Reviews (page 7 of 8)
3/3 of the trip hop artists named in the Wikipedia summary for the genre is too many over the course of two to three weeks
The contemporary praise for this is astounding, and made me anticipate one of the most jaw-dropping albums ever. Instead, I got Portishead Lite™️, with some bland rapping that draws from ‘80s American pop-rap. It’s serviceable, but not at all memorable, except when it moves away from trip-hop and/or is lyrically crass for…the sake of commentary, I think?? There’s a reason no one has heard of this unless they were alive and/or living in the UK in the mid ‘90s.
It's perfectly serviceable, but why do I find this album so bland and uninspired? It doesn't help that the Glory Box ripoff immediately made me wish I was listening to Dummy instead. Honestly the best part of the listen was the album ending, and Apple keeping the music going with a pretty great trip-hop mix featuring Massive Attack, UNKLE, Lovage, Bjork, Francesca Belmonte, & Martina Topley-Bird solo.
bleh. Better than I expected but still bleh. 48/100
One of those albums that I was just waiting for it to be over about half way through. The penultimate song is called Strugglin' and it's very appropriately named.
Few nice and groovy elements, but overall it did nothing to me. Too much downbeat. Favourite: "Black Steel"
Dunno
Good instrumentation Didn't vibe with it No outstanding tracks
Damn this just got harder to listen to as it went on, losing stars all along the way. I swear I was so into this in the beginning but by the end I was waiting for it or me to die. STRUGGLIN INDEED.
I know there are some snooty reviewers out there who hate reviews that just say “meh.” But sometimes things are meh and meh is the only fitting word to describe them. This album is one such meh thing. Meh.
This is just long enough to be annoying and doesn’t stand out among the seemingly infinite hours of triphop that came out of the UK around this time. It even SAMPLES Massive Attack. Nothing to see here.
Leerzaam plaatje om even onder te dompelen in de 90's triphop. Ik was niet bekend met het bestaan van de beste man. Ah, afkomstig van Massive Attack. Nou laat maar horen... Tricky heeft Massive Attack niet verlaten om compleet andere muziek te gaan maken. Het lijkt er bijzonder veel op en heeft ook veel gelijkenissen met artiesten uit diezelfde tijd. Ook al trip ik aardig lekker door het begin van het album heen, het is in alle facetten toch net iets minder dan zijn concullega's. Net iets minder trippy dan Gorillaz, minder mellow dan Portishead (wel zelfde geniale sample gebruikt als in Glory Box) en wat meer ingetogen dan Massive Attack. In z'n geheel wordt het daardoor wat meer moody, wat donkerder. Het gaat me eigenlijk ook wat te sloom. Vooral in de tweede helft. Veel herhaling, vooral in Strugglin' (loopt die plaat vast?). De interesse dooft helaas helemaal uit in dat deel. Highlights: Overcome Hell is Round the Corner Aftermath
This was better than I thought but most of it was still meh.
I thought it wasn't so bad, until I suddenly realized "holy shit, this is still playing?!" when the penultimate track started. I guess that says all you need to know
I was kind of digging this at first, but it just got weirder. The Public Enemy cover was bizarre
listening to a couple of songs is OK. Listening to the whole thing is too much.
The production is cool, I’m not super sold on the writing or performance though. The bored delivery is not my cup of tea, especially in contrast to the more lively tracks.
Pretty cool, chill vibe. Lyrics lean into shock value a little bit. Overall, not bad.
Not really my vibe, definitely some interesting ideas, but it didn't flow for me.
This was a bit of a struggle. Very 90s and very long.
Not much to be excited about. Goes for some grooves but I would rather hear portishead.
Not for me.
Interesting! Odd mix. Unique introduction of flute and small guitar rifts, with electric keyboard mixed with lyrics like, “I fuck you in the ass just for a laugh.” Not my thing.
I felt like my keys should be placed in a bowl for this one -- and then that I couldn't get out of the club because there was one long track.
I don’t know. The grooves were cool. The singing and rapping? were just ok.
I've never quite gelled with Tricky. One of those producers that critics seem to adore, spoken about in hushed tones of adulation. But I've never got it. It's all a bit sterile, too clean. Even when the lyrics are talking anal sex.
