Holiday and family obligations delayed this week’s video, but better late than never!<\/p>\n
I’ve had Tricky<\/a> on my mind throughout the last week. While not as active or as deep of a fan of his as some of the other artists I’ve discussed in this series, I really dig him nonetheless. I was peripherally aware of him in the mid-90s, but was quite blown away when I saw him and his band perform at Lollapalooza ’97<\/a>\u00a0(that performance included both songs featured below). Part of the reason I was so struck by his performance was that I hadn’t seen (or heard!) anything like that before, and rarely have I seen something comparable in concert since. I still smile thinking of it all these years later.<\/p>\n Though Tricky’s music evidences a variety of influences, it is largely classified as trip hop. And while I can sympathize with those who may raise an eyebrow at suspect labels\/categories, this one is an actual “thing.” (If you’re curious, read this<\/a> for more context.) If you listen to enough of his music, you’ll notice some similarities with a few of his fellow Brits who also started in the early 90s, notably Portishead<\/a> and some\u00a0Radiohead<\/a>.<\/p>\n This first video is a live performance of “Christiansands” (from 1996’s\u00a0Pre-Millennium Tension<\/a><\/em>). This is perhaps my favorite Tricky video on YouTube, likely because it’s the same band I saw 15 years ago. \ud83d\ude42
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