Ununiform[a] is the thirteenth studio album by English trip hop artist Tricky. It was released by False Idols on 22 September 2017.[2][3] Three singles were taken from this album, 'The Only Way', 'When We Die' and 'Running Wild', all of them released before the album.[4] And alternative version of 'The Only Way' was uploaded on Tricky personal Soundcloud account a few weeks after the original, and later released as a single in 2018, this version was also included in the physical releases of the album, but unlisted in the back cover. The album features a variety of guest vocalists, including Russian rappers, American vocalists, his usual collaborator Francesca Belmonte, and Tricky's frequent-collaborator and former girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird.[5][6]
Ununiform | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 September 2017 | |||
Recorded | Berlin, Germany | |||
Length | 41:23 | |||
Label | False Idols | |||
Tricky chronology | ||||
|
Recording
editTricky conceived the album while in Moscow, Russia; it consequently features vocal contributions from Russian rapper Smoky Mo.[1] The album was recorded in Berlin, Germany.[7] The album features a mixture of trip hop-inspired tracks as well as guitar-based tracks,[1] including a cover version of "Doll Parts" by Hole, featuring vocals from Los Angeles-based artist Avalon Lurks.[8] American hip hop artist Jay-Z co-engineered the album.[9]
Critical reception
editAggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.3/10[10] |
Metacritic | 71/100[11] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Exclaim! | 5/10[12] |
The Irish Times | [13] |
Mojo | [14] |
The Observer | [15] |
Pitchfork | 5.1/10[1] |
PopMatters | 6/10[16] |
Q | [17] |
Rolling Stone Russia | [18] |
Uncut | [19] |
Ununiform received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 12 reviews.[11] Kitty Empire of The Observer gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "Tricky creates a claustrophobic world full of stark bass lines, pop digressions and slinky Bristol moments; his duet with Francesca Belmonte, New Stole, is particularly moreish."[15] Ben Cardew of Pitchfork gave the album 5.1 out of 10 stars, summarising: "ununiform may come nowhere near to the jaw-dropping impact of those early Tricky albums. But buried deep in his 13th studio release, Tricky may just have sown the seeds of a new musical contentment."[1] The album was compared to Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971) and The xx's Coexist (2012).[20]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Tricky, unless noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Obia Intro" | 1:56 | |
2. | "Same as It Ever Was" (featuring Scriptonite) | 3:46 | |
3. | "New Stole" (featuring Francesca Belmonte) | 3:06 | |
4. | "Wait for Signal" (featuring Asia Argento) | 3:08 | |
5. | "It's Your Day" (featuring Scriptonite) | 2:03 | |
6. | "Blood of My Blood" (featuring Scriptonite) | 3:13 | |
7. | "Dark Days" (featuring Mina Rose) | 2:49 | |
8. | "The Only Way" | 4:51 | |
9. | "Armor" (featuring Terra Lopez) | 2:25 | |
10. | "Doll" (featuring Avalon Lurks[1]) | Courtney Love | 3:06 |
11. | "Bang Boogie" (featuring Smoky Mo and Scriptonite) | 1:18 | |
12. | "Running Wild" (featuring Mina Rose[2]) | 3:37 | |
13. | "When We Die" (featuring Martina Topley-Bird) | 3:43 | |
Total length: | 41:23 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "The Only Way" (Stripped Down Tricky Mix) | 4:07 |
Note
- 1 ^ "Doll" is a cover of "Doll Parts" by Hole.[1]
- 2 ^ "Running Wild" was also co-written by Mina Rose.[21]
- 3 ^ "New Stole" is a reworked version of Francesca Belmonte song Stole from her debut album Anima.
Personnel
edit
Musicians[9]
|
Technical
|
Charts
editChart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] | 114 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] | 52 |
French Albums (SNEP)[24] | 74 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] | 47 |
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Cardew, Ben (20 September 2017). "Tricky: ununiform". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- ^ ""Ununiform" by Tricky". iTunes. Apple. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Tricky - Ununiform review: Don't be tricked into complacency". Irish Times. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher. "Tricky Announces New Album, Shares "When We Die" (feat. Martina Topley-Bird) | Under the Radar - Music Magazine". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ AFP. "Tricky goes clean and gets darker » Manila Bulletin Entertainment". Entertainment.mb.com.ph. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "Tricky - Ununiform | BeatRoute Magazine". Beatroute.ca. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ Arcand, Rob (22 September 2017). "Stream Tricky's New Album ununiform". Spin. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ Kaye, Ben (12 July 2017). "Tricky announces new album, ununiform, shares "When We Die" feat. Martina Topley-Bird: Stream". Consequences of Sound. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ a b c "Ununiform - Tricky - Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "ununiform by Tricky reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ a b "ununiform by Tricky Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Sylvester, Daniel (20 September 2017). "Tricky Ununiform". Exclaim!. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Bruton, Louise (21 September 2017). "Tricky - Ununiform review: Don't be tricked into complacency". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Anon. (October 2017). "Review". Mojo. p. 94.
- ^ a b Empire, Kitty (24 September 2017). "Tricky: Ununiform review – stark and slinky". The Observer. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ Schiller, Mike (4 October 2017). "Tricky: ununiform". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Anon. (October 2017). "Review". Q. p. 104.
- ^ Даль, Борис (2 October 2017). "Tricky — "Ununiform"". Rolling Stone Russia (in Russian). Retrieved 21 November 2017.
- ^ Anon. (November 2017). "Review". Mojo. p. 36.
- ^ Sawatzki, Frank (21 September 2017). "Review: Tricky - Ununiform". Musikexpress. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
- ^ "ununiform / Tricky TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Tricky – Ununiform" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Tricky – Ununiform" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Tricky – Ununiform". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tricky – Ununiform". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2017.