Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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.
Solidan trip hop album sa elementima hip hopa, eksperimentiranjem nekakvih sampleova i nekako nokturalno raspoložen. Općenito trip hop žanr spada više u noćne sate, kišne dane, jednostavno taj žanr meni ne spada pod nekakvu sreću, da ga slušam po lijepom vremenu, ne znam. Uglavnom, album je dosta solidan, nije među najboljima, ali svakako je moguće povrat na ovaj album kada budem u žaru slušanja ove vrste glazbe.
Meh
I thought this album was great, atmospheric and varied in theme a d style
Pela minha leitura o mister Trciky foi produtor de uma música do álbum de estreia dos Massive Attack, após este sucedido o monsieur tricky decide lançar a sua própria obra músical com este álbum. No meu entender o álbum começa de uma maneira mais forte do que acaba. Para o final as melodias tornam-se mais repetitivas e com mais Rap. Acho que o principio lucra muito com as vozes femeninas. Mas acho que não tenho muito a dizer, é um álbum de eletrónica com misturas relativamente bem produzido, possivelmente pior que o Blue Lines dos Massive attack, mas não é mau. Lembro-me de ter gostado da música Aftermath. Nota: 5,5/10 07/06/2024
Rustige, trage hiphop. Ook eerder muziek om op de achtergrond te laten spelen. Een beetje lounge-vibes
chill, some nice vocals, but not totally memorable
Kannte ich nicht. Noch easy aber aucn nicht voll cool. Schöne frauenstimme. 90er rap
Very hard to understand what I thought of that.. It didn't leave much impression but I didn't hate it
Really like the first half of this album. Second half is alright. Chill. 7/10
Wow. To be honest it is very difficult to describe this album. There are a couple of songs that are obvious early trip-hop with the “lo-fi beats to chill/study to” vibe. Other tracks are a mix between soft rock and progressive. Like if you combined Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, and The Cranberries. It’s not my favorite album but I can appreciate it for what it is.
Still pretty great. I’ve moved away from what I used to love about this album, but the good parts are still fantastic.
slow and moody. one song i liked. didn't finish. got bored.
Trip hop; listened to this in the background at the cabin. I was not offended
Aw yis. Very pleased this one popped up. A bit samey, in the end though.
Cool beats and an off vibe that I liked
I don't know if I'm an uneducated fool or anything, but I don't get this. Especially the second half. Those background sounds really annoyed me. 6/10 F.T.: Hell is round the Corner
1995: Overcome, Black Steel, Hell Is Round The Corner
Some cool ideas and sampling from different genres but man this thing is boring. Does nothing but contribute to the falsehood that trip hop is boring. Wish more songs sounded like Black Steel
This is something I really should like, but after the first track it really went downhill outside of a few other moments. It was more boring than standard trip-hop. Nothing really made it feel unique or special to me.
This is self consciously ‘cool’ music which means it’s mostly boring. For an album with so many sexual references it sounded devoid of passion, I don’t see how this is something anyone needs to hear before they die, there are dozens of similar albums from the 90s, many more interesting than this. I realise Tricky is one of the members of Massive Attack, their music is much better than this plodding slog.
Glemte helt at I hørte på denne. Ga me egentlig ingenting
Not my jam, kind of dull. 2/5.
This album wasn't bad, but really didnt stand out to me. It got kinda repetitive and just wasn't for me. The vocals style in particular was strange. Actual Rating...2.5 Liked Songs: "Overcome" , "Black Steel" , "Pumpkin" , "Abbaon Fat Tracks" , "Brand New You're Retro" , "You Don't" , "Feed Me"
An hour of "Massive Attack But Worse". Hardly something everyone needs to listen to before they die.
Interesting instrumentals that accompany the voice. But the female vocals sound a little too mainstream for me. 4/10.
meh
bin ja Fan von Trip Hop, aber daswar mir zu langweilig
Nervig
not my cup of tea!
Rap and hip hop often gets about a 3 for me. Not music I listen to a lot but I can appreciate most of it. This album I really couldn't though. Its not bad in a way where I wanted to turn it of but I couldn't get in to it at all. To soft spoken and slow for me without any usp pulling me in.
Portishead knock off
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
Zzzzz
Background music
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.
This list and I are having a bad run. This album doesn't help.
