5?
Trance should be a music you fall into and out of. Back and forth between passive and active listening. Like sitting on the porch of a cabin by a mountain stream — you aren’t always consciously aware of the stream, but it comes in and out of focus and each time you notice something new and beautiful. But in this case, I just found myself being irritated the stream was still going on. In short, pretty boring.
First few songs were good... then it got boring
EL DISCO con mayúsculas del Trip-Hop al menos comercialmente y con el permiso de Portishead mucho mejores conceptualmente.
Very creative, cool vibe. Hard to see me seeking it out, though.
A bit interesting. Spacey, dark, broody, understated. The vocalizations/rap are a bit of a distraction (i don't think they improve the music as Portishead does a better job here). Still was cool to listen to, but it does kind of blend altogether.
Kuuntelin tämän viimeksi joskus 10v sitten ja tykkäsin nyt kyllä enemmän. Hieno ysäritunnelma. Ehkä jokin mauste uupuu, että nousisi neljään.
Rentoa ja coolia musaa, mutta ei herätä kauheesti tunteita myöskään. Kolmoseen jää.
Sub Portishead with a less capable chanteuse, nice beats though
not sure the genre is for me, but has some cool parts
Genuinely weird, but I can really see how important it is. Excited to relisten. 3/5
Som diferentqo, legalzinho até
I'm not such a fan of Massive Attack, so this effort feels a little wasted on me. It has some cool moments, and is generally a cool way to do a down tempo hip hop ambient record. It just didnt move me.
Fine background music
Seems like a watered down Massive Attack album. It’s Allright, some nice melodies and song building. But nothing too special. 6,5 out of 10
It’s interesting but not exactly a comfortable listen or something I’ll be rushing back to
I can appreciate this for what it is, but I didn't really connect with it
I do quite enjoy this type of music, the Portishead moody trip-hoppy kinda stuff. This was certainly a serviceable album that I largely enjoyed. Nothing special and it is outshined by similar albums like Dummy. It's just a solid, enjoyable listen. A few tracks kind washed over each other and lacked that bitta something. 3.5
Campy 90s hard-boiled action film BDSM club music. Often ridiculous and some beats are weaker than others, but I had a great fun time. Three and a half. Fave track: Hell Is Round the Corner
A good album - maybe expected to connect with it a bit more than I did this listen. Some of the tracks seem to blend a bit and didn't seem to shine above a lot of the other Bristol trip hop stuff I have heard (which to be fair, is not heaps). Still some banging tracks and one I think I'll return to and give another chance on another day. Three and a half. Fave track: Hell Is Round The Corner
Not quite as compelling as Massive Attack. But some cause for interest.
I only got about halfway through before the next album was released. Overall, I enjoyed the dark, melancholic vibe of this album and I am slating it for more listens down the line.
There are some really groovy and interesting moments on this, but for me they were a bit too few and far between. I was "Strugglin'" not to skip ahead a number of times.
The first track of the album had me excited that this was going to be another cool discovery. Unfortunately, it didn’t remain so engaging for me throughout.
Listened Before? N The first several tracks here were really good with the female singer. Once the other dude took over, though, it became not my favorite. It was okay, and the first part earned it another star. All in all not awful. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Aftermath
Some pretty decent dark and dreamy trip hop
3.5/5
His cover of Black Steel is awesome. The rest of the album is pleasant background music.