I don’t really know what to think about this 2.4/5 Lot o sex
This was... an album I have some mixed thoughts on. I think some tracks have some absolutely killer grooves, and Martina Topley-Bird's vocals are beautiful here, but there's some pretty big issues I had with this album. Number one: Tricky's vocals. Jesus Christ man, for your own album, you would've thought you would've mixed your vocals to a level audible over all those instrumentals, but alas, his voice is a mere whisper buried beneath the wall of sound. Perhaps I would've remembered his verses more. And when he *is* able to be heard, it's usually doing his lamest vocals, just sorta mumbling and stuttering and doing weird vocalizations. Number two: The length. Christ, the songs on here can get long. I'd say the average on here is 4 minutes, with one track clocking in at a little over 7.5 minutes. Now, this wouldn't be a huge issue, but so many tracks on here just consist of the instrumentals repeating as well as the vocals, which is fine in the shorter ones, but can just become a slog to get through in the tracks where the groove just isn't really there or appealing. I can't in good conscience put it above 2 stars, but it's spared from a one star thanks to the tracks I *did* gel with, and Topley-Bird's vocals. Favorite verse: I fuck you in the ass, just for a laugh With the quick speed I'll make your nose-bleed I ride the premenstrual cycle
i feel some tracks are rememberable but its a pretty dull listen all through
This didn't work for me. The production is innovative and there are some very cool tracks in here. Overcome and Black Steel both have very cool beats. Suffocated Love has that super cool chime effect too that I liked. But the whole album feels so humorless. It's just so bleak without feeling human. It reminds me of the grimdark fantasy that can be so much fun when done well, but quickly just becomes edgy and weird when done poorly. I'm interested in hearing other work from Tricky, but I think his spot as an almost placed is appropriate in the annuls of music history.
Gonna be honest, did not finish. I'm sure it has some value for a certain trip-hop vibe but it wasn't resonating for me
2/5 meh.
I've never heard of this album or artist before, but I reviewed a Massive Attack album a few months ago, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. Overall, there really wasn't much that I liked about this album. The vocals and arrangements were fine, but I didn't feel like there was anything on this album to set it apart from all of the other trip-hop albums that were coming out at the time. "Hell Is Round The Corner" makes good use of sampling Portishead's "Glory Box," but no other songs really stood out to me. Just like Nitin Sawhney's Beyond Skin, this album would be okay to have on in the background, but there are so many other things I'd rather throw on.
Takie wolne Gorillaz, słabsze Massive Attack. Nie podbało się 2/5
Not really my style but solid background music.
Bof bof. Le trip-hop peut vraiment être pénible. Je n'ai définitivement pas pris les bonnes drogues à la bonne époque. Ici tout est très lent, monotone, sans grand relief. "Hell is round the corner" est un sample assez paresseux de Portishead, et c'est à peu près le seul truc que je sauve de cette heure très longue, avec des morceaux de 6 minutes mais ressentis beaucoup plus. "Strugglin'" est à la fois une torture et un peu scotchant.
not for me but i get it
Notes from the plane: Back for a second after some time off in Sydney, on the way to Cairns while I listen to this. Not really what I was expecting here. It's kind of got this lo-fi vibey rock thing going on. It's kind of dark and moody sounding. The pace is pretty slow throughout, there's this consistent crackle thing going on, and the vocals almost fade to the background at times. I can't really decide how I feel. I think it's reasonably fine, but more of a thing that I'd like put on in the background than choose to play. Very few songs stand out too, it's more of this overall atmospheric vibe that works ok collectively ("Atmosphere" captures the vibe pretty well, it's long though). It also got noticeably worse in the second half (or maybe I was just getting tired of it). Notes on a partial re-listen: I feel very justified on my initial impression. I picked out the three most popular songs as the three I added to my playlist, and the second half has much fewer plays on Spotify than the first half. I'm also learning that Tricky is the music guy, and the singer is Martina Toply-Bird. Makes sense why the vocals feel in the background frequently, she has a pretty nice voice though. I kind of feel like I'm being overly negative lately, but I just don't like this that much. The good stuff is fine, and the not good stuff is uninspiring. Favorite song: Overcome Other: Hell Is Round The Corner, Aftermath 1/19/24
Lots of the same sound in each song. I would have liked this back in the 90s.
Lastig album om de vinger op te leggen. Het krabbelde me wel iets teveel.
Just not for me
This was just meh did not care for it.
Better and more interesting than most rap, but still not great. I just kept waiting for it to be over. 2/5
Almost a 3. So close. Enjoyed, but probably wouldn’t go to it again voluntarily.
If the mid-90s made an album. Was fine, nothing jumped out at me. 4/10.
Stop wastin' my motherfucking time with shit like this. I don't have any joints or else which I can use to make this listenable.
The trip-hop instrumentals are very unique. Vocally, I was surprised to find the male vocalist, who feels pushed to the background, is the titular artist. These songs feel longer than they are, and even for a short record, I don't think it's anything I'm going to revisit. Favorite tracks: "Brand New You're Retro"
1.5 - I'd really rather listen to Portishead or something if I want Trip Hop. The atmosphere of this just isn't one I like and it's pretty boring to listen to.
a few decent songs, many bad ones
Creepy sex music
It was ok, not my thing
Doesn’t have anything catchy or interesting to keep me listening.
Not my cup of tea. Sounds like numerous other rap albums I've heard. Did enjoy Martina Topley-Bird's vocals, though.
Initial impressions are underwhelming. Sounds like the soundtrack that should have been behind the scenes in Baz Lurman’s Romeo and Juliet. Slow and edgy for the sake of being edgy. Ok background music, but I can’t find anything in it to appreciate. 2/5.
