Trip-hop pioneer Tricky keeps it weird on "Juxtapose"
In the off-the-beaten-path of what's called the Trip-Hop genre of music, folks like Tricky have garnered a fair amount of honor. "Juxtapose" furthers Tricky's worthy stance in this respect while broadening his horizons as an innovative, hard-to-corner and misunderstood composer.
Tricky has earned his place as high trip-hop disciple firstly as a founding member of the now-defunct-but-legendary Massive Attack (from Britain) where he cut his teeth on how to persistently cross the precarious gaps between alternative and hip-hop. With his combinations of otherworldly beats, atmospheric guitar riffs, and (rare/sparse) collaborations with left-of-center musicians such as Bjork, Gravediggaz and Luscious Jackson, Tricky has always created dark and heavy hip-hop that is a bit too weird for both the dance floor and/or lounging to. "Juxtapose," though not as dark, is still making Tricky the alchemist of the haunting and refreshing.
Juxtapose shows Tricky collaborating quite fully with DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill and Ruff Ryder producer Grease. This makes for some unconventional rap (what rap there is on the record) and less of a hip-hop feel compared to his past albums. Mellow album opener "For Real" is a cool stage-setter as it showcases live drums, acoustic guitar, sitar, and Tricky's creepy/whispery/raspy vocal rhymes about denouncing money-hungry gangstas. From there, the song styles eclectically leap from one odd hip-hop invention to another: Mellow beats of "Born Born Diggy" and "Contradictive" (with Spanish guitar tinges), hyperactive "She Said," Mad Dog's breakneck and pornographic strange-style rapping on "I Like The Girls," pulsing heavy beats in "Wash My Soul" and distorto-guitar metal sounds in "Hot Like A Sauna (Metal Mix)," to name a few.
Tricky's aural architecture of "Juxtapose's" organic/less synthesized (low-fi at times) opium music vibe is quite contemporary and unique at the same time. Every song is different and shows that Tricky does have a lighter/not-so-dark side. There are no truly "heavy" beats, and this is his most pop recording, but there are still tons of hooks and beautiful melodies. Not my first Tricky pick if I were to buy one of his albums, but still a good one.
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