Fall To Pieces

Fall to Pieces is one of Tricky’s most cohesive and brilliant albums to date; he masterfully turned his grief into a work of art that provides immense consolation to those who seek it.

Some of beats are a little perfunctory, but the interplay between the grieved and the griever, the subtlety of the writing and beauty of the arrangements on Fall To Pieces haunt long after the needle lifts.

His best, most vital album in a long time.

Tricky's 14th long-player somehow matches anything in his catalogue. [Oct 2020, p.91]

Tricky plumbs the deepest fathoms of despair. But from that he’s created something beautiful. This is one of his best, and truest, albums.

Bar the rare moments of clunky electronics, almost every sound, touch, and shade on Fall to Pieces feels like it had to be there, in blessed contrast to the rambling dead ends, failed experiments, and misjudged covers of Tricky’s recent records. Fall to Pieces is an audacious cri de coeur that ultimately finds strength in adversity where others might fall apart.

Fall To Pieces exists in this oxymoronic hinterland of nihilism and resilience, evocative of the contradictions of grief. [Oct 2020, p.64]

The songs are generally short, befitting a short release, and sometimes the structural choices feel a little eccentric because of it, for example the abrupt end of Chills Me To The Bone. At times like this there’s a feeling that more could be done with the songs to make them feel complete, but as it stands Fall To Pieces is an intriguing sampler for Tricky’s present-day sound.

Fall to Pieces justly wallows in its grief, a document to loss and tragedy. This sonic bloodletting is by no means an easy or fun listen, but an invitation to grieve alongside Tricky.

In marked contrast to a rich oeuvre combining stylistic fluidity with countless collaborations, it is often the most ascetic moments of introspection such as ‘When We Die’, ‘Past Mistake’, ‘Analyze Me’, ‘Makes Me Wanna Die’, and ‘Poems’ that are engraved on our memory, the stripped down productions displaying his sixth sense for the rhythm and emotional tone.

Tricky has injected so much raw emotion into Fall to Pieces that it can't help but stand out as one of his most notable, memorable and authentic releases.

Ultimately, it’s a jarring mix, though Tricky has hit upon something interesting with the Unloved-style desert blues of Like a Stone and Vietnam.

Fall To Pieces is too slight and elusive to move Adrian Thaws beyond his cult-level comfort zone, but there are appealing forays into flamenco guitar, light-headed Eurodisco and gleaming robo-funk here. [Oct 2020, p.39]

Fall to Pieces gives the impression of an artist struggling to sustain his vision, leaning on his collaborators to make up for its lack.