It's finely produced dub, but it's not a genre that speaks to me. Like, it sounds good. Some of this ilk can sound real thin, just a programmed beat that'll fool some suckers into handing over cash. This doesn't sound that cynical. But it ain't my bag.
Started off decent but ended up being one of the most grating albums I've ever listened to. The female vocals were great but the male vocals were cringe.
I actually own this CD from when it came out. And I forgot all about it. The sonic texture is amazing and completely novel and unique when it came out. But except for her voice and his weird whispering, it's all robotics. And none of the songs ever grabbed me. The only thing I recognized on resisting was the Public Enemy cover. And I never thought that worked very well.
chillin
Don't like this at all, it's very pretentious with the lyrics that just don't work.
I was somewhat hopeful for this album before I listened to it. I mean, I liked the Massive Attack album pretty well, and Goldfrapp appearing on a few tracks was also a really good sign, but this felt very lacking. It felt like a Massive Attack album without any of the intrigue or smoothness for the most part. Sometimes the vocals that weren't Tricky were good, but then I question why this album is even credited to Tricky, or why he felt the need to split away from Massive Attack, as most of the time he is hardly in the song, being more of a hyper man, and his weird "Hamburger Lady"-esque vocal edits on his voice got annoying. I feel like the author only put this album here because he liked Massive Attack, but then again he left off Mezzanine, so I don't know what to think.
It's a type of groovy ambient music. It's nice to play it in the background as I'm working. It would also work as good music for an acid trip.
2/5 a couple of ok tunes but boring overall
Hell is Round the Corner is a remake of a Potroishead remake.
Great first couple songs but then it drags, hated the back end of the album immensely.
Her voice is cool. The sexual lyrics are weird. I feel like I'm in an HBO show.
Sort of a weaker pale version of Massive Attack's work. Not great IMO.
Weird, not fond of this
Long and dull. I really don’t need to hear multiple songs about this little freaks sex life.
If "gangsta rap" is a genre, then so is "beatnik rap" I guess. The arrangements are interesting and I don't mind the vocals, but both are super repetitive.
Just not an interesting sound for me.
Trip hop combines a "can be okay or can be shit"-genre with a "most likely shit"-genre so that's just not a good combination to try to score points with me 🤷🏼♂️
Started off well but then songs got too repetitive
Not my cup of tea
I like the witty cover of Public Enemy and the Portishead adjacent “Hell is Round The Corner”. The rest is just too evocative of a sinister demi-monde for me. All credit to Tricky for diving into this psychosexual morass, but it's very disturbing. The fact that it’s also really boring to listen to doesn’t help.
Dance type music, but nothing that I found I really liked. Listen again: no Purchase for my collection: no Favourite Song:
I know that sometimes less means more, but here less means less. Spotify says that Tricky was admired by David Bowie, so before listening to this album, I've had some expectations. But it didn't hit. Most of the tracks would fit as a intro for a 90's and 00's crime tv series, but on the other hand I cannot personally listen to a tv series intros for 57 minutes straight. "Brand New You're Retro" is an underappreciated track.
Нудятина...
Hmm, jag vet inte...
Æi, þetta er ekki fyrir mig. Trip-hop getur verið skemmtilegt, og hér eru einstaka loopur töff, en heilt yfir finnst mér þetta letilegt og lítið spennandi.
4/12
A big record in the trip-hop scene, filled with dark, atmospheric soundscapes and raw lyrical content. Tricky's distinctive raspy voice, paired with the ethereal vocals of Martina Topley-Bird, creates the dynamic for the album. The combination of trip-hop beats, dub elements, and the occasional splash of rock and hip-hop samples results in a unique sonic palette, clearly influenced by trip-hop greats Portishead. The fusion of Topley-Bird’s vocals work well with the beats on the album but I wasn’t feeling Tricky’s evocative delivery, leaving me feeling quite unfufilled in the total vocal department of the record. Tricky instead shows his skill on the production side. He blends samples, live instrumentation, and electronic elements, creating an atmospheric backdrop that complements the album's lyrical themes. The use of negative space and sparse arrangements enhances the album's sense of tension and unease. The album doesn’t really serve as groundbreaking as the public reception hails it as though, as most of the musical aspects had already been explored in the trip-hop scene before this album. Lyrically, it's a record that confronts its audience with uncomfortable truths, presenting a stark and unfiltered depiction of contemporary society. However a lot of Tricky’s lyrics come off as quite bland when paired with his at times ackward vocal tone. Whilst Maxinquaye does hit on a lot of the right things, the overall flaws on many sides make me unable to justify the album as good or decent.
-have never heard of this artist in my life -so far it sounds cool -the sounds and how they are used is very interesting -this persons voice in these songs is very pretty -i don’t know if i’m necessarily vibing with this tho? -its not bad. just not for me -favorites: hell is round the corner, brand new you’re retro -wait hold on hell is round the corner is so familiar!!!!!
Don’t think I finished it. Not bad but not my cup of tea
Meh...just kind of droning....