3.5
Not bad, but I may not have given it the attention it deserves. It probably warrants another listen. What DID get my full attention was the track "Hell Is Round the Corner," which sent me down a rabbit hole. I immediately recognized the sample used as one Portishead had also used, and after a quick minute looking through my collection, I found the proper track, "Glory Box" (a great song, but I actually prefer the Mudflap Mix, which I encourage everyone to check out). A bit later I remembered that Alessia Cara's "Here" used the same sample, so I got me to the Wiki and discovered that "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes was the track they'd all sampled. I thought that was the end of it, but while I was (night) dreaming last night, I remembered another track with a similar sound. I couldn't quite remember the details, but thought it might be "Daydreaming" by I Monster, which got me to the lyrics: something about sleeping among the flowers or something. And that reminded me of Lupe Fiasco, who sampled THAT track. Some google-fu later, I came to the end of the rabbit hole: the song was 1969's "Daydream" by the Wallace Collection, which was then covered by the Gunter Kallman Choir, then sampled by I Monster in "Daydream in Blue" (I hadn't quite remembered the name right, probably because...), which was subsequently sampled by Lupe Fiasco in "Daydreamin," all of which was a separate branch of the "Daydream" genetic line from Isaac Hayes' track and all the songs that sampled his. Phew! Rabbit holes. Gotta love 'em.
I know this band was pretty popular at a point, but I never got into them & find them just moderately interesting. I'd rather listen to Portishead.
Hip-hop'ish with catchy rhythms and accompaniment. For the most part, this old white guy couldn't keep up with the lyrics, but I did enjoy the soundtrack.
Good but probably just not my thing so much
Cool
This was giving me Fiona Apple vibes mixed with Massive Attack. I really liked it until the dude was muttering over the whole song.
This had some Fiona Apple vibes which I enjoyed but was too distracted to really take this album in. Plan to revisit.
I liked it more than i thought i would, definitely had a lot of surprising tracks
It’s pretty good but get me a bumper sticker that says “I’d Rather Be Listening to Portishead”
My first thought: this sounds like massive attack! And that’s because it’s one of the people from massive attack. I really enjoy trip hop, but this one is just a tier below my favorite albums of the genre.
It was on ok
Bit of a weird album. doesn't sound quite finished, but some tracks compelling. Black Steel excellent, Hell is Round the Corner vg but then other tracks just don't really come together iyam - Suffocated Love for example. So mixed impressions overall, but an interesting listen.
I must have said, "Wait, did they really say that?" about half a dozen times while listening. Not bad, nothing special. Best track: Black Steel
Kinda boring? But not annoying.
Really don't have many feelings about this album, one way or another.
Reminded me of massive attack so not a shock to find he was initially part of them! Slightly weird but good to work to with it in background
Hmmmm, nope
Reminds me of Morcheeba, Emiliana Torrini, and other trippy, poppy stuff from the late 90s.
Inject the trip hop into my veins 💉
Pretty neutral. It had an off-kilter, funky vibe, which at times I like, but I also like my music to be more engaging than this.
So it's certainly not as brilliant as it's made out to be, get's highly redundant as a album but there's a some interesting music on this. Aftermath, Blacksteel and Hell is Round the Corner are the highlights for me.
It wasn't bad. But again, like with all Trip Hop, it just builds. There's no change from verse A to B, no chorus. It's just verse A verse A verse A over and over. If you get into the song you're good. If not, it gets a bit... boring. Songs I did like were: Black Steel, Hell is Round The Corner, Aftermath. But it's one of those things where you just... had to be there. Next.
I did like this album a lot more than other straight ahead trip hop or electronica. Probably because of the prominence of Martina Topley-Bird and her vocals. But Tricky's beats are more varied and less monotonous than other music in this genre. Still, it had its ups and downs. His lyrics are not great, juvenile at times ("F you in the ass, just for a laugh"). Favorite tracks were Overcome, Black Steel (great beats to open), Hell is Round the Corner (familiar beat - his or sampled?). Least favorite tracks (mostly because they were too repetitive) were Pumpkin (despite Goldfrapp appearance), Abbaon Fat Tracks, Suffocated Love. Pushing 3.5 but not quite there.
Ok but not aged as well as I’d hoped.
I did enjoy this not something I'd of listened to but fit the vibe of the day.
