Pre-Millenium Tension

Ranked #4 on Melody Maker's list of 1996's "Albums Of The Year. Melody Maker (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67)

...dense, hypnotic soundscapes that suggest primal terrors....an ingenious mischief-maker rather than an author of old-fashioned beats....PRE-MILLENNIUM TENSION makes swell nightmare fodder... Musician (2/97, pp.122-123)

Ranked #8 in NME's 1996 critics' poll. NME (12/21-28/96, pp.66-67)

4 Stars (out of 5) - "...Conventional instruments like pianos or harmonicas jostle with found sounds over ferocious rhythm tracks in an unsettling soundscape where anything can happen, providing it's knuckle-clenching and sweat-inducing....Uneasy yet undeniably brilliant... Q (12/96, p.138)

Included in Q's "50 Heaviest Albums of All Time". Q (7/01, p.91)

Ranked #2 on Rolling Stone's list of the "Ten Best Albums" of 1996. Rolling Stone (1/23/97, p.44)

4 Stars (out of 5) - "...distorted guitars, disorienting digital effects and the exquisite soul crooning of...Martina Topley Bird over fractured loops and vintage hip-hop beats....an abstract, minimalist edge....closer in spirit to the work of Prince or Lee `Scratch' Perry... Rolling Stone (12/12/96, p.86)

Ranked #6 on Spin's list of the "20 Best Albums of '96. Spin (1/97, p.58)

9 (out of 10) - "...Inspired rather than threatened by hip-hop, Tricky tosses it off like a Stussy cape....At his most compelling, Tricky calls everything into question, including himself....his music, a collage of gasping beats and forlorn chords, speaks beyond words... Spin (12/96, p.139)

...Tricky produces cinematic soundscapes...he layers thick bass loops with enough noise...to warp your mind....Trip-hop was boring 'til Tricky brought sex, hip-hop and beautiful transgressive thoughts to the mix... The Source (12/96, p.140)

...Tricky's trip hop fills you up and satisfies you....Call it trip hop, Euro rap, black alternative, or whatever term you fancy. Just don't sleep... Vibe (12/96, p.181)