The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
The Spill Magazine The Spill Magazine
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Week
  • Books + Movies
  • About
16
new
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: THE EMBER GLOWS – “SILENT LOVE”
SPILL FEATURE: GALLACTIC WARRIORS ASSAULT ROCK – A CONVERSATION WITH GWAR
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREADNOUGHTS – ROLL AND GO
SPILL NEW MUSIC: ARKELLS ANNOUNCE ‘BLINK TWICE’ TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 23 | SUMMERTIME SINGLE “DANCE WITH YOU” FEATURING CŒUR DE PIRATE AND ALY & AJ OUT NOW
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: THE STEENS – “WHAT A WAY TO DIE”
SPILL NEW MUSIC: CHECK OUT DANCE PUNKS DATAROCK’S COMEBACK SINGLE “DOUBLE VISION” OUT NOW VIA YAP RECORDS
SPILL NEW MUSIC: SHE WANTS REVENGE’S JUSTIN WARFIELD RELEASES SOLO SINGLE “EVERYTHING TO ME”
SPILL NEWS: THE MARS VOLTA RELEASE TRACK & SHORT FILM “BLACKLIGHT SHINE” | THE BAND’S FIRST NEW SINGLE IN OVER A DECADE
SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: WEIMAR – DANCING ON A VOLCANO
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: STRANGE LOT – “FUNNY SOUNDS”
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: THE SAVANTS OF SOUL – “SPOT AT THE TOP”
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: BROKE ROYALS – “ALL I HAVE TO SHOW”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: WORK WIFE & MARY HOOD – “DROWN ME OUT”
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DYLAN MOON – OPTION EXPLORE
SPILL MUSIC PREMIERE: VOX SOMNIA – “SINS”
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: MICKEY MOONE – “COME ON BABY”
  • Reviews
    • Album Reviews
    • Features
    • Live Reviews
    • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • Headlines
    • News
    • Contests
    • Events
    • Entertainment Headlines
    • Concert Listings
    • Toronto Concert Venues
  • New Music
    • Premieres
    • Track Of The Day
  • Track Of The Week
  • Books + Movies
  • About
  • Spill Menu
    • Reviews
      • Album Reviews
      • Features
      • Live Reviews
      • Festivals
    • Portraits
    • Headlines
      • News
      • Contests
      • Events
      • Entertainment Headlines
      • Concert Listings
      • Toronto Concert Venues
    • New Music
      • Premieres
      • Track Of The Day
    • Track Of The Week
    • Books + Movies
    • About
Album Reviews
2
485
Editor Pick
previous article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: HALF JAPANESE - PERFECT
next article
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TY SEGALL - EMOTIONAL MUGGER

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TRICKY (FT. DJ MILO & LUKE HARRIS) – SKILLED MECHANICS

Tricky

Tricky (Ft. DJ Milo & Luke Harris)
Skilled Mechanics
False Idols/!K7 Records
RATING

Under the new handle Skilled Mechanics, Tricky once again brings us cutting-edge talent from the most unlikely corners of the music world. Tricky’s mercurial tastes birthed some of the most dubious yet genial style fusions of the past couple decades; he’s dabbled in everything from punk to blues to …whatever Björk is.

For this new album Trickyreunited longtime friends DJ Milo from The Wild Bunch incubator, and Francesca Belmonte, the muse of his recent few albums, and interspersed them with non sequitur performances like Luke Harris doing a vocal cover of a nu metal ballad, and 2013 Chinese Idol star Ivy (艾菲) dropping bilingual raps.

This album is utter chaos, manic turmoil concealed under a thin veneer of cool, and the evident tension is absolutely delicious!

The Skilled Mechanics moniker is ostensibly a reference to political assassins from a British documentary on espionage. The cynical origin of the name is fitting to the oppressive atmosphere of this down-tempo album. The clipped guitar twangs in “I’m Not Going (feat. Oh Land)” are as ominous as a bullet sliding into its chamber, while Tricky’s characteristic smooth drawl in “Don’t Go” drips with scorn as he confesses “It’s my fault. . . my life, my pain.”

On his own label False Idols, Tricky answers to no one, and in his unfettered frenzy he gratifies any artistic whim. That’s essentially the story of how established drummer Harris ended up singing “Bother” by Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor and rendering a creepy lullaby cover of Porno for Pyros’ “Porpoise Head,” retitled “Diving Away.” Harris’ vocalizations are ripe, untapped potential that Tricky is finally mining throughout this album.

In the gloomy depths of the album, “Beijing to Berlin” is like a kick in the stones. Ivy sounds like somebody tried to run a Nicki Minaj tape through Skype Translate. Skilled Mechanics reengineers her trending Mandarin-English pidgin into a truculent and feisty trip hop track. Thereafter, “Here My Dear” and “Well” have a slick futurist appeal, with cataclysmic analogue synth keys laid atop minimal, staccato beats that carry into the choppy pulse of “Necessary (feat. Milo).”

It’s delightful to hear Tricky’s voice again after the prolonged, self-imposed hiatus from the lyrical limelight. His last record Adrian Thaws was a triumphant return of the true artist and poet, and the trend continues on this new release. Tricky is an acclaimed storyteller – the collected, cool tone he affects in “Boy” is a jarring juxtaposition to the traumatic events he describes. Tricky’s troubled past is a matter of public record, yet this new track is hardly a renewed plight for sympathy: disguised in the pragmatic timbre of his vocals is the sound of a tourniquet snapping, releasing a harrowing outpour of internalized horror.