This album is incredibly uninteresting. Snooze fest
So so album, liked the mid-section tracks best, especially the Portishead like Hell is Round the Corner. Otherwise, not much to hold my attention
Trip-hop, lavt tempo, sample-baseret, hiphop/rock/ambient, eksperimenterende
Interesting experience, not yet sure what to think about it 🤔
Boooo.
Tricky tries too hard to be sexy sometimes.
It's pleasant enough to listen to but not really my thing. Doesn't hold my attention.
Repetitive and kind of boring. The instrumentals are cool, however.
Hmm.. not sure what to think. Not a favourite
Two albums by Tricky within 10 days is not something that I was looking forward to. It is unfortunately not my genre.
Didn't hate this.
I didn’t finish listening to this one and I don’t really care if I ever do.
meh
Couple good songs, lot of long, boring breaks in between, but interesting sound and worth the listen
Je suis assez terrifié par cet album. A chaque fois que je l'écoute je ne peux pas m'empêcher de me faire la même réflexion : "c'est vraiment un truc d'intello". J'ai vraiment du mal à voir l'intérêt, les grooves sont assez atypiques et intriguants mais sans plus. Tout est très répétitif. Les chansons sont souvent très longues et j'ai vraiment dû me faire du mal pour ne pas aller écouter autre chose après 3 morceaux de Maxinquaye. Malheureusement, je n'ai absolument aucune envie de réécouter cet album, ce n'est pas pour moi. En dernière note j'ajouterai quand même que "Hell Is Round The Corner" est vraiment chouette, mais c'est probablement le sample de Portishead qui me fait dire ça.
Not much going on here. Some of its listenable. Some of it wasn’t.
Meh
Ok! Algumas musicas sao inventivas mas no geral é parado
Was surprising, first half was awesome, thought it was a grunge album
I’m not edgy and/or pretentious enough to truly enjoy this album, but I do see the appeal.
Spennende rap med nytenkende instrumentaler. Litt space den ene jævelen om å ta noen i 2eren og nokke greier. Ikke helt min greie, men noen fete bangers.
No good
Mleh
Meh
Feels like coffee shop background music, easy to have on in the background but not going to seek it out for another listen
Totally non-plussed by the hysterical plaudits afforded to this at the time. Sounds like a half-arsed mishmash of key elements already used by Massive Attack and Portishead, with some incongruous Public Enemy to make it sound "hard". Another favorite of student posers angling for street cred by proxy, like the (worse) Finley Quaye. Also responsible for the growth of modern "British hip-hop", perhaps the worst genre in music. Meh for the album and boo for its legacy
Felt very ambient, I thought it was a movie soundtrack at first lol. A lot of the sexual stuff, to me, does not come off the way it’s supposed to and is just weird. Again, it was great at building atmosphere. Wouldn’t care to listen again though, not for me. Album Cover: This doesn’t tell you anything, does nothing really 1/5
It’s all over the place and does not focus itself into anything entertaining or inspiring. Had potentially, but execution ended up being boring. 2/5
It actually started out pretty well with Martina Topley-Bird carrying the album with her strong vocals. Fell off a cliff in the last 2/3’s with Tricky taking over with his loud whispering? I don’t know, it just annoyed me. By the time Strugglin’ came on I thought, yea this sucks. If it was a 4 song ep with the first 4 tracks it’d be great. Ponderosa and Black Steel best tracks by far. 2 stars
The Streets meets Zero 7 meets classic milky liqueur commercials, all set in the mid 90s. The album plays like a long commercial, quickly fading into the background. Like most commercials, I was left hoping we could get back to the show sooner than later.
Never heard of Tricky. Very moody. Recognize some of these beats from remixes and samples. Probably not something I would listen to except in like, a very specific vibe.
Too horny for me
Not my vibe
I just didn't like it
Unique, eclectic, and probably ahead of its time, but somehow entirely unmemorable as well
Not sure why this one didn't really click for me. It felt kind of sludgy and sad but not in a fun way.
Some interesting bits, but couldn’t keep me entertained enough for the whole album.
I can understand some people like it, but it's not for me. I feel like it is in the line of the Fugees and also Massive Attack, but than worse.
Didn't like it.
Very mellow sounding, bit too much for me. Barely noticed the album was even playing sometimes.
Didn’t find this album that enjoyable. Not much of an electronic album. Feels more like an indie alternative 90s style. It’s unique but overall not that special. 3.8/10
Trip hop estándar a mi parecer, nada memorable. Disco largo y monótono que terminó por perder mi atención.
not much to the album
Meh
this feels like something the edgy degrassi characters would like
Vaag hip hop album, kon het niet echt plaatsen
Un peu plate
Pretty soulless. The more I listen to trip hop the more I dislike the genre. 4/10
veldig massive attack?? dårlig sampling av glory box
There are several moments on this LP where everything clicks into the place and the songs mix off-kilter production with sly vocals to great effect. For the most part, however, the production is either too obtuse or the vocals too cringe-inducing to listen to these tracks more than once.
