Tricky "Maxinquaye" (1995)
Tricky had achieved some notoriety appearing on Massive Attack's first
album "Blue Lines". He had brought that group a song he'd put together
with teenaged singer Martina Topley-Bird but they rejected it. Tricky
released it himself and started working on music for his first solo
album, including some more tracks with Martina. The title of the album is a
sort of portmanteau of Tricky's mother's first and last names: Maxine
Quaye.
Tricky produced with the album with Mark Saunders, bringing in a number
of vinyl samples which other producers might have rejected due to their
excessive hisses and crackles. Tricky mixed these
together with some low-tempo beats, and deep muddy bass to create
interesting but sometimes uncomfortable soundscapes onto which he
layered lyrics fuelled by paranoia, angst and depression.
Tricky brings a lot of fresh references, sampling "Glorybox" by
Portishead on "Hell is around the Corner" and the Smashing Pumpkins'
"Suffer" to brilliant effect on his track titled... er "Pumpkin".
This is a solid and interesting trip-hop album that I'd place on a par
with the first two Massive Attack albums. I'm interested to
investigate some of Tricky's other solo releases, though I've read that
he never topped this one.
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