Better than I thought it would be but I did skip a few songs when they droned on a bit
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.
It was okay…. Not quite as up there as Portishead would be in my books with a similar type of sound, but not awful.
Why is this on the list? Trip Hop? Not for me
I didn't really get it. 2/5.
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.
I’ll never get those 15 minutes back. DNF
Maybe should have left that one in the archives
A bit odd and kind of creepy. But not horrible.
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"
The longer it went on, the less I liked it
Kinda boring. Slow. Dark. Moody.
While this had a few fun beats, I wasn’t drawn in.
Es como un blues-rap raro.
don’t think i get the greatness of this one yet
I could probably fall asleep to this (derogatory)
A very 90’s / funk / hip hop soind
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.
more cool 90s portishead massive attack type stuff, saving for ambient, probably wouldn't listen actively again
Ranges from forgettable to annoying. Strugglin’ was a painful slog and dropped thus from a meh 3 to an ugh 2.
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.
2/5 nothing outstanding
Inget unikt
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.
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.
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.
I don’t know.
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.
Nothing Tricky about it: This album is just moody drivel.
Very British very background
Pretty good trip hop, but a tad too minimalist at times for me
A spacey, super laid-back kind of electronic music I just can't engage with. Doesn't do anything for me
2/5 Favorite Song: Feed Me
Pass
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.
For a debut album, it hits the standard of what it was trying to achieve
620/1001 2026.25.22
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.
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
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.
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.
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
Not for me. Feels like some tracks belong on an sad sound track
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.
I hate rap and hip-hop and most r&b, but this is none of those - this is just junk.
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.
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.
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
Maybe no soy tan open mind con la música como pensé
Laik para la canción 4
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
Massive Disappointment.
Interesting but not really my thing
meh
2.5 A few songs I got was into but overall not for me
If "meh" was an album. Also a pretty good example of why trip-hop didn't survive the 90s/early '00s
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
Mellow beats, dreamy vocals
Yeah, it was an interesting album. Sounds more modern than you would expect, but still very 90's and very British. The production was a bit same-y at times, but it was interesting enough to listen to the whole thing. It did feel a bit edgelord-y. Maybe it wasnt received that way at the time.
1 is probably too harsh, so I’m giving it a 2. Barely. And I like hip hop. Learning that this is from a member of Massive Attack, it makes more sense that I don’t like it.
not my thing
Electronic album, interesting. Again low expectations but as we saw that doesn’t neccasarily matter. Songwriting is pretty good, not really a fan of the beat to be honest. Very slow for an electronic song. Ponderosa is a much cooler beat. The sound mixing feels just a little off, beat is too loud. Black steel isn’t electronic at all, this is just a rock song. Pretty good. Cool sound on bell is round the corner. I like that soft piano a lot. Simple but affective bass. Don’t like the vocals very much. Pumpkin is another one that feels way too slow to be electronic. More of a metal song. Pretty cool but not amazing. Beat on aftermath is really cool. Lyrics are very repetitive. Not a fan of abbaon, weirdly vulgar. I like the guitar a lot on retro. Again more of a rock song but it’s good. You don’t is more of the same. Good not great. Very poppy. Pretty cool beat. Strugglin is a little choppy but it kind of works. Quiet vocals again. Disappointing last song. Feed me isn’t it. Beat doesn’t work. Vocals are Meh. Overall it’s just a fine album. Nothing special at all. 2.4 stars.
Toughhhh listen
If purgatory was an album, honestly was kind of a drag to get through
wasn't too bad in the first half but all that talk singing just got annoying as hell
Not for me. Monotonous at best.
1. Black steel 2. Overcome quite different from my music taste but still a good listen
Very different, but that doesn’t necessarily mean good. not for me
In the genre I’d rather have Massive Attack or Portishead.
eh, bezveze. ženski vokal mi je bio dobar i lijep, muški i sve ostalo skroz bezveze, na trenutke naporno
If I still did homework I might be grateful for this album. Instead, I don’t do homework.
Not my cup of tea. Pushed me further away from the genre as a whole if anything.
After listening to this album, it just left a messy aftertaste, chaotic, somewhat melodic, can agree that it is a "trip-hop" album, but didn't feel like listening to anything great or good, actually.
