10 Perfect Trip-Hop Albums With No Bad Songs

Although, this album is now considered an important entry in both, alt-rock and trip-hop, it received a mixed responce when it was first released.

DJ Shadow helped shaped instrumental hip hop on the West Coast of America. He received huge acclaim for his debut, Entroducing..... , which left fans yearning for more. But, the combination of his fans expectations, and Shadow's own desire to keep moving forward, inspired him to change direction. Shadow formed Unkle with electronic producer James Lavelle, and attempted to capture a more experimental sound.

The duo recruited notable musicians from the alt-rock scene to lend a hand. Thom Yorke and Richard Ashcroft, contributed vocals, with Yorke also collaborating on a number of instrumental melodies. The use of far more prominent guitar sounds, was too much of a departure for some, however. Nursery Rhyme, in particular, was plastered with gritty guitars and punky bass lines, which seemed to conflict with the downtempo back beat.

This album has a far less natural flow then most trip-hop records. But it's well worth your time, even if it's just to hear when Thom Yorke began to shift Radiohead's musical direction. This is the sound of instrumental hip hop merging, (somewhat unceremoniously at times) with alt-rock. It's weird, it's haunting and it's exactly what you want from trip-hop.