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Tricky has always seemed like an artist whose bad side you don’t want to end up on. And he’s really cut loose in an interview with Exberliner magazine, in which he calls out Domino Records head Lawrence Bell and his former Massive Attack colleague 3D, whom Tricky calls “pretentious” and a “corny guy” who “always needs someone who’s a tall black guy.” OUCH! …MORE
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Few artist are tied to the past as much as Tricky, despite a career that has lasted 20+ years and eight solo albums. Still, the words fans want to hear the most when it comes to the trip-hop godfather is “sounds like early Tricky,” and on the aptly titled “Nothing’s Changed,” he delivers that sweet and dark sound that made his first records Maxinquaye and Pre-Millennium Tensions landmarks of the genre.
The song offers all the benchmarks of a Tricky classic — rumbling bass, melancholic strings, plaintive female vocals (this time sung by Francesca Belmonte) and Tricky’s own thousand-year-old rasp that harmonizes flawlessly with the female lead. He even repurposes the open line, “Follow where Mary goes. Cherish the things she knows,” from his 1997 single, “Makes Me Wanna Die.”
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Their voices were the ultimate study in contrast. Her’s a rich and soulful vox inspired by classic jazz singers like Billie Holiday. His a horse whisper already well on it’s way to a gutteral croak ravaged by endless spliffs. Together, Martina Topley-Bird and Tricky created one of the most stirring and melancholic albums of the ’90s, the trip-hop opus Maxinquaye. They went on to collaborate on two more albums, Nearly God, Pre-Millenial Tension and Angels with Dirty Faces before going their separate ways, professionally and romantically, almost 15 years ago.
Now the two will reunite to perform their seminal debut at the upcoming Sundance London event on April 21st. Tickets go on-sale March 1. Here’s hoping they’re easier to get than Kraftwerk at MoMA. …MORE
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“That’ll be 28 dollars,” said the bartender at The Wiltern, as I cautiously slid my debit card to him thinking he might have made a mistake. “Wait, 28 dollars for two beers. Are you sure?” He nods, annoyed. Enter the heavy bass and vocal sirens of Röyksopp to refresh a beer and make it taste like, well, a 14 dollar beer. Norwegian duo and electronic music veterans Röyksopp prove once again that they’re still relevant and should be excused for their uncharacteristic work with pop artist (and fellow Scandinavian) Robyn. The duo, composed of the unassuming yet brilliant Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, performed in front of the appreciative crowd at the historic Wiltern in Los Angeles last Tuesday March 29th. Admittedly, not very well versed in the vast catalog of music Röyksopp has produced since their inception …
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With the year wrapping up, lists have been dominating the music blogoshere. Of course, everyone wants to give their top 10 list of faves. And more than a few sites have been happy to share their least liked albums of 2010. But thinking about how ’10 really played out, it seems like more than anything there was a lot of excellent acts who released albums that were decent, but just didn’t live up to past achievements. A great many of these albums actualy ended up on Year’s Best lists, but mostly because there wasn’t a whole lot of other fantastic albums to overshadow them. But you know when the Decade’s Best lists start coming in nine year, most of these efforts will be relegated to the back of the list (if …
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