REVIEW : Tricky Maxinquaye (Island)
- Martin Bate
Massive Attack collaborator Tricky finally goes out on his own here, or rather in the company of his companion, 18 year old Martine. Maxinquaye is the most warped take on the trip-hop sound yet. Where Portishead and Massive Attack have established the Bristol sound as being the point where stoned hip-hop meets smoky nightclub soul, Tricky takes the sound into a far nastier area than that inhabited by Portishead and track after track is more bleak and disconcerting than anything Massive Attack have yet to come up with.
Martine's sultry feminine voice counterpoints Tricky's 3am London drawl perfectly and it isn't until the fourth song that Tricky takes the lead, on "Hell is Round the Corner" which uses a floating string backing nicked from Portishead to scary effect. The atmosphere, as throughout the album, is that of an urban nightmare dreamscape with Martine luring you into the shadows where Tricky lurks.
Opener, "Overcome" has Martine crooning Tricky's Massive Attack collaboration "Karmacoma", spinning round the line "You sure you want to be with me ? I've nothing to give..." while "Ponderosa"s eastern beats and vivid imagery ("Beneath the weeping willow lies a weeping wino", "I drink till I'm drunk and smoke till I'm senseless") provide the ultimate eerie soundtrack to urban life.
More genius is evident on the cover of Public Enemy's "Black Steel" where Chuck D's original rap is subverted with Martine's sneering feminine vocals and a metallic clanking rhythm welded to metal guitars and squelch bass.
To go on picking highlights would be futile. Suffice to say that this is an incredibly sexy album, though one where you're constantly aware of the emotional and physical danger involved. The album works on two levels - walking through the city with it on, looking at the faces and the urban sprawl, the music comes alive and everything looks simultaneously romantic and horrifying; but listen to it safe inside and its the words that grab the attention, ripping apart the fabric and lies of love, *just* as romantic and horrifying as the streets outside.
Although Tricky doesn't have the command over the studio that Massive Attack do, the sound is deceptive. The initial impression is that the sound is extremely sparse but you soon notice that it is actually extremely deep - samples are layered three deep in places and snippets of other music and voices cut in occasionally in the background like short-wave radio interference.
Occasionally the production can get a little muddy and lessen the tension but only on the last two tracks does Tricky almost lose it. "Strugglin'" meanders nowhere for an awfully long time despite a rhythm track The Orb would be proud of - a tap drips, a gun is loaded, a watch ticks; and "Feed Me" is an emotionally unengaging, dischordant slur.
Maxinquaye is a dark album that requires many, many listens to unravel. Do you fancy a bit of danger ?
