Tricky comeback makes for trip-hop trilogy

Tricky has released details of his new album, Knowle West Boy. It's the 40-year-old's first LP in five years, his eighth ever, and one that the MC says is inspired by the rough area of Bristol where he grew up.
Ordinarily, such news wouldn't excite us. Tricky's finest work is more than 10 years behind him and his last two albums, Blowback (2001) and Vulnerable (2003), only showed touches of the ingenuity that made his earlier work, such as Maxinquaye, so captivating. But isn't it strange that he should make a comeback after five years in hiatus, less than a month after Portishead return with their album Third and Massive Attack announce they're not only curating festivals, they're headlining them too?
Did all the (DON'T CALL ME) trip-hop bands of Bristol sit down together over tea and biscuits and decide that it was time for a comeback? A life of organic farming and Tesco clubcards can get rather dull after all. And what do you know, Portishead only went and surprised us cynics by making one of the best albums of the year. We look forward to seeing whether a bit of time off has had a similar effect on Tricky. Album's out July 9th. Source: guardian.co.uk