Maxinquaye

It's been really hot and cold with the generator lately, and I've been hitting some bangers lately, and this one is no exception. I definitely prefer the Tricky version of Karmacoma (Renamed Overcome here) over the Massive Attack version. Additionally, Pumpkin is a fantastic track. Relistening to this though for the first time in years, what strikes me is that, on some level, I think this was what Damon Albarn was kinda going for on the first Gorillaz album? At least as far as his fusions of trip hop and alt rock go. Obviously, Albarn was more ambitious (For better and worse, as while I do think Gorillaz has much better hits/singles, but Maxinquaye is by far the more consistent album), but Tricky still has his alt rock bangers on this album too (Black Steel). I do think a few of the tracks at the end trade on some dated sounds, but it's not to the detriment of the songs. So yeah, this album isn't quite as immediate as other trip hop albums (Especially Dummy and Mezzanine), but it is a really well crafted, consistent album.

So forgettable, not in a bad way... somehow. 5/5

okay trip hop from the dude from massive attack. I've never really endulged a trip hop album front to back so this is my first time ehhhh it's super UK. I can hear it. The trip hop influences that spawned out of that island are always talked about, and it's evident that this is their shit. Like a punk rebellion flinging it's fists around, trip hop is an answer to electronic pop, new wave pop, UK pop, and it's very subdued and colorful in it's colorlessness. It's very intoxicating, with vocals here and vocals there, sonic loops and snares everywhere. Simple bass grooves and simple synth manipulations. I think this is a great starting point for me, but I'm looking forward to what the best of trip hop has to offer. For now, I'll give this a respectable 3/5. It's great for locking in, but it doesn't make me want to go running back to it. RESPECT.

Some neat samples.

Considering myself a Trip Hop enjoyer, I am always left dumbfounded by how many such albums are included instead of 'Mezzanine'. Despite this, this album could be argued as Tricky's best, including his Massive Attack days. The record itself is very textured, not only by how dark yet sensual it sounds, but also by how it incorporates a lush tapestry of ambient, hip hop and soul elements to create a beautiful sound that would become synonym with the incipient genre. 8/10 [KEEP]

It’s a bit tricky to rate something you don’t remember, innit

в последнее время тут как-то слишком много трип хопа - 4

It's tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time. It's Tricky... it's Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky)

Probably my favorite Tricky album. Have not heard this in a while. I had this on CD or possibly cassette tape. I don't have it anymore. It brings back a feeling from that time and place. Musically it is very original and it has that pioneering trip hop sound we all love.

Odd and peculiar mainly background noise with long silences that's begging to be obscurely sampled in a future song stand-alone it lacks something I cant put my finger on Might make for a good contribution to a movie soundtrack once again, I will not be listening to this by itself for the time being Black steel is the only good song on this album.

Best trip-hop album of all time. So dark and weird. I love it.

Like a harder, grungier Portishead. Too long, but a good vibe.

I loved this so much, so sultry with amazing sampling. Reminds me of Massive Attack.

Nice production. Sounds cool. Didn't particularly love/enjoy any song

Sounds cool at first, very hipster coffee shop, but not enough variety, too samey, got bored halfway through

At times was so unmistakably 90s heady trip hop that I loved it. Then the UK rap started to bleed in. And I seriously got sick to my stomach. We can thank England for so much musically but rap is far from even remotely good coming from there. So nip that in the bud. But overall, had more soul and character (as well as themes) than the Haunted Dancehall BS from yesterday. So i gotta rank it higher, but ultimately paled in comparison to the genre staples i like.

The definition of meh. This reminds me a lot of the Portishead album I had, which was equally as boring. This album annoyed me more the longer it went on. Just a bit of a snoozefest.

Better than most

incredible unique sounding album - black steel and hell is around the corner the highlights

Not an enjoyable listen for me. Every track sounded similar and went on forever.

Me gusto, no es mi genero favorito ni uno que recurrente, pero no me parecio mal. Creo que es muy experimental.

Rating: 4.8/5 Short Review: This album sounds like wandering through Bristol at 3 a.m. with absolutely no idea who’s following you. Dark, hypnotic, paranoid, and strangely beautiful. Tricky’s whispered vocals alongside Martina Topley-Bird’s haunting voice create an atmosphere that’s almost suffocating. The basslines are incredible, and the whole thing feels like a fever dream. One of trip-hop’s finest records. Favorite Track: Hell Is Round the Corner. That bassline, those vocals, that atmosphere. Perfect.

