Review Summary: Desperation in the attempt, but unfortunately not the mood
It's odd to find Tricky tinkering with his sound after all these years, all while riding down a steady slope; eventually one should try to do what had pushed you up so high in the first place if only to provide more mountain to continue down on. In 2016 we find the artist collaborating with DJ Milo and Luke Harris, perhaps as some attempt to breathe some life into his wilting solo career. His eponymous debut seemed to have captured a traveling bullet in the center of a still frame camera shot, only adding to its novelty in that it was done first try. But when the artist is almost desperately taking photograph after photograph in the form of his near biennial studio releases all while barely managing to keep a piece of the same bullet on frame, it comes off as a rather desperate attempt to recapture such an impressive shot. It's sad when being so persistently active in that regard begins to chip away at his incredible prestige, but it's been suggesting for awhile now that
Maxinquaye was made with the planets aligned and a generous bit of luck on his side. Not to rob Tricky any credit, he's a very prolific and respectable artist in terms of his style and history.
Skilled Mechanics just feels like it's only a picture of the landscape
behind the bullet, and it's safe to say that even his strongest releases could not survive on just their landscapes alone.
Tricky displays a bit of over confidence on the album. He comes off all too cocky in a style of music that has always capitalized on anxiety and depression. This shows most prevalently in his eagerness to take the forefront in the singing, something that was in poor judgment. Even those who lend a hand are spotty at times, although admittedly bring some freshness in their even dispersion throughout the tracklisting. But being weak in vocal department for a mainstream trip-hop release is like being cursed in what you've been endowed with down below, and Tricky does nothing to compensate for this by resorting to very monotonous and stubborn rhythms with few twists and turns. Missing are the passionate and kinky tendencies that have now died down into just another night in the sheets. The darkness is there but comes from absence and unnecessary space rather then brooding smudges of foreboding layers. Again Tricky just seems to be snapping his camera in any direction in the hopes of capturing something profound. He seems to be relying on the collaboration which never provides something to fall back on. There are remnants of his success here, but that serves as only a tease of the possibilities. While it may be worth the listen to find the few good tracks for yourself, a lack of cohesion bring the whole package down and smothers any promises they provide.