Some songs of this are annoying to listen to and some remind me of Guy Ritchie movies. It's different to most other rap albums I've heard, have to give it that.
Even though I like trip hop, this album didn't really do it for me. It was too slow, too eerie.
I really wish I loved this more, but out of all his records, only Juxtapose with the great Muggs truly clicked with me. As much as I respect Tricky as a creative force and innovator, I still gravitate way more toward Massive Attack’s albums. I’m not dismissing Maxinquaye but it feels almost too murky and sticky for my taste, and I keep wishing there were more moments like Overcome or Pumpkin. It’s a tough listen for me, yet somehow still fascinating. But reusing Isaac Hayes / Glory Box sample doesn’t really do him any credit.
At first I thought this was fully a nightmare, but the back to back of Abboan Fat Tracks and Brand New You're Retro hit like a truck.
> If unease were an art form, then Maxinquaye would be its Sistine Chapel. I don’t think unease should be an art form. Blegh. Unsubscribe.
Not at all memorable.
triphop... net een klein trapje hoger op mijn muzikale ladder dan hiphop... ideaal als achtergrond in een lounge café... toevallig het soort café waar ik niet graag vertoef
What was this actually
Well…..I guess I don’t mind this playing in the background. It’s ok but it is not something that really sticks out or that I would seek out. It often sounds like several songs playing at once.
Ughhh 90s/00s trip hop/electronica will be the death of me. I cannot with its abundant representation on this list
I had no idea what the genre was when I started and really couldn’t figure it out Until much later when I read about it. Not an album that was even slightly interesting to me. Don’t need to ever listen to this boring album again.
Oh no, not more rap... Anyway, I kind of like the grime/dub music, not so keen on the vocals. And the version served up by Qobuz had 49 tracks which rendered the whole experience interminable.
Who knew that Finlay Quaye's nephew was that dude from Massive Attack? Loved Black Steel when I heard it on one of the NME Single of the week compilation CDs. There was a bit of biting that Isaac Hayes sample from Portishead though...
A confusing compilation of tracks. Every song seemed to be a mashup of more than one song playing at the same time. It wasn’t bad music, it just didn’t seem to fit together like a puzzle piece; but maybe that was the point. The vocals seemed to fit with the drums, but there was always a synthesized beat that seemed to go against the grain. The lyrics were a story in and of themselves that I don’t care to rabbit-hole down into. Overall a frustrated listen that left me with more questions than answers.
Found this one pretty boring tbh. I quite liked the first song so I thought I’d enjoy it more than I did but it just felt pretty endless and was too whispery for me. Some other songs I liked but I wouldn’t listen to the album again. Fav song: Hell is Round The Corner Least fav: Ponderosa
I don't particularly like her voice which made this album quite difficult to listen to. I quite liked his vocals but the slowness of it meant after one song of that I was ready for it to be done. Favourite song: Hell Is Round The Corner Least: Feed Me
Some nice songs, but not my thing.
Tricky. Was that the rapper or the Brit-pop band? The rapper, which is a shame. I could have tolerated this more had there been less English accents and discordant noise.
Um bocado estranho este álbum, nem consigo perceber que género é. Mas, pelo menos, gostei de uma música: Black Steel. É um 2/5. Achei demasiado longo com algumas músicas demasiado extensas.
Nop
2/5 - Sampling "Suffer" by the Pumpkins on a track called "Pumpkin" was a nice wink. I liked the "Black Steel" cover. On the whole, this was background music for me.
I've never heard of Tricky before, but I have heard the instrumental hook of "Hell Is Round The Corner" without knowing where it came from. The album was a nice mix of jazz and hip-hop with a laid back lounge feel to it. It was the kind of music I'd imagine hearing in a dimly lit cafe with a bunch of patrons smoking and snapping their fingers in agreement. "Black Steel" was the only other song that grabbed my attention.
Wasn't minding it until halfway through it just got gross for he sake of it it.
Sounds too jazzy for me... Like Massive Attack. Not really my thing
First Listen; 3; This just didn't really grab me. Not sure why, and it's one that I'd hoped to like, but I didn't find it catchy or immersive enough. Favorite Track: Aftermath
i knew one (1) song. anyway i think i'm not experimental enough for this LMFAO BUT some i didn't hate. hated the anal song tho that felt assaulty. deserves a 1.5 but let me be nice
There's a lot of things I like about the album, but a lot of things I don't like as well. It's experimental, it's industrial, it's probably most loved by the coolest person you know. I can see that this album was influential and certainly ground-breaking for it's time. My personal favorite is "Hell is Around the Corner."