Thought it sounded like Massive attack/Portishead. Not bad, not a big fan of some of the covers, but alright.
-"Black Steel" gets into quite a jam -Basically the rest of the album is pretty boring, kind of goes off into nothing-tangent things. Basically nothing caught my interest, it almost sounded like music being played in the next room over. Personally wish more of it had been like "Black Steel." There were bits of intrigue in "Abbaton Fat Tracks" and "Brand New You're Retro" but they never really built on the creepy vibe they had. -I thought I was going to give a 4 around listening to "Black Steel," but then as the rest of the album didn't really get anywhere close to that energy level I thought about giving it a 3, but now I think it is gonna get a 2 because there was literally just that one song that was interesting, and even though it was in the vicinity of rock that I usually like, the whole thing was pretty dull and other than "Black Steel," the interestign parts never got a good resolution.
Not bad I guess, but trip-hop is not really my jam. I think the interest part was a female vocal singing the song writer's lyrics which were generally from a male perspective.
I was a very bored. Not my thing- Allow, British trip hop.
Was ok
A few interesting songs but nothing to write home about. I did like this better than a few other albums this week, but in its entirety this was a pretty lack luster week for albums (Minus Kacey)
Umm. Where babies come from music.
Interesting in places, some tracks reminded me of Portishead, but not quite as good as them.
The trick to Tricky seems to be chaos and some kind of mad musical genius. Which is not to say that "Maxinquaye" is genius, but rather that the way Tricky makes music can apparently not be understood by, well, anyone but Tricky. And then again, crediting Tricky with making this music is kind of complicated. It seems much of the credit should go to Mark Saunders, the producer that was somehow able to wade through Tricky's bizarre creative methods to craft something listenable. https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-tricky-black-steel This account of the making of "Maxinquaye" was dizzying. I don't know how Saunders massaged all of that into a successful album. I gave Massive Attack's debut a 2, and the first half of this is much better than that (thanks in large part due to Saunders and Martina Topley-Bird's vocals), so I want to score this higher. On the other hand, Tricky ripped off Portishead's "Glory Box" (and did it worse than them - I kept wanting "Hell is Round the Corner" to magically morph into "Glory Box"), "Ponderosa" ruins the chill vibe established by the opening track, and the back half of the album is very uneven, to put it kindly. So there is some stuff on here that's better than "Blue Lines," though you wouldn't know it from my score.
Hell Is Around The Corner is decent, but apparently that’s because Tricky stole the sample that Portishead used as I’m confident JKav will point out. Everything before it sucks. After it is a bunch of songs I’m turning off.
pročitavši da je bia u Massive Attacku, nekako san očekivala više. Nije baš moj đir
It's an... interesting album I guess? The woman has a good voice, but the guy sounds so full of himself when he's talking that it's almost insufferable. I'm just not sure how to even begin wrapping my head around this album. It's not inherently bad, but I struggle finding points that stand out at all. It ended without me feeling anything at all, which is a bad sign.
This album is... interesting. I had high hopes after the opening track but then it just got kinda weird. I was still feeling the vibe musically until Aftermath when it got really weird with a flute interlude. And Abbaon Fat Track was... let's go with a "lyrical journey" hidden behind a very good jazzy track. The rest of the album after that was just a bit of a fever dream.
Downtempo/Trip-Hop i dunno. It's not bad, per se, but I feel like Tricky has some stronger selections.
Je pense c'est giga mood dépendant. Et le mood faire la cuisine convient pas trop malheureusement.
Really nice. "Hell Is Round The Corner" is so chill. Else it's pretty boring and repulsive. 2
Not so bad
2/5 nothing much
A little too experimental and long for my tastes
I mean... this was not good
rock with a female singer, kind of similar to garbage. British record producer and rapper. nice mellow sound, beats.
A record that was always in the bargin bins or on BOGOF - and it shows why. It appears and then disappears. Kind of like Tricky's career. Best Tracks: Black Steel; Hell Is Round The Corner; Aftermath
7th December 2021 Actually listened on Sunday 9th while driving back home for the week. Surprised me, a real range of genres included here - songs cross R&B, metal, reggae, jazz. Real mixed bag, very 90s.
I would put Tricky below a Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, and Portishead in the trip hop genre. Always liked Black Steel though 2.75
Beautifully produced stuff in certain places, but, alas, not really enough to keep me interested in the long run. Probably someone's favorite album, though, and I can understand that.
Too ambient for me.
The melody is monotone and vocals are not nice.
Not bad, not my usual and didn't blow my mind, but nothing wrong with it. Maybe a little repetitive.
Just ok--the massive attack makes sense.
Dark, kinda creepy, and almost entirely not my thing.
Not my grooves. Sounded kinda like gta v car radio and the songs were bonkers long
Pffft ermm...ergh..yeah... If it was a footballer, it'd be Tony Hibbert.
Interesting.