One never really got Tricky in real time, and still doesn't, largely. Massive Attack were better, and so too, the Saints (Etienne, Germain) from related sub-genres. It's relatively interesting, but trip-hop's pervasiveness and the industrialization of these beats and silly sound effects (poppy, staticky vinyl noise, anyone?) now seem the very last word in cliched. Martine elevates the few songs she's on. "Aftermath" just goes on too long. One prefers the stylish and more sophisticated end ("You Don't" and "Feed Me") of their (fairly limited) continuum to the bangier/more boisterous/rappier ("Brand New You're Retro"). It's worth asking just how important or innovative first-gen trip-hop has worked out to be. Seems destined for the dustbin, not because it's outright bad or unpleasant, but rather that it all seems so obvious now and it's been rather leapfrogged. This is best conceived as music to listen to while traversing a gritty urban setting or getting stoned therein, with a handful of cuts appropriate for gym or bedroom. What does that say about the identity of this slight, transitory genre?
I enjoyed this more than I was expecting to. Quite varied whole still being true to style. But not something I would return to of my own volition.
Pretty average.
Pretty good Trip-hop classic. The female singer Martina Topley-Bird is amazing throughout. While pretty dark and cool, I feel like this album was a bit too atmospheric for my taste and no songs really stood out to me that much. I found the sample from "Glory Box" by Portishead to be pretty lazy given the genre and that it was released only one year prior. 7,0/10
Ik heb hier weinig op tegen, het is goed, leuk, knap, vernieuwend, etc. Maar dat dit album er wel in staat en Massive Attack - Mezzanine niet, is in mijn ogen een groot onrecht. 3 sterren voor dit album. Massive Attack - Mezzanine minimaal een hele dikke 5.
Not bad... But not good either.
90s trip hop. Aged, but still quality.
It’s ok
PREFS : Black Steel, Pumpkin, Abbaon Fat Tracks, Brand New You're Retro, Suffocated Love, Strugglin', Feed Me MOINS PREF : You Don't
favorite Abbaon Fat Tracks
Very good, unique from my experience, which I don't have much of in terms of music like this. I was completely off l unfamiliar with this album before now but I enjoyed it quite a bit and will listen to it more.
Interesting! Can definitely see how this is an early trip hop album. Not as blown away by it as the last 4 from this list but good nonetheless. Might change if I revisit it.
It's tricky to rock a rhyme. Well a beat and baseline at least. Kinda nostalgic.
It was nice to hear the Portishead/Tricky melange again. Some very mid-90s stuff going on here.
90’s trip hop. Good background noise but not for everyone. Disturbing in parts.
Good trio hop rap album 💿
Disco mezcla de pop con algo de rock y de toques vanguardistas y algo de industrial. No destaca especialmente y me esperaba otra cosa.
This ain't Pharcyde
It's good, but I don't seem to care very much for it. Still a "good to know" discovery.
Smooth vibe, ok to listen once in a life..
Very nice and smooth listen from start to finish. In the end, nothing remarkable, but everything was good. The 2 last tracks were completely not necessary and the album would have been better a little shorter.
Not for me but the woman voice is amazing
I do like a bit of trip hop
This is slightly edgy trip hop. The lyrics seem like they’re trying a bit too hard but the music is pretty ok. It’s nothing groundbreaking and not the best example of the genre, but it’s listenable and I enjoyed it.
70/100: This was an interesting album, pretty different than most other, even experimental, rap album. I really liked the lead singer's voice and the beats on a lot of the songs. With that being said, I think the sound curated on this album is cool for a song or two, but eventually it kind of gets old, slow, and repetitive.
I guess the good thing about Apple Music not having the full album is I don't have to feel like I need to listen to an album that is most definitely not a must listen to album. 2.5/5.
I'm a bigger Massive Attack fan than Tricky, but this ends up being solid background music. Still feel it is slightly overrated though. 3/5
thought this would be harder, kinda like background music
Not my thing but not painful.
Hell is round the corner and aftermath are the stand out tracks for me.
I feel like I have been neck deep in mediocre albums lately, with only a few exceptions. This was another such album. Granted, I didn’t mind this too much, but it was completely forgettable to me. Do I need to sacrifice an electric guitar or a server to the generator to turn this ship around?
I usually like trip hop a lot. Much of this was hit or miss. Some good stuff like you don't or abbaon fat tracks (good lyrics). Think I'll need to revisit this and have another crack at it. Some good choices with sampling though.
