Ununiform

Ununiform
Studio album by Tricky
Released	22 September 2017 (2017-09-22)
Recorded	Berlin, Germany
Length	41:23
Label	False Idols
Tricky chronology
Skilled Mechanics (2016) Ununiform (2017) Fall to Pieces (2020)

Ununiform^[a] is the thirteenth studio album by English trip hop artist Tricky. It was released by False Idols on 22 September 2017.^[2][3] Three singles were taken from this album, 'The Only Way', 'When We Die' and 'Running Wild', all of them released before the album.^[4] And alternative version of 'The Only Way' was uploaded on Tricky personal Soundcloud account a few weeks after the original, and later released as a single in 2018, this version was also included in the physical releases of the album, but unlisted in the back cover. The album features a variety of guest vocalists, including Russian rappers, American vocalists, his usual collaborator Francesca Belmonte, and Tricky's frequent-collaborator and former girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird.^[5][6]

Recording

Tricky conceived the album while in Moscow, Russia; it consequently features vocal contributions from Russian rapper Smoky Mo.^[1] The album was recorded in Berlin, Germany.^[7] The album features a mixture of trip hop-inspired tracks as well as guitar-based tracks,^[1] including a cover version of "Doll Parts" by Hole, featuring vocals from Los Angeles-based artist Avalon Lurks.^[8] American hip hop artist Jay-Z co-engineered the album.^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.3/10[10]
Metacritic	71/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Exclaim!	5/10[12]
The Irish Times	[13]
Mojo	[14]
The Observer	[15]
Pitchfork	5.1/10[1]
PopMatters	6/10[16]
Q	[17]
Rolling Stone Russia	[18]
Uncut	[19]

Ununiform received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 12 reviews.^[11] Kitty Empire of The Observer gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "Tricky creates a claustrophobic world full of stark bass lines, pop digressions and slinky Bristol moments; his duet with Francesca Belmonte, New Stole, is particularly moreish."^[15] Ben Cardew of Pitchfork gave the album 5.1 out of 10 stars, summarising: "ununiform may come nowhere near to the jaw-dropping impact of those early Tricky albums. But buried deep in his 13th studio release, Tricky may just have sown the seeds of a new musical contentment."^[1] The album was compared to Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971) and The xx's Coexist (2012).^[20]

Track listing

^[1])Courtney Love3:0611."Bang Boogie" (featuring Smoky Mo and Scriptonite) 1:1812."Running Wild" (featuring Mina Rose^[2]) 3:3713."When We Die" (featuring Martina Topley-Bird) 3:43Total length:41:23

Musicians[9] Tricky – vocals, production Scriptonite – vocals (tracks 2, 5, 6, 11) Avalon Lurks – vocals, guitar (track 10) Francesca Belmonte – vocals (track 3) Asia Argento – vocals (track 4) Mina Rose – vocals, guitar (tracks 7, 12) Smoky Mo – vocals (track 11) Martina Topley-Bird – vocals (track 13) Terra Lopez – vocals (track 9)

Wim Janssens – guitar, synthesizer Leon Schurz – bass Muyi Liu – keyboards, piano Tom Schneider – synthesizer Technical Jay-Z – engineering BeatsBySmo – engineering, production Levan Avazashvilli – engineering, production Vasiliy Mikhaylovich Vakulenko – production

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Cardew, Ben (20 September 2017). "Tricky: ununiform". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
2. ^ ""Ununiform" by Tricky". iTunes. Apple. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
3. ^ "Tricky - Ununiform review: Don't be tricked into complacency". Irish Times. 21 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
4. ^ Roberts, Christopher. "Tricky Announces New Album, Shares "When We Die" (feat. Martina Topley-Bird) | Under the Radar - Music Magazine". Undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
5. ^ AFP. "Tricky goes clean and gets darker » Manila Bulletin Entertainment". Entertainment.mb.com.ph. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
6. ^ "Tricky - Ununiform | BeatRoute Magazine". Beatroute.ca. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
7. ^ Arcand, Rob (22 September 2017). "Stream Tricky's New Album ununiform". Spin. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
8. ^ Kaye, Ben (12 July 2017). "Tricky announces new album, ununiform, shares "When We Die" feat. Martina Topley-Bird: Stream". Consequences of Sound. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
9. ^ ^{a b c} "Ununiform - Tricky - Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
10. ^ "ununiform by Tricky reviews". Any Decent Music. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
11. ^ ^{a b} "ununiform by Tricky Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
12. ^ Sylvester, Daniel (20 September 2017). "Tricky Ununiform". Exclaim!. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
13. ^ Bruton, Louise (21 September 2017). "Tricky - Ununiform review: Don't be tricked into complacency". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
14. ^ Anon. (October 2017). "Review". Mojo. p. 94.
15. ^ ^{a b} Empire, Kitty (24 September 2017). "Tricky: Ununiform review – stark and slinky". The Observer. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
16. ^ Schiller, Mike (4 October 2017). "Tricky: ununiform". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
17. ^ Anon. (October 2017). "Review". Q. p. 104.
18. ^ Даль, Борис (2 October 2017). "Tricky — "Ununiform"". Rolling Stone Russia (in Russian). Retrieved 21 November 2017.
19. ^ Anon. (November 2017). "Review". Mojo. p. 36.
20. ^ Sawatzki, Frank (21 September 2017). "Review: Tricky - Ununiform". Musikexpress. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
21. ^ "ununiform / Tricky TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tricky – Ununiform" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tricky – Ununiform" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
24. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tricky – Ununiform". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tricky – Ununiform". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2017.

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