Unique

not quite as good as Massive Attack but still cool

Just a weird genre that doesn't want to commit to being purely electronic or purely R&B. It's this ambient floating techno that I guess could work sometimes, but just generally doesn't do it for me.

What a great album. A fantastic spin-off from Massive Attack. This album sort of defined my 1995/1996, on very heavy rotation.

This sounds like the soundtrack to a hypothetical rated R movie. Based off of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The entire album is a mood. Definitely an album You wanna listen to at 3 o'clock in the morning.

Never heard of this before and liked it quite a bit as long as she was singing. Knocked down a star for when he stepped up vocally. I'm a big Bob Dylan fan, and even I couldn't handle his voice.

Some very decent stuff but it just won't click. I don't like some of the louder guitar parts. They take me out of the calmer moments. A good album that I just don't get.

Just onay

Hip hop Electronic Artsy fartsy Boring Long Very British What’s not to like?

Elevated Blue Cross Blue Shield hold music

It never quite hits for me, songs can drag a bit. That being said, Martina has a great voice and this was pretty original at the time and influenced a lot of great music to come. It's a sleazy start that needed some polishing to be really great

I don’t know if it’s my fault, but I found this a bit underwhelming. Was I not playing it loud enough? Was the bass too low? Was it because I wasn’t in a dark smoke-filled room? Perhaps. I’ve always thought “Black Steel” was a banger but I’ve never investigated Tricky further or listened to a whole album. I liked the one with the same sample as Portishead and the one that samples early psychedelic Smashing Pumpkins. At this point I wanted to give it a four, but the album carried on with more mumbling and beats and I just thought it was okay. I might feel different on a repeated listen.

Fantastic. Ages like fine wine….

The genius of Maxinquaye is that it feels less like a record and more like eavesdropping on a beautiful, anxious nightmare. The beats are pure industrial jazz. They take thick hip-hop loops, slow them down to a crawl, and let them drag heavily behind the beat. It creates this incredibly raw, claustrophobic groove that suffocates you in the best way possible. Over those heavy loops, Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird sound like a single, fractured psyche. Martina floats on top with this gorgeous, effortless jazz-singer elegance, while Tricky stalks right beneath her, whispering a gravelly, paranoid internal monologue right under her breath. That vocal friction perfectly drives the album's central themes of urban paranoia, identity breakdown, and late-night claustrophobia. By flipping gender roles—having Martina sing his most aggressive lines while he whispers the vulnerable bits—the whole thing morphs into a brilliant, haunting psychological thriller you can dance to.

I quite liked this one. Very of its time, but still holds up as a decent record

Nice to see some more trip-hop. Worthy entry.

70

Martina Topley-Bird make this album great. She is one of the most overlooked artists of all time.

No, too chill

Good

7/10

I was randomly gifted this album. It changed the whole way I listened to electronic music, which I hadn't really enjoyed up to that point. The druggy groove just spoke to me -- and I wasn't even doing drugs at the time. From here I backed up, got all up into Massive Attack, and the die was cast from there. Hell is Round the Corner remains a fucking banger. Lots of them here.

I have a friend who loves this album. She's a pretentious elitist sometimes. Anyway the album is cool.

La neta la rompio

#467 I’ve looked forward to this one, I haven’t listened before but like Massive Attack and the Bristol trip hop scene so this didn’t disappoint in that sense. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die? ✅ Fave track(s): Hell is Around the Corner Rating: 7/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some really odd tracks on here.

really puts you in a trance

This was a vibe and held my interest.

Cool

Overall: 7/10 Chill and relaxing, I love the vibe of this one. It's a pretty long album for what it is, but I wasn't too bothered by it. Fav Song: Black Steel

This is a solid album. I enjoyed many of the sounds, a unique album for sure.

This is really good. 3.5/4.0

2.6

At first I was off put, girl singing most of the way through when I expected more groove rap vibes à la massive attack. By the end I had really settled in to the groove and enjoyed it. I think this will reward on re listens but definitely stands up against the other trip hop albums of the time

Trip hop is just not for me

Really enjoyed the first few songs, "Overcome," "Ponderosa," and "Black Steel", but then it gets redundant and less interesting. The rhythmic drive and lyrical intensity get turned down and only show up here and there. Still, it's pretty different than anything else from that time and he and Portishead were the trip-hop pioneers.

