Pre-Millennium Tension
Pre-Millennium Tensionpicks up where the first albumMaxinquayeleft off, but this CD fulfills the promise of Tricky's unbounded spontaneity and fondness for sonic digression. Abandoning the accessible pop ofMaxinquaye,Pre-Millennium Tensionserves up a beguiling array of sound effects, electro distortion and fragmented lyrics that amount to a rich--if bizarre-musical montage. As suggested by its title, this disc zeros in on a kind of end-of-the-millennium disruption of classifiable sound. With its cross-pollination of hip-hop, cabaret balladry, background textures, and disjointed arrangements,Pre-Millennium Tensiontakes a peek at the future of pop music and declares it will be nothing like we expect.--Nick Heil