Trick

Jamie T

explicit

Released on 9/2/16 by Virgin Records Ltd
Main artists: Jamie T.
Genre: Alternative & Indie

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Jamie T.'s fourth long-player is a return to the infectious and rebellious spirit of his first two records. Trick is also his best work to date. Drawing upon a wide swath of influences -- half the fun of the album is catching all the sonic allusions -- he twists each one to fit into his genre-blurring vision, resulting in an exciting and insanely catchy listen. Nods to fellow countrymen like the Clash, Arctic Monkeys, Blur, and Kasabian provide some of the backdrop to Trick, which sounds more like a career retrospective from a sonic chameleon than an artist still wading through life at the age of 30. Without taking too much from Jamie T., much of his delivery -- both in voice and lyrical cleverness -- is indebted to Alex Turner. Standout single "Power Over Men" grooves with effortless cool like the Last Shadow Puppets, while Arctic Monkeys energy drips from most of the upbeat numbers (on "Joan of Arc"). The specter of Joe Strummer is also present, especially on "Tescoland" (the spiritual sibling to "Lost in the Supermarket" if it was distilled through the Brit-pop of Blur and Kaiser Chiefs), and on the outlaw ode "Robin Hood," which is home to the best guitar solo on Trick. Elsewhere, "Tinfoil Boy" is an apocalyptic blast that imagines Tom Morello joining Muse, while the spooky "Drone Strike" is a grime-packed Demon Days bender. Similarly doom-laden intensity fills the spaces in between, as Jamie T. tackles police brutality on the dubby Kasabian-meets-Sleaford-Mods "Police Tapes"; the fire-and-brimstone inner city lament "Solomon Eagle" (named after the 17th century "prophet" and album cover boy), and the orchestral distortion of the wounded closer "Self Esteem." Though the album may sound like a wild ride (indeed, "Dragon Bones" might be the bounciest singalong about blowing one's brains out ever written), Jamie T. tackles self-doubt, suicide, regret, aging, social despair, addiction, and the mundanity of everyday life with the expert eye of both observer and sufferer. This substance firmly establishes his own voice, which -- on a work that pulls so many inspirations into his own orbit -- is an important reminder of Jamie T.'s unique perspective and mad scientist approach to his craft. From start to finish, Trick is arresting, with enough sonic surprises to excite and perplex listeners freed from the restrictions of genre boundaries.

© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo

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Trick

Jamie T.

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Tinfoil Boy