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

Interesting, proving again I discovered to like trip hop, although this one isn’t as remarkable as others on this list, but this one has samples and covers of them. This also has some edgy poetry character that I guess is interesting, but also to much humming. Favourites: Overcome, Black Steel as I see it’s a cover, Hell is Round the Corner sampled Glory Box that of course couldn’t be suppressed as it is one of the best tracks I listened from this list. idk if there was more as I was driving

全体的に、暗くて、重くて、怖い。 これがDummyと同じジャンルなのもおかしいし、それぞれ良さとされる部分が違うんじゃないか それはそれとして、良いです。Hell is round the cornerと Glory Boxが同じサンプリング先なのに、180度違かったり、何かの模倣ではないジャンルを生み出して、そのジャンルの中でもトップレベルに洗練されているのが、すごい。アルバム名に亡くなったお母さんの名前つけてんのもかっこいいし。こういうレベルの作品が同年代にバンバン生まれたブリストルすごすぎ。

Really enjoyed it initially but interest waned slightly as the album progressed and it ended up pretty middling for us.

Not important or interesting enough to be here, really. Pleasant enough, though.

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.

Maxinquaye Tricky 1995 Genres: Electronica Styles: Trip Hop, Leftfield, Downtempo 1. Overcome (★★★★★) -Contexto: Reescritura de "Karmacoma" (Massive Attack, 1994): Tricky reutilizó letras que había escrito para ese disco. La crítica (Simon Reynolds) la ubica entre las canciones de paranoia sexual y miedo masculino a la intimidad. La canta Martina Topley-Bird y el clima es más oscuro y febril que el de la versión de Massive Attack. -Fav 2. Ponderosa (★★★★★) -Contexto: Inspirada en sus experiencias con marihuana, alcohol, cocaína y éxtasis, sobre todo en unos dos años de excesos y desánimo mientras cobraba de Massive Attack después de Blue Lines. El tono es de desesperación, de estar atrapado en una realidad deprimente sin salida. El loop de batería viene de la banda sonora de la película india Khalnayak. -Fav 3. Black Steel (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Versión de "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" de Public Enemy (1988), una canción contra el reclutamiento militar. La letra es la del original (no es de Tricky). El cambio está en el tratamiento: guitarras y batería pesadas con la banda FTV, y Martina la canta en vez de rapearla, lo que le agrega una lectura de género. 4. Hell Is Round the Corner (★★★★★) -Contexto: Nace de sus experiencias con las drogas y la paranoia. Tricky le dijo a Reynolds que se sentía parte de la "contaminación psíquica" de su época, tan capaz de codicia como cualquiera, y la letra alude a esa complicidad y al apetito. Se apoya en el loop de "Ike's Rap II" de Isaac Hayes (el mismo sample de "Glory Box" de Portishead) con una voz de vibrato ralentizada. Comparte letras con "Eurochild" de Massive Attack. Su autobiografía lleva el título de esta canción. 5. Pumpkin (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Samplea "Suffer" de Smashing Pumpkins y "The Easiest Way to Fall" de Freda Payne. Las voces son de Tricky y Alison Goldfrapp. El tono es de canción de amor doliente (torch song), comparada con Portishead. No encontré una explicación documentada del contenido de la letra, así que no la interpreto. 6. Aftermath (★★★★★) -Contexto: El primer single y la canción que dio origen a su carrera solista y a su dupla con Martina. Massive Attack la rechazó, la sacó de forma independiente en 1993 y 4th & B'way la reeditó en enero de 1994. Incluye una referencia a su madre y un fragmento sampleado de Blade Runner donde el replicante Leon habla de su madre. Reynolds la ubica entre las que reflejan la paranoia, la ansiedad y las visiones de espectros ligadas al consumo de drogas. -Fav 7. Abbaon Fat Tracks (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: No encontré fuentes que expliquen su letra o su contexto, así que no lo puedo resumir sin inventar. Solo consta que la produjo Tricky solo y que las voces son suyas y de Martina. 8. Brand New You're Retro (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Tampoco encontré fuentes sobre su letra. Solo consta que es la más corta del disco (2:54) y que la produjeron Saunders y Tricky. 9. Suffocated Love (★★★★☆) -Contexto: Reynolds la agrupa con "Overcome" como canción sobre paranoia sexual y miedo masculino a la intimidad. No encontré un análisis más detallado de la letra. 10. You Don't (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Según el librito del disco, las voces son de Tricky y Ragga (en lugar de Martina). No hallé fuentes verificables sobre lo que dice la letra. 11. Strugglin' (★★★⯨☆) -Contexto: Inspirada en sus experiencias con las drogas. La letra alude a visiones de sombras místicas sin sentido. Tiene samples de puertas que crujen, el clic de un arma al cargarse, sirenas lejanas y crujidos de vinilo, un clima de alucinación y espectros. 12. Feed Me (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: El cierre del disco. Reynolds la lee como un destello de esperanza: el sueño de una tierra prometida o de una patria perdida (quizás la propia "Maxinquaye"), donde se enseña a crecer fuerte y sensible. Es tentativa, casi burlona, como un espejismo; Tricky murmura que es irreal. -TOTAL = ★★★⯨☆ (3,96)

