[Video above is NSFW!]

It’s been about 15 years since I’ve paid any attention to Tricky, a 45-year old trip hop musician from Bristol. While he’s continued to release album after album since his stellar debut Maxinquaye back in 1995, none of them managed to hit my radar until now. False Idols, Tricky’s tenth, feels like it could be a collection of unreleased tracks from his seminal debut.

According to an article I found via Wikipedia, Tricky feels “This album is about me finding myself again.” While that might sound like trite bullshit, I concur wholeheartedly. This is the Tricky I used to love. In the interview, he continues:

“Of all my records, the majority of people are into Maxinequaye,” says Tricky. “That’s because it was a time and a place. Maxinquaye was a part of their life. Some people say it was the soundtrack to their youth. You can’t challenge that. But musically [False Idols] is a better album.” He pauses before adding, “Of course I know that people might not agree with that.”

I’m not willing to say False Idols is better than Maxinquaye. But it’s an apt follow up, albeit 18 years later. If you have any love in your heart for Tricky’s 1995 debut, you should check out his new one. If you’re only right now hearing about Tricky for the first time, I’d be very curious to know what you think of his music. I’m definitely a biased listener when it comes to Tricky, so I’m unable to judge appropriately whether this new album fits within today’s music scene. Do tell!

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31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

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