Tricky - Different When It's Silent (2026)

One of the pleasure of discovering a new Tricky album is finding wich new interesting singers he's introducing. This time it's mostly a young singer, also from Bristol, called Mitch Sanders (a few others featuring are also on the album). he's doing a good job. Tricky, after the disapointing previous album (first one after he lost his daughter so I won't be too hard on him) is back with a strong album. Maybe not on the level of his best ones, but still with many excellent songs, and even the less memorable ones contrinutes to the nice overall feel and atmosphere of the album, so I wouldn't say they're fillers. And speaking about the atmosphere, Different When it's Silent is another proof Tricky is the absolute master of these laid back but subtly menacing feel. Recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Marta & Tricky - Out The Way (2025)

You probably already know that Tricky (with Massive Attack and solo) has been one of the leading character in trip-hop music for more than thirty years now. And if you know Tricky you probably also know Marta's voice since she collaborated on many albums with him since his first solo, Maxinquaye in 1995. On Out The Way, the first album released with both their names, they prove they still got a great chemistry together and are as inspired as ever. If dark & dreamy electro/dub music is your thing, you'll feel at home and very pleased with Out The Way. Highly recommended! (but comes with a warning : highly addictive stuff!)

 

the BC page. 

 

Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja (2024)

Each album from Oranssi Pazuzu is different and special, and Muuntautuja is no exception. This time the prog/psych elements is less obvious and the band goes in a more dissonant industrial avant-garde black metal direction, with also some ambient/trip-hop elements. Like always with Oranssi Pazuzu it defies easy description, but imagining a music somewhere between Blut Aus Nord and Massive Attack could give you an idea of the kind of atmospheres they built in Muuntautuja. Another sucessful experiment and really interesting album from Oranssi Pazuzu.

The BC page.

Nun Gun - Mondo Decay (2021)

Nun Gun is the collaboration of photograph Brad Feuerhelm and two Algiers members, Lee Tesche and Ryan Mahan, the album cassette Mondo Decay is the companion of a post-industrial decay themed photograph book of Brad Feuerhelm. The music is a mix of modified giallo soundtrack, synth-wave, dub, hip-hop, trip-hop. With featurings from a few vocalists (the track with Mark Stewart is especially awesome). Loved it from the beginning and listen to it every day (sometimes more than once). Easily one of the most interesting and best album for this year. I can't recommend it enough.

The Bandcamp page.

 

D-Faz - OneNationUnderDog (2019)

This album OneNationUnderDog released last year is a collaboration between French band D-Faz and American alt rapper Brzowski. The result is good Mcing, in a vein reminding a bit Sage Francis or maybe Buck 65 over production that is rooted in electro / bass music / trip hop. Brzowski warm voice providing a contrast to the colder/futuristic/abstract music of D-Faz. Interesting and quality stuff.

The BC page.

Babe Roots - ST (2017)

We're slowing down and get smooth with this one. Babe Roots self titled album is some excellent dub techno with invited vocalists, closer to digital dub than to techno, with also a trip-hop feel. If you'd like a dub album lighter (not on the dark/industrial side of dub) than the new Scorn or Zonal this one's really a good pick.

https://controltower.fr/fr/linear-movement/1396-babe-roots.html

Zonal - Wrecked (2019)

Zonal is formed by Kevin Martin (The Bug, King Midas Sound) and Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, JK Flesh) who teamed already in Techno Animal, and they are joined by Camae Ayewa (alias Moor Mother) on the first half of the album, the rest being instrumentals. As expected the result in this first album called Wrecked (released by Relapse), is industrial hip-hop/illbient/dark trip-hop, in a more quiet style than Techno Animal was. Both half of the album (the first half with Camae Ayewa vocals and the second instrumental one) are very good. Maybe the first half being more interesting and memorable. It's not the best album they made (either together or not) but still it's excellent and if you like what they did before you'll enjoy this one as well.

The Bandcamp page.

Tricky - Ununiform (2017)

Tricky is a very versatile artist, touching and mixing different styles, different beats, blending rock and electro, using many different vocalist on his albums. On the same album you have tracks that can be very different and it's also different from one album to the other. The overall quality is very high but his career has many ups and downs. Lately it was about one good for one mediocre. Mixed race in 2010 was good, False Idols in 2013 is maybe its weakest, Adrian Thaws in 2014 is a good one, whereas Skilled Mechanics in 2016 wasn't very inspired. IS the new one Ununiform following the pattern? Yes hopefully it is and it is indeed a really good albums with few average tracks and some really strong ones. With his trademark dark and melancholic mood, the melodic female singing (the usuals Francesca Belmonte, Asia Argento, and even Martina Topley-Bird), the rappers (Scriptonite from Kazakhstan and Smoky Mo from Russia), well, it's another classic Tricky album, possibly the best since Blowback?

The Bandcamp page.