Is the year 2008 a Bristol revival? First there’s a new Portishead recording (Third), their first in over a decade, then Massive Attack finishes a new album (Weather Underground) and curates the Meltdown festival, and now, Tricky’s released his finest record since Pre-Millennium Tension. Knowle West Boy is named for the Council Estates housing project neighborhood Tricky grew up in. This set is not shrouded in mystery: it’s autobiographical. It’s the first album of well-crafted songs he’s come up with since Maxinquaye (but doesn’t sound a thing like it). As has been his wont since early on, Tricky also employs a host of other vocalists here for the sake of expressing more complex emotions, and also toward spinning a more complete — if sometimes complex — narrative. Rage and paranoia haven’t been replaced so much as they’ve been extrapolated upon and expanded by humor, joy, bravado, and an authentic vulnerability and sense that the personal is political, as this set deals straight on with issues of race and class without even remotely preaching. That said, it’s a down and dirty musical beat collision that combines punk, reggae, funk, pop, and hip-hop and hard rock in a wicked brew that is focused and in your face.

The set begins with a lounge-blues soundscape that evokes the late-night feel of Barry Adamson at his sleaziest. It explodes about a minute in, strutting its scrappy big band against Fripp-ian guitars, a cracking distorted snare, and cymbal thuggery. The cool thing is in its humor. Tricky plays a lounge lizard boasting about himself to a young woman (Alex Mills) who hands it back to him on a funhouse mirror. The first single, “Council Estate,” is a furious punk anthem created as a football-style chant set to a post-punk bassline, with big menacing kick drums, staggered reverb vocals, and Tricky letting the pride in his upbringing come to the fore. It’s a breathless two-and-a-half minutes, but it’s the best thing here. “Past Mistake” is reminiscent of the torch song duet balladry of Nearly God’s “Poems,” a tune Tricky performed with Terry Hall and Martina Topley-Bird. “Bacative” employs a ragged punk-charged ragga, and features toaster Rodigan (a New Yorker of West Indian origin). He begins his toast to a plucked cello, drum loops, snares, tambourines, and a set of hi-hat cymbals that shimmer above the bassline. “Joseph” is titled for a young man who does the vocals. The use of harp, hand drums, vibes, and a synthed bassline is strangely atmospheric and haunting. “Veronika” features vocals by French-Moroccan vocalist Lubua; it commences with a slew of distorted beats and tom-tom loops that feel like a military march; her voice is anything but, however. She expresses hurt, heartbreak, and anger brought about by the absent subject. She is also present on the haunting ballad “School Gates” that closes the set; a haunting ballad about a teen pregnancy told from both male and female points of view. “C’Mon Baby” is a thumper that evokes AC/DC with beats! There is also a cover here of Kylie Minogue’s “Slow.” Whereas the original is all sleek, sensual, and inviting, Tricky inverts the song’s meaning by becoming a sleazy, macho Lothario narrating. Knowle West Boy is not another Maxinquaye (it doesn’t try, either) but it is a very strong, accessible set that puts his renewed creativity on display in a blur of sound and color. It not only re-establishes him as a pioneer, but as an engaging personae who isn’t hiding behind his sonic palette anymore; his music is all the better for it.

Haven't listened to it, but he was on Letterman a couple of nights ago. I honestly wasn't impressed with the song he performed.

He covers "Slow"? There's a mash-up with Massive Attack & "Slow".....Massive Attack's "Angel" with Kylie's vocal. I imagine it would be kinda like that.

And the next single is "Puppy Toy". It's a bitchin' way to start of the album and sounds like maybe the most fun he's ever had on record.

I totally missed this. Thanks for the heads up.

Silly thing I was rocking out on his albums just last week when I was sick, re-arranging a GREAT but un-named friend that was so amazing to share his Tricky MP3's with me after I lost mine earlier this year. As he likes to keep his MP3's filed in a somewhat different way than I do, I had to update them to my liking, heheheh. This is a reflection of my own uptightness, though.

As I am also re-assembling all my playlists, it surprised me how many (early) Tricky songs ended up on my new PURE playlist. Me loves Tricky.

Do one of those fancy pants screen captures of your whole Tricky digital collection.

No EP's or mix albums, as of yet.

No EP's or mix albums, as of yet.[/quote
I'm on it.

I wasn't fishing for goodies. But I like men on top of things. Dunno why.

Anyways. I wish I could come over with my external harddrive and steal yer Tori collection. But we'l figure something out for Tori.

I miss her live bootlegs of the last tour. I was just getting into the new stuff and that really felt like an amputation.

HamsterHuey said:

La la la la la la, Soulseek-a-colia!!!

Sumthing like that, I suppose.

Vroooommmmm

HamsterHuey said:

I'm working out some pretty sweet CD sets. Haven't done that in ages, but I'm feeling inspired right now. Prepare to be blown away...

Just Tori, or mix ups?

Tricky. A B-Sides comp. A collabo comp. A remix comp. A comp of remixes he did for other artists. All probably 2 discs.

Tori. 2 4-disc sets,

This isn't new, but it's new to me. It's a killer live version of "Ghetto Youth". I always felt like Pre-Millennium Tension would be every bit as solid and perfect as Maxinquaye if it weren't for this endless, droning song. It's one of the few songs of his I don't like. But this rendition replaces that reggae toaster with Tricky's own vocals with a combination of made up lyrics and some borrowed from The Specials' "Nite Klub". SOOOO GOOD!

I'm quoting myself, but I don't care!

I totally missed this. Thanks for the heads up.

Silly thing I was rocking out on his albums just last week when I was sick, re-arranging a GREAT but un-named friend that was so amazing to share his Tricky MP3's with me after I lost mine earlier this year. As he likes to keep his MP3's filed in a somewhat different way than I do, I had to update them to my liking, heheheh. This is a reflection of my own uptightness, though.

As I am also re-assembling all my playlists, it surprised me how many (early) Tricky songs ended up on my new PURE playlist. Me loves Tricky.

i know, i'm never satisfied

HamsterHuey said:

Heh. It's a CERTAIN someone's Tricky collection. I do not have the use of downloading capabilities. And I have decided never to do pics in folders anymore. It makes my player sluggish. Cuz I got so much; I just do not have the patience to do all that work another time.

My Tricky collection is basic, yet sufficient. I will update it as soon as my own computer is up and running again. The last few months I have been internetting on a work laptop without downloading capabilites, but I made a huge-ass list of stuff I need to re-aquire and stuff I need to re-edit.

I got;
Maxinquaye
Nearly God
Pre-Millenium Tension
Angels With Dirty Faces
Juxtapose
Blowback
Vulnerable

No EP's or mix albums, as of yet.

You're missing "Wicked Tricky" Essential. How is that even possible?