Trip Hop
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the trip hop music genre.
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Massive Attack – “False Flags / United Snakes” (2006)
“False Flags” is a pretty solid deep cut, also available on the two-disc versions of Collected. However, the B-side “United Snakes” has never been officially re-released, to my knowledge. It’s the longest song Massive Attack have ever done, excepting the closer “Antistar” off 100th Window. “United Snakes” possesses much of the same ambiance that pervaded said album,… (read more)
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Tricky – “Pre-Millennium Tension” (1996)
It’s very rare to find a trip hop album that pushes the boundaries of the genre, but Pre-Millennium Tension is one of them. The production is damp—and I mean damp. Some of the thickest beats I’ve ever heard, strange off-kilter instrumentation, and surreal imagery (though not atypical for trip hop). Almost unbearably thick production. Pre-Millennium Tension… (read more)
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The Aloof – “Sinking”
Worth a spin. Sinking is one of those albums definitely in need of editing. Check out those song lengths. I can tell you right now few of them are justified, and a lot of repetitiveness should have been cut to make this a more digestible listen. Right now it’s 72-minutes long. There’s self-indulgence, and then… (read more)
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Wax Poetic – “Nublu Sessions” (2003)
Nublu Sessions brings a breath of fresh air that trip hop really needed, but unfortunately long after the scene had died. Still, great music exists out of time. Norah Jones sings on two sublime, more traditional, soothing trip hop tracks. The rest of the album is a bit more adventurous, diving into some African influences.… (read more)
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Massive Attack – “100th Window” (2003)
Both 100th Window and Heligoland have been growing on me lately. They’re more lowkey than their predecessors and definitely slow burns. Where earlier albums like Mezzanine crushed the listener with the oppressive power of its heavy bass and toyed with them using its twisted dark soundscapes and distorted guitars, an album like 100th Window is much more gentle. The dark tone… (read more)
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Portishead – “Portishead” (1997)
The self-titled album from Portishead has really cool production. Unfortunately, the majority of the beats and rhythms are exactly the fuckin’ same and can’t carry the brutally drawn-out song lengths. The monotone nature of this album hurts it. Sure, it’s consistently dark—as a matter of fact, it’s all dark. But it’s not an evolving journey like their… (read more)
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Massive Attack – “Protection” (1994)
There’s something odd about Protection that makes it my second least-favorite Massive Attack album. I think I know what it is. Protection lacks cohesiveness. It comes across as a compilation of rejected Blue Lines songs and B-sides rather than a continuation of that sound, despite it being entirely new material. The track order is all… (read more)
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Massive Attack – “Blue Lines” (1991)
Some days, I think Blue Lines has better album flow than Mezzanine. “Safe From Harm” hits as soon as the sun fully sets, the skies darken, the streetlights dim, and not a voice can be heard coming from the barely-lit alleyways of the city. A sense of danger approaches—you’re a stranger in a bad part… (read more)
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Massive Attack – “Heligoland” (2010)
People who write Heligoland off as a generic trip hop album probably don’t have much experience with the genre. “Babel” incorporates breakbeat, for just one example. Heligoland is an intelligently-composed album that subtly incorporates unusual elements into its songwriting. The final product seems natural and unassuming—something that feels like it’s always been with you—when it’s… (read more)
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Björk – “Homogenic”
Undoubtedly one of Björk‘s greatest albums, but I can’t imagine myself ever liking Homogenic more than Post. As a matter of fact, even putting aside my personal feelings, I still consider Post to be the superior album. Homogenic falls off a bit in the album’s second half, and lacks the adventurism of Post to help… (read more)