Cover is hard to pick. Never heard of it. Could be almost any genre. Song names give almost nothing away. With a band name like "tricky" I kinda expect it to be rap but that cover isn't a rap cover. Ok it's electronica. Will have to be UK, has the same kinda vibe all the other UK electronica does on the list (also, the only electronica on the list is from the UK). Album goes for an hour, only just finishing the second song. This may be a hard slog. Ok yep it's the chick from massive attack, that fits. Skanky UK techno. Mid 90s alt-techno stuff. Ahhh well, guess I'm here for the next 50min or so. Post-listen: yeah that wasn't my thing, got a bit ok in places but really didn't change much from those first 2 songs. I feel like this sub-sub-genre needs to be felt, like unless you were there at the time chances are slim you'll like it. The only bit I really felt was when they sampled abba, and even that was fleeting. 2/5.
This album's job is to make you feel uncomfortable and uneasy. At least, that's what it felt like to me while listening to it. I never got into the music. This wasn't an enjoyable experience for me, but I can maybe see the value in some of the songs. I likely won't be listening to this album again, but I wouldn't mind hearing a couple of these songs on the radio. Favorite track: Overcome
Honestly pretty boring. Nothing to really complain about, but the rhymes aren't really impactful or lasting on me. Highlights: 1, and 4.
Decent beats, not really my style.
Hell is Round The Corner is a classic 90s track but the album as a whole was not great.
Cet album, deja fort peu fameux, dissimulait en son sein l'artiste préferé de mon coequipier robtonnerre, le terrible Finley Quaye. C'est donc fort logiquement que je sanctionne cet album d'un 2/5, le tarif pour toute apparition du mot Quaye, aussi appelé le Q word.
Definitely some cool vibes. I would listen to again while working, but won't crank it in the car with the windows down.
A slow jam type of album, can see many of those songs as the background music of a moody teen drama or movie. Not too bad, but not my style of music. Best: Ponderosa Worst: Suffocated Love 2.5 Stars
Not for me, don’t like the genre.
There are sounds on this album that remind me of Garbage, perhaps some Cocteau Twins or Portishead, and a hint of Prodigy - definitely a mid-90s sound. There were some okay tracks, but there were also some tracks I definitely did not like. 2 stars
Dette var jo litt stilige greier! Mye variasjon i lydbildet og sjanger gjennom albumet. Nok en gang føler jeg likevel at jeg ikke får så mye ut av akkurat sånn her musikk. Låtskrivingen er liksom ikke helt noe jeg klarer å forholde meg til, om det gir mening å si. Tror ikke jeg kommer tilbake til dette.
Bygger opp noen kule lydbilder, men går litt for tregt for min del. Mange av sangene har liksom et par minutter der det ikke skjer noe særlig. Liker vokalen veldig godt da! Også noen kule øyeblikk når tricky kommer inn i tillegg, som på Hell is Around the Corner (platas høydepunkt for min del)
Another rather strange one. There were some songs I could appreciate as nice background music such as Pumpkin and Aftermath and other songs I absolutely hated such as Hell Is Round The Corner, Brand New You're Retro, Suffocated Love and Strugglin', which I all skipped after half of the song. All in all not an enjoyable experience.
Surprisingly bland, this formula has been tweaked and done better by countless other artists.
But punky and stuff but not a show stopper
Downtempo/Trip-Hop i dunno. It's not bad, per se, but I feel like Tricky has some stronger selections.
Un bizarre de rap. Un peu decousu tant qu’a moi. Le style est un peu partout sans être memorable. 2.75
it wasn't really for me
It's great how perfectly 90s this album sounded even though I'd never heard it before. But it wasn't brilliant.
Meh, it was nice to have on in the background
Nothing stuck out. Not really sure what the genre is
Trip-hop lofi rap
Liked it decently, nice to have it as one of the first hip-hop albums on the list. Feels find ahead of its time but weren't really what I was looking for. The slow vocal samples and delivery on songs like Pumpkin really didn't do it for me. Hell is Round the Corner has a classic beat, but the content wasn't really there. Didn't enjoy my listen and just wanted to get on to the next album.
Ok taustamusaa, ei jäänyt mieleen
Nothing really standing out for me on first listen
I should have liked this a lot more than I did.
One song was enough. I rather chew my leg off.
Ew, David
It is just too much of a mish mash to work. The mix of samples and vocals just doesn't work. It is jarringly incoherent.
Genuinely some shite
Very alternative and breaks away from traditional song structures. The album focuses heavily on mood and murky production with vocals sitting within the mix. I respect what they tried to do artistically but it doesn't quite connect with me.
Really wasn’t for me
No es escuchable este album, son ritmos aburridisimos con lyrics como i fuck you in the ass just for a laugh ? Pésimo 1/10
A bit too creepy and unsettling
i described this as british hip hop with noises and sounds and that might not be accurate but that's how it sounds to me. Needless to say, not for me.