A combination of my 2 least favourite genres, electronic and hip hop. An absolute chore to sit through. Standout Songs: Overcome Pumpkin
disappointed, expected better lowkey
Spooky
Dumbass ambient album
I'd consider this my first experience with Trip-Hop. I dig the underground sound it has, but it didn't really hit home for me. It was easy for me to fade in and out when listening. Probably just not my thing, but definitely not terrible.
💩🗑
Not awful but certainly not good.
2/5
Black Steel is a fantastic song, but it might be the only one on an album that does little wrong but rarely rises above interesting background music. When it ended it took me close to 10 minutes to realize that music was no longer playing lost in the neo trip hop sounds of my heater bravely fighting to keep my butt warm. Picture me playin' it again, I said, never.
Not my bag
A darker, sluttier version of Morcheeba.
..
The first third of the album was listenable/tolerable, but the samey beats and lack of hooks made me feel slightly frustrated at the end of the album. I hated the second to last track
It had its moments…but they were few and far between.
OK background music to some.backyard cricket. Wouldn't listen to it otherwise. May have social issue in there but didnt lock me in
Found it rather boring, but not bad.
God knows what this was. At least it was unique I guess. Doesn’t quite deserve 1 star but I won’t be back.
Viby, some interesting tunes to say the least, enjoyed some and not others as much
The first two-thirds of the album had 90s vampire bad boy vibes, tracks 8-10 was the freak section, and I don't even know how to classify 11-12. Needless to say, I didn't care for this album.
this is part of the actual writeup for this album from apple music. no words have been added or removed to appeal to my sense of humor or otherwise impact the rhetorical goals of the author: "Thanks to its unhurried hush, the album is a make-out must, but it's the pervading sense of danger that makes it so sensually sinister." what the fuck?
Absolutely dreadful to sludge through. It’s a shame that there were moments I enjoyed that lasted all too shortly or, sometimes, all too long. On par with the Massive Attack album for me. Please, sir, no more.
ehh, a massive attack spin-off series that’s only ok.
Meh, I couldn’t went without hearing this.
Smooth but couldn’t catch a lot of the lyrics.
Just not my favorite genre. I really could not get into this album but it’s not “bad” enough to give a 1.
This just didn't do anything for me, and I normally dig the genre. The best track was Black Steel, but even that was just alright.
Kinda boring for me unfortunately. It just seems lazy, the way he moans across the beats, and the beats were nothing to write home about. This album made me want to listen to Portishead the whole time.
Hip hop with all the excitement removed. It isnt worthless but it doesn't help that the best track is blown away by by Glory Box
Great name. Vibe forgetable.
Love tricky but was a bit underwhelmed by this album - I must remember to give another listen
There were tracks I thought were pretty interesting and others I was ready to hit skip.
This ultimately left me feeling super disappointed. I usually love dark, moody electronica, but I was never able to get any sparks to ignite here despite a few playthroughs. Overall, this felt kinda boring & forgettable... and even mildly annoying at times - I'm lookin' at you, "Strugglin'". Sigh... not even Alison Goldfrapp could save this, but I'm required by law not to completely fail anything she had a hand in, no matter how small.
Extremely dark and moody, thought this would be right up my alley, but it consistently fell short of being great for me personally.
Not my vibe but overall neat
i like the beats a lot but unfortunately i hated the vocalists’ voice and it made it rather hard to really get into…
Pretty forgettable, doesn't hold a candle to Massive Attack. Aftermath has one of the worst, most out of place samples I have ever heard in a song, so jarring every time it triggers
Too long. This doesn't pop to me the way Massive Attack or Portishead do. Black Steel is definitely cool though.
2.5 fav: -overcome -hell is round the corner
Definitely a different sound to this album. Not a sound that I enjoy. Weird whispering and never really goes anywhere. 3.5/10 (1.75/5)
A struggle to get through. Just not for me
some grooves but really repetitive and her voice can get annoying