Good album, never heard it before, will not likely again.
Liked the Trip Hop beats right from the start. Standouts: Overcome (Karmacoma), Pumpkin, Others: Ponderosa, Black Steel, Aftermath, Abbaon Fat Tracks, Hell is Around the Corner, Feed Me Singles: --------------------------------------- Aftermath Ponderosa Overcome Black Steel The Hell E.P. (#12 UK) Pumpkin Rating: 3.5
Still trying to figure out what genre this belongs in
I'm going to give this one a second listen eventually, I think there is some potential amongst the oddity of this music.
Inconsistent. Many of the tunes were awesome and original but at times it dragged really hard, namely on that penultimate tune which has a really really irritating beat with little stops over six and a half minutes. But at least the mood and production of this record was fantastic. A decent record.
interesting trip hop
It was fairly good
Ça ressemble beaucoup à du Massive Attack. Du trip hop très straight forward. Pas mauvais, mais plus j'en écoute plus je réalise que ce n'est pas mon genre.
Great REM album
Pretty interesting album but wasn’t super consistent. Makes me want to check out more trip hop/creative hip hop.
Started really strong and then got a bit bored by the end.
Rich ambiance and groovy drum samples makes this a shoe-in for great trip hop albums. While I'm definitely more of a Portishead or Massive Attack fan, I can see how Tricky made the list with this impressive debut album.
Good background music, a little dated.
Definitely not what I was expecting when I saw Tricky was an English Rapper. I really enjoyed the sound and trip hop vibe of most of the album. Least favorite track: Brand New You're Retro.
Oddly appealing in a Portishead sort of way.
Reminded me of Portishead
3/5. Good background music. Not the best electronic album I’ve heard. Would rather listen to massive attack.
Not something I'm very into.
Reminds me of uni & tricky in massive attack. Already on my playlist
Hell Is Round The Corner is brilliant. I like this kind of music, just enough lyrics and structure to be interesting, but still able to have it on in the background and work. I completed much of my undergrad to Heligoland by Massive Attack, big fan of Martina Topley-Bird's contributions to both that album, and this one. However, some of this is as dull as dishwater.
Massive attack meets faithless meets skunk anice
As a Massive Attack and Portishead fan, I once went on a quest of finding other bands playing with similar style, something to expand my thirst for trip hop songs. Logically, the path quickly has taken me to Tricky, one of co-founding members of Massive Attack. So in essence, this is the second attempt to listen to his discography. Maxinquaye has a specific tempo and an atmosphere to it. Songs sound very much alike first Massive Attack albums - one overpowering beat with plenty of variations, slightly melancholic, and a female vocal all over the beat. Recipe is 'easy', but works almost every time. Different addition on this album is a spoken word and rap from Tricky himself. The whole mix can be heard in its best on my favourite song of the album (unsurprisingly) 'Hell is round a corner'. Beat sounds like a child of Massive Attack and Portishead, Tricky is leading the way with soft rap, and Martina Topley-Bird adding yet another dimension with her singing and choruses. The only problem is that the level of that song can't be reached anymore throught the album. Other songs are catchy, and they have this specific style, but are rather forgettable. Very interesting album, but probably I won't try it for the third time.
No esperaba nada de otro disco de Trip Hop, pero resulta que, dejando de lado la versión extendida del disco, resulta ser bastante interesante y un fondo agradable para trabajar. Le alcanza para 3.5 que baja a 3.
I had not previously been familiar with this artist but I did enjoy it in the way sometimes instead of experiencing music via emotions, you just allow the sounds to wash over you. Or am I just high? I thought abbaon fat had questionable lyrics, pumpkin was least favorite track. Favorites were black steel, hell is round, aftermath.
I'm not a big trip hop fan, but this was still decent, I guess. I read the bio for Tricky and learned he was a part of Massive Attack which made me just want to go listen to that instead. And then I got to "Hell is around the corner" and was furious he had the balls to rip off Portishead. But it turns out they both ripped off Isaac Hayes which just make me hate both sampled versions now for being so lazy. Now I'm listening to Isaac Hayes.