Tricky indeed
Ya this was weird. Several of the songs on the album aren't even available on Apple Music for whatever reason. All I remember about this album is the surprising mention of butt-fucking, which... ok.
started falling asleep listening to this shit
This was most definitely not an album I needed to hear. Next please.
Meh
That was awful. Background music.
Man …. I thought yesterday’s “English Rapper” album was bad … this was as bad, if not worse
This list is trying my patience.
If Gorillaz went to Britain to record a new album but then got into a horrible car accident on their way to the studio in which they all got serious head injuries, were rushed to hospital, were heavily sedated, causing everything to move very slowly and, while they faded in and out of consciousness, they tried to record the album anyway, which worked but was punctuated by various snippets of randomly overheard conversations, nurses singing random catches of other songs in passing through room, a pair of lorderlies hooking up late at night in an adjacent empty bed and someone playing the Andre 3000 flute album in the background, it would sound something like this did. This is neither innovative nor revolutionary in its use of samples … it’s just bad muzak.
Not my vibe in the slightest
first time I wanted an album to end so bad
They wish they were Portishead.
Echo echo sigh sigh rap rap moaan Mooooaaaan Wait. What did the lyrics said? Oo
Ponderosa could be the worst song I've ever heard, the vocals are absolutely irritating across this and it's a stylistic mess. Terrible. One of the easiest ones I've given
nah
I’m really strugglin’ with this one. Some songs on this album start off as if they could be neat but they just kind of devolve immediately. I don’t know what state of mind this album could be good to connect with. True 1 star.
*guy throwing headset off meme*
This list does not understand electronic music
This fucking sucks
Not my bag
I prefer my Tricky in the Fifth Element.
Man this sucked. It was super boring and I swear to god I tuned out half the record both times I listened to it. Ridiculously boring and made me very sad
Boring
Did not like it at all. A lot of noise and not worth the time.
I hate this. I don't even know what it is that makes me hate this but my head hurts and i can't wait for it to be over. I might give up at Aftermath in honor of the worst album I've heard in this project
I can’t hear these lyrics. Maybe her voice is pretty? No clue what she’s saying. These beats are sooooo repetitive. I feel like I’m on a pause screen in a video game. I don’t think I’m on the right kind of drugs for this?
This album is a total slog. I couldn’t finish it but I feel like I put enough time in to give it a rating. I think I get the whole trip hop/jazzy thing it’s going for but good lord is it boring.
No me gustó.
Noise
Kunne blitt to stjerner, men trekk for å kopiere/sample Portishead hit’en, skifte tekst og kalle det egen musikk. Latskap og tyveri.
When We Funk, We’ll Hear Beats 1001 Albums Generator 116 (09/11/2025) I have never heard of Tricky before and I wish I could have kept it that way. Maxinquaye was one of my least favorite albums so far. Trip hop in general is not something that I’m crazy about, but this is probably the worst trip hop album I’ve heard. Overcome and the Public Enemy cover, Black Steel, are both okay, but they are about as good as it gets. There are two 7 minute songs on this album for some reason. The vocals and lyrics are pretty consistently bad, with the worst being Abbaon Fat Tracks. Pretty much nothing redeeming here besides the two tracks I mentioned and parts of Brand New You’re Retro. 1/5. Favs: Overcome Black Steel Brand New You’re Retro Least Fav: Strugglin’
Interesting but not for me
Hated it
Portishead is a billion times better. Billie Eillish stole her style from this as well.
This was way too chill.
Nope
Pretty trippy album. Black Steel stood out, mostly bc of a more rock beat. An ok listen, but just background noise for the most part.... (update around track 9) Ok, by the end of this I almost had to turn it off. 1/5
Not for me. Reason I've never heard of her before
Actually just noise not a single good song
Wasn't my cup of tea
not for me. the singing here felt off beat a lot of the time and disjointed. the rapping felt like it was from a 5th grader. it seems this album is held in high regard but I'm not seeing the vision. a lot of times it sounded like how my anxiety dreams feel. sorry!
1. overcome - 1.5 2. ponderoza - 1.5 3. zteel - 1.5 4. hell - 2 5. pumpkin - 2 6. math - 1.5 7. fat - 2 8. retro - 0 9. love - 0 10. you - 1 11. ztruggling - 1.5 12. feed - 0
Ugh. Terrible. Dark, broody and coma inducing. Cover art is terrible too. 1001 album worthy: no - 96/176
Eh, another Tower bargain bin selection. Wasn't really hip hop, wasn't trippy, wasn't dance. Just kinda shitty. I don't get the appeal.
A weird vibe. Kinda boring and creepy.
This is the sort of music that played over uncomfortable sex scenes in movies from the early 2000s.
Repetitive and occasionally raunchy. Yet another baffling example of an album that makes one thing, “how did this make the list?”
I was excited to hear an artist I’ve never heard of before but this was definitely not for me
I did not find anything new or interesting in this album. There are better albums in this genre.
Not for me
Strange music.
