• Trip-hop warhorse still stuck in the same rut.

Portishead’s recent reunion album, Third, proved that old trip-hop warhorses could remain relevant in the 21st century. Unfortunately, former Massive Attack member Tricky hasn’t known what to do with himself in more than a decade. Each of his releases since 1996’s Pre-Millennium Tension have contained hints of the innovator he once was, but they’ve been surrounded by a bunch of forgettable retreads. Knowle West Boy, his latest, is no different.

The processed war drums and vocal chanting on “Veronika” prove momentarily thrilling, and the dark dubstep of “Bacative” works, but Tricky’s done everything else found here many times before. Knowle West Boy contains the same chopped up, paranoid soundscapes Tricky has been milking for his entire career, rounded out by his half-whispered, half-muttered vocals that would sound creepy if they weren’t so familiar. While this combination may have sounded like the future 15 years ago, it became dated long ago.

That’s not to say that Knowle West Boy is a terrible album. It’s just, well, a Tricky album. Those who still care about such things already know exactly what they’re going to get, and those who don’t aren’t missing much.