Nice vibes
Solid. Not too familiar with trip hop outside of portishead, but was pretty good
"Trip hop" album, pretty chill vibes overall but some songs were a little weird. Was relaxing for work focus. "Pumpkin" sounds almost like a James Bond song
A solid vibey trip hop album nothing much to say.
3, definitely a time and place for this one
I was pleasantly surprised by this. The music and rhythms were an easy listen, and even the vocal style was okay. Would I put this on my playlist? No. Did I enjoy the listen? Yes.
Chill vibes, cool samples
I like beats and I like British voices ladies. Don't know if this will have a lasting impression on me, but I was not unhappy while it was on.
Dark stained music that I actually quite like for running in the background. However, it doesn't manage to grab enough of a hold on me to light the foreground fire.
Kjøpte dette albumet da det kom ut til tross for litt skepsis. Litt krampaktig hipt.
I'm not totally sure how to describe him. He has some female vocals over rap-based beats. Aftermath is a good song. Almost as if you were to strip away raps and just have some sampled beats and put a soft female voice over it. 3.5-4 stars
I'm a pretty big fan of downtempo grooves so this mostly works for me. Nice and moody, almost haunting, touches throughout. Very textured and atmospheric, but still sounds lean and uncluttered. He seems to largely work in the spaces between genres, which I always admire. I like that he chose to have a female singer to be his foil. Provides a nice contrast. Perhaps a bit too long though. Got kinda bored towards the end. I'm not sure how I feel about his hushed vocals either. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I find it kind of frustrating. "Aftermath" is the standout track to me.
De va hårt
Great trip-hop. This album does enough to separate itself from Massive Attack while still clearly building off of Tricky's work with them.
Not bad
portishead reference
Much better than expected. I really loved it! 3/5
Hard to classify Cover art. Dart
A few really cool tracks, but the rest of it fades into the background. A 3 because of the standouts.
Black Steel sounds great. Some nice beats going on.
Laidback trip-hop, a little bland
Portishead vibes
What if we made Massive Attack super depressing? And not just sad depressing. All of the different, dark shades of ugh, fuck, why, boo, and no. Did not know what to expect so was capture pretty solid in the beginning but was happy to let go of the headphones by the end. Can't brood that much in one go. Need some kind of higher hill view between the alleyways of despondent.
Trip-Hop/british rap. Way better than the usual Hip-Hop rap outings. I especially like the intricate backing tracks. Still, while I can appreciate the talent and craftsmanship that went into it, this is really not for me. 3/5
Yeah ok Rob, I agree, Tricky are alright.
Bit too weird for me, but fun for a bit of background music.
Not the best album I've ever laid my ears on but still enjoyed it - slowly warmed to it throughout reaching a high point at 'Hell is Round the Corner' (still prefer the Portishead original though. 'Black Steel' has a chaotic claustrophobic feel to it and it's a bop. Sounds like the soundtrack of an edgy 90s trainspotting-esque film. Needless to say not my favourite but if I was to do heroin, it would probably be to this album.
Would make Austin Powers blush.
Some unique cross over trip hop electronica . Definitely ahead of his time in the mid nineties. Prefer tie female vocal compositions and slower instrumentals to the hip hop style songs .
Oooh it’s complex.
Another unexpected one - not my favourite genre and even though it's not something I'd actively listen to this is really good music to work to or just have as background. I really like the vocals from Martina Topley-Bird - very low-key and chill, nice voice, mixed low. Note: interesting how "Pumpkin" sounds exactly like something from the Smashing Pumpkins' first album...hmmm... 6/10 3 stars
Groovy
Interesting but not really my speed
Enjoyable trip-hop, though lacking the really killer tracks that other bands of that genre & era produced. A good education though; I was never really sure what the relationship between Tricky and Massive Attack was but I think I've cracked it now. Also, Martina Topley-Bird nearly never recorded with MA, but was basically Tricky's lead singer, which I certainly did not know. Learning every day.