With music as minimal as this (lots of static one- and two-chord jams), then the melody is going to need to carry the day, but on *Maxinquaye* there's not much to be found. Vocalist Marina Topley-Bird's hook-free vocals leave very little lasting impression. Tricky himself often talk-raps in the background, lending creepy counterpoint. Unlike his idols Public Enemy, Tricky's use of samples is hardly transformative. Instead, he repeats loops in an attempt to conjure up some sense of atmosphere but it doesn't lead anywhere interesting.
Meh
Langweilig! Einfach nur langweilig! Langweilig! Einfach nur langweilig! Langweilig! Einfach nur langweilig! Langweilig! Einfach nur langweilig!
Lousy and boring.
I am trying hard to have an open mind. But, damn this give me the sads.
gloomy beats
Is this supposed to be edgy? It’s a little dark but mostly dreadful. Baby talk isn’t sexy, neither is this embarrassing album.
Just not good at all. “I’ll fuck you in the ass just to get a laugh” what a line😂
favourite song - pumpkin favourite lyric - i think ahead of you, i think instead of you / will you spend your life with me / and stifle me? / i know why the caged bird sings, i know why cover - 3/10 album overall - 1/5, not a fan
No
I had a lot of trouble getting through this one. I'm not sure if it's really a 1, but boy did I struggle so here we go.
1 just nothing to it. Please no more soulless electronica
I found a deluxe version of this album that was 2x longer, and noped back to the regular version. I like electronic, but this is like shitty Bjork, and I don't even like Bjork. Songs that are weirdly moany and sexual are a huge turn-off. 1*
Not for me
Hatte sehr Mühe nur schon einen Track zu hören.
gave it 3 songs but not my kind of music don't really think the music and the singing match together well
Mmm. No
couldnt listen. not my kind of music. Interesting composition and the texts are ok, but simply no
Some music and words mixed with annoying random sounds
...zu den 1000 Alben zu gehören bedarf es einer besseren Auswahl, leider kein Daumen runter Vote möglich
Exactly what I expected: boring, boring, boring
Meh
An artist and album I’ve no interest in whatsoever. So cannot give an opinion. Did listen but the window cleaner came. It was more interesting watching him use the squeegee. 1/5 13/4/24
Stop giving me electronica!
I didn't mind Martina's vocals too much, but Trippy rapping underneath it was incoherent and does not mesh well with her vocals. Overall, I found this to be very boring and further solidifies my dislike of trip hop.
Absolutely hated this album. Lyrics nonsensical and annoying
Never been a fan of British rap. I can see how some may like it but personally it’s not in line with what I like. It’s probably worth more than one star but it’s my review and I get to choose the rating!
Honestly stopped listening after the 3rd song
What...is this? Not good. That's what it is. In fact it's bad. Answered my own question.
Boring
now this website is starting to piss me off was this bad? idk bc i turned it off after a couple songs
Wow. Couldn’t even get thru the first song. Not sure what that’s about. Excited to read Andy’s review to find out.
This album sucks
Nope lol. Knew one song the rest were just ok. I regret giving Faust a 2. Feels like this was better than that by a mile.
Meh, I don't know I don't even know how to justify but I couldn't tune in. Sorry
I don't like this. it's sounds too experimental and dark for me.
New pet peeve unlocked it’s a guy talking while a girl sings the same words
I wasn't able to give this album a second listen before I had to rate it like I'd wanted to, but, frankly, I don't think any amount of listens would make this album any less boring to me.
This may be harsh, but... I really think it’s actually the worst album we’ve listened to so far, at least for my sensibilities. I think my main problem is that it’s just really boring. Like, with the other “bad” albums we’ve had, they keep a consistent theme, there’s at least an attempt at some energy, and there’s usually at least one song where I go, “you know what, that was kinda catchy,” but on this one… it’s just not there at all. The most important thing an album can do is make you feel something; the “bad” albums got me to feel, even if it was anger at repetition or never evolving a sound, but for this one, I felt quite literally no emotion whatsoever. I feel like I’ve just listened to a bootleg album composed entirely of raps and instruments from old 90s CD sample discs; you know, the ones filled with nonsensical verses or random lines that ended up in like, Marvel vs. Capcom soundtracks and stuff. The problem is, there’s no way to make any of these songs actually interesting to my ear. Every track here feels like it’s got absolutely no energy, whether it’s in the production, the tempo, or the vocals, and that just goes against a lot of my musical sensibilities. It’s the first 1 I’m going to give – it’s just that boring to me.
Sampler, Atari, ADAT und 1604... Nix für mich. 1S.
Sultry background music for a nightclub party, where everybody’s high
Pas du tout.
Not my thing, explicit language only added to my low appreciation.
This was not enjoyable. Felt like zero effort went into it. Vocals felt so drab, beats so simple and repetitive, and not in a good way. The "rapping" was cringy. Album felt like an eternity to get through
Absolute trash
Oh God please help me …
There were a few songd that were alright, most were a bit slow.