What really sold this song to me today was its tortured melody, strange as that may seem to be drawn to something a little dark and gloomy, but this song does it so well and the melancholy is tangible. This reminds me of the old Tricky stuff from the 90’s with its raw, gripping, stripped-down-bluesy sound and I’m liking it a lot.
Two days ago Tricky shared a new single called The Only Way which, according to the man himself, is meant to be a nod to the 1995 Maxinquaye-era of his career, even going so far as to describe The Only Way as Hell Is Round The Corner Part 2; no wonder my initial thoughts were “this sounds like early Tricky!”
Built upon delicately orchestrated strings and prominent blues piano, this song is fragile and understated, with Tricky’s vocals tender and wistful. All the makings of a song that wouldn’t be at all out-of-place on Maxinquaye which, to this day remains one of my all time favourite albums.
Recorded in Moscow late last year, Tricky had this to say of the song:
“A few years ago I’d have said I ain’t doing this because it sounds like me. I’ve always had a punk rock attitude: I don’t give a fuck if you like Maxinquaye, I ain’t doing another Maxinquaye. Now I’m a bit more comfortable giving people what they want sometimes.”
The Only Way was is now available via Tricky’s own label imprint, False Idols (via !K7 Music) and can be purchased from here.
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