The quirkier tracks on the first Skilled Mechanics disc, namely “Beijing to Berlin” and “Diving Away,” were pre-released as singles, which was an unfortunate spoiler. The remaining 11 tracks are mostly less than three minutes long, which may tempt one to dismiss this album as unfulfilling. Yet that seemingly haphazard style is Tricky’s trademark indulgent idiosyncrasy. Skilled Mechanics feels like someone flung a fistful of white labels in your face at a Bristol underground show, which is a sly and conscious salute to Tricky’s own history in the British music scene.

ARTIST LINKS:

band websitefbTwitter-iconinstagram-iconsoundcloud iconyoutube

Editor Pick
Item Reviewed

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: TRICKY (FT. DJ MILO & LUKE HARRIS) – SKILLED MECHANICS

Author

Synescape

Here's what we think...
Spill Rating
Fan Rating
Rate Here
New Criteria
10
7.8
6.0
Total Spill Rating
7.8
Total Fan Rating
You have rated this
Album Reviews
!k7 recordsalbum reviewsbeijing to berlinboydj milofalse idolsluke harrisskilled mechanicstricky
!k7 records, album reviews, beijing to berlin, boy, dj milo, false idols, luke harris, skilled mechanics, tricky
About the Author
Synescape
I’m a geeky weirdo with her fingers in all sorts of pies. I paint and illustrate all sorts of nonsense, I make strange noises. I rant and rave, set things on fire, I’m an awesome cook and I throw a mean party.
RELATED ARTICLES
album reviewsdj milofalse idols
 
8.0
The Dreadnoughts

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREADNOUGHTS – ROLL AND GO

by Michelle Cooney on June 24, 2022
The Dreadnoughts Roll And Go Stomp Records The Dreadnoughts have been baptized with a variety of classifications, from “cluster folk” to “polka punk” to “ciderpunk”. Their new album, [...]
 
8.0
Dylan Moon

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DYLAN MOON – OPTION EXPLORE

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on June 17, 2022
Dylan Moon Option Explore RVNG Intl. Anybody who had a chance to hear Dylan Moon’s initial album Only the Blues, from 2019 might be taken aback by what is in the grooves (or bits) [...]
 
8.0
1st Base Runner

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: 1st BASE RUNNER – LIGHT ROARS

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on June 13, 2022
1st Base Runner Light Roars Independent Tim Husmann, aka 1st Base Runner has been on a hot streak for a few years now with his brand of dark, electronic modern gothic-oriented sounds, [...]
 
8.0
The Dream Syndicate

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREAM SYNDICATE – ULTRAVIOLET BATTLE HYMNS AND TRUE CONFESSIONS

by Ljubinko Zivkovic on June 10, 2022
The Dream Syndicate Ultraviolet Battle Hymns And True Confessions Fire Records The Dream Syndicate came, dropped a few brilliant modern psych [...]
 
8.0
Wardruna

SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WARDRUNA – KVITRAVN – FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WHITE RAVEN

by Samantha Wu on June 10, 2022
Wardruna Kvitravn – First Flight Of The White Raven Music For Nations/Sony Music/Columbia Germany/Bynorse Einar Selvik is the storyteller and mastermind [...]

Latest Album Reviews
View All
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREADNOUGHTS – ROLL AND GO
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DYLAN MOON – OPTION EXPLORE
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: 1st BASE RUNNER – LIGHT ROARS
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREAM SYNDICATE – ULTRAVIOLET BATTLE ...
8.0
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: WARDRUNA – KVITRAVN – FIRST FLIGHT ...
8.0

Tweets by @spillmagazine

SPILL MAGAZINE MENU
  • Home | The Spill Magazine
  • Premieres
  • Track Of The Week
  • Album Reviews
  • Books + Movies
  • Features
  • Live Reviews
  • Festivals
  • Portraits
  • News
  • Events
  • Entertainment Headlines
  • Concert Listings
  • Toronto Concert Venues
  • About Us
  • Contests
  • New Music
  • Spill Magazine Contributors
  • TOTD
  • Privacy Policy
  • The Scene Unseen
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2022 | The Spill Magazine
All Rights Reserved.

TRENDING RIGHT NOW
   
 
SPILL FEATURE: CRUISE TO THE EDGE 2022 – THIS YEAR’S PROG CRUISE MAKES A LOT OF NOISE. A WHOLE LOT OF NOISE.
742
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: PRIMUS – CONSPIRANOID
584
 
SPILL FEATURE: DON’T YOU FEEL CLOSER? – A CONVERSATION WITH CY CURNIN OF THE FIXX
577
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE FIXX – EVERY FIVE SECONDS
451
 
SPILL NEWS: BARENAKED LADIES TO RELEASE LIVE TRACKS FROM SOLD-OUT ROYAL ALBERT HALL SHOW | DELUXE EDITION OF ‘DETOUR DE FORCE’ OUT JUNE 3
342
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – UNLIMITED LOVE
332
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NAZARETH – SURVIVING THE LAW
329
 
SPILL VIDEO PREMIERE: LOST CAT – “L.O.S.T.”
325
 
SPILL LIVE REVIEW: NIGHTWISH w/ BEAST IN BLACK @ HISTORY, TORONTO
315
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LUCIUS – SECOND NATURE
284
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DOROTHY – GIFTS FROM THE HOLY GHOST
272
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: FANTASTIC NEGRITO – WHITE JESUS BLACK PROBLEMS
268
 
SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: AVI KAPLAN – FLOATING ON A DREAM
266
ENTERTAINMENT HEADLINES