Pre-Millennium Tension

Rolling Stone (1/23/97, p.44) - Ranked #2 on Rolling Stone's list of the "Ten Best Albums" of 1996. Rolling Stone (12/12/96, p.86) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...distorted guitars, disorienting digital effects and the exquisite soul crooning of...Martina Topley Bird over fractured loops and vintage hip-hop beats....an abstract, minimalist edge....closer in spirit to the work of Prince or Lee `Scratch' Perry..." Spin (1/97, p.58) - Ranked #6 on Spin's list of the "20 Best Albums of '96." Spin (12/96, p.139) - 9 (out of 10) - "...Inspired rather than threatened by hip-hop, Tricky tosses it off like a Stussy cape....At his most compelling, Tricky calls everything into question, including himself....his music, a collage of gasping beats and forlorn chords, speaks beyond words..." Q (7/01, p.91) - Included in Q's "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time". Q (12/96, p.138) - 4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Conventional instruments like pianos or harmonicas jostle with found sounds over ferocious rhythm tracks in an unsettling soundscape where anything can happen, providing it's knuckle-clenching and sweat-inducing....Uneasy yet undeniably brilliant..." JazzTimes (4/97, p.65) - "In a world where `the sound of urban decay' comes in a glossy, retread R&B package, Tricky's PRE-MILLENNIUM TENSION sounds positively revolutionary. Where others rely on militaristic sameness, Tricky's music sounds like a series of sonic accidents..." Vibe (12/96, p.181) - "...Tricky's trip hop fills you up and satisfies you....Call it trip hop, Euro rap, black alternative, or whatever term you fancy. Just don't sleep..." The Source (12/96, p.140) - "...Tricky produces cinematic soundscapes...he layers thick bass loops with enough noise...to warp your mind....Trip-hop was boring 'til Tricky brought sex, hip-hop and beautiful transgressive thoughts to the mix..." Melody Maker (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67) - Ranked #4 on Melody Maker's list of 1996's "Albums Of The Year." Musician (2/97, pp.122-123) - "...dense, hypnotic soundscapes that suggest primal terrors....an ingenious mischief-maker rather than an author of old-fashioned beats....PRE-MILLENNIUM TENSION makes swell nightmare fodder..." Village Voice (2/25/97) - Ranked #9 in the Village Voice's 1996 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. NME (Magazine) (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67) - Ranked #8 in NME's 1996 critics' poll.