Some 90s trip-hop. It was ok. I was never really that into Tricky back in the day and am still not.
Excellent trip hop album. Dark, weird and provocative, splendidly arranged. Considered individually, the song quality is a bit uneven, but overall a really interesting collection of songs Fave Songs: Aftermath, Overcome, Ponderosa, Hell is Round the Corner, Pumpkin
un peu répétitif mais quelques morceaux trop biens (le premier)
I think his sampling of Issac Hayes on Hell is Round the Corner is pretty damned cool. Its also the best song on the album IMO. My main beef with trip hop though is the cooler than thou vibe that it tries to project resulting in very detached, unemotional music that is best left to hotel lobbies or snotty fashion boutiques. I used to really like this genre when I was younger but now its not so alluring.
A bit too boring for my taste.
Hip hop. Ambiente. Electrónica.
Not always an easy listen with the organic sampled rhythms (cocked guns etc), but the music is interesting and really well sung by the ladies. Obviously Tricky cannot sing and his mumbles mostly work quite well too. I listened to this a lot when it was released and it still stands up. Not necessarily a 4, but certainly a very high 3 (better than Bjork's Debut from the same period).
Devilishly good hooks, with lyrics made to intice and ensnare. So very naughty. On the bad side, a bit too anti for me
Enjoying all the trip hop.
3.5 - chill beats and good vocals. Have always dig Massive Attack, so this was a good experience. Might come back to this, but not in a rush.
Strangely sexy...
Reißt mich nicht hart von Hocker. Erste Hälfte ist stärker. Aber auch der Rest ist nicht ganz schlecht. Schlechte 3, aber 3.
cool cool cool
3.5
Iconic stuff, but gets a bit samey over the course of an album. One good idea stretched a little too far. But when it's good it's epic
I honestly don't really know how to feel about this. I like some of it and don't like some of it and it just doesn't quite mesh in my mind.
Meh
not too bad
I think this list is also oversaturated with Trip Hop but this was also pretty good, it not a bit unsettling
Un dels clàssics de la primera època del trip-hop, però que sempre va tenir més nom i repercussió que mèrits propis. Malgrat els atractius, que en té, per mi queda molt lluny en quant a qualitat dels primers discos de Portishead o Massive Attack
6.5/10
Real score 3.5
Aloof but rarely distant, Tricky is a party guest who lets the party come to him; sitting sprawled on a sofa, never short of a guest to chat to - or if he's between guests, he doesn't mind, he's just as happy vibing on his own. Which of course, piques the interest of another party guest who sits down to hear what Tricky has to say. Never forceful, but impossible to ignore. A welcome addition to the party, in other words.
Some great tunes, some strange ones. It could grow on me but not sure I want to give it the time.
OK but not great. Songs kinda ran together but nothing too bad. I liked "Black Steel" but it was the only one I thought was more than just ok.
Chilled out with an edge.
Good beats. Awesome female vocals.
This was not at all what I was expecting. Much more mellow and trippy than I was thinking when I read “English rapper” on the Wikipedia page. 3 stars.
My first exposure to non-Youtube trip hop, and I'm a bit underwhelmed. I'm impressed by the sampling and how the vocals go well with the themes of urban collapse (particularly drug use). The sound is mechanical, cold, and unsettling but smooth and chill, especially supported by the Martina's vocals. Sometimes I feel like they conflict though. For most of the songs, I do enjoy the production, courtesy of The Cure's Mark Saunders, but especially on the 2nd half, I don't think there's anything particularly outstanding.
The album seems like a soporific dirges arranged in a minimal style. The sinister sorcery of Abbaon Fat Track and the disco diva funk of Suffocated Love don't rest on much of a foundation. On the other hand, there are really interesting tracks on the record like Black Steel. (6/10) Favourite Tracks: Black Steel
Extremely chill and relaxed. Would have enjoyed it more with an edible I think. Good background music for work / studying.