Trip Hop is not my favorite. I can't quite put my thumb on why I find it boring. Some of it is too ethereal or repetitive. I like Portishead, but the other bands and artists that perform this genre seem to be poor copies of "Dummy." This album is by Tricky so I take that he is the producer, like Dr. Dre for hip hop who has solo albums but those albums are more of a collaboration than other artists solo albums. Apart from producing the music he just shows up to sort of speak sing over a song or two while the bulk of the album is a woman singing. I liked the Public Enemy song the most. The rest is more or less the same. Same tempo. Same subject matter. Same lady singing.

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.

Love the dark atmosphere. The voices almost melt into the beats. Great sound.

Man what a vibe. Like some post-apocalyptic hip hop. The samples and production are so so good, Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird guide you through this graveyard sound, with harrowed tales and asses being fucked for laughs. The blurb on this in the book is pretty funny because it spends a lot of time saying how disappointingly shit Tricky's subsequent releases were. I don't know how true that is, but this album is a banger

Litt bortgjemt i forhold til andre trip-hop klassikere, men fremdeles solid.

Glemte helt at I hørte på denne. Ga me egentlig ingenting

Hmm… Veldig 90s chill her. Man hører tydelig at fyren var med i Massive Attack. Egentlig en veldig behagelig plate og så legger jeg godsiden til fordi han har samplet Smashing Pumpkins

Et par spor med unektelig rytme og driv, men også mye 90--talls-triphhop som hører hjemme på museum.

Ugh. At first I thought this would merely be boring, but it drags on and on and really does become actively bad at some point

Good album

Not my jam, kind of dull. 2/5.

Some cool stuff here but amongst all the classic "trip-hop" records, I never got into this one as much.

Skulle hørt enda mer.. Det er noe her. 2-3

Strong 3.5. A primeira metade é muito boa mas depois acaba decaindo.

Bestes Tricky Album. Ich verstehe sowohl warum das als *das* Trip Hop Album herhalten muss und warum Tricky das Label einschränkend fand: Hier passiert nämlich viel mehr als Dubbeats und tolle Stimme und Sprechgesang, und das ist oft erstaunlich politisch (hatte ich gar nicht mehr im Kopf).

Macht mich schläfrig und träge. Das flowt alles ganz gut, hin und wieder bräuchte ich aber doch etwas, dass die Lebensgeister anspricht. Das kommt aber zu selten. Ich mag viele Einzelteile davon. Den Sprechgesang, die Beats - aber alles zusammen schreit mir zu sehr "KUNST" ins Gesicht.

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

Buena experiencia sonora

Me gusta la onda, algunos buenos temas, el resto en general buenos. Sería un 3,5, pongo 4.

Fand ich schwer einzuordnen, landet bei mir auf 3

bin ja Fan von Trip Hop, aber daswar mir zu langweilig

Nervig

It's fine

Another album I’m surprised I haven’t heard before. I really like the trip-hop style of the project as well as the eerie vibe that it emits from the tracks. The pairing of airy production paired with the laid back rap takes and smooth singing is a nice contrast.

Pretty good. A lil too much borrowing though. Nice vibes tho. Strongish 7

Na občasné vypočutie... Ale príjemné. Pravdupovediac, celkom milo ma to prekvapilo.

sehr gutes album gefällt mir melodisches meisterwerk

not my cup of tea!

Cally Callomon – art direction, design David Alvarez – art direction, design only they know what they did. Not my favourite sleeve but music is sublime.

7/10 Much better than I feared - a lot more interesting than I ever gave it credit for. It undoubtedly drops off in the second half and the unfortunate Portishead "clone" draws inevitable inferiority comparisons, but largely I found it very listenable

Quite enjoyed this one. Relaxed, but enough variety that it never gets boring. I hear the Massive Attack connection, but it's far from a rehash.

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.