 " What stands out isn 't the <unk> pop generalists noticed at the time , but the listenability that induced them to bother : Martina 's pervasive lyricism , beats that are buoyant at any speed , a profusion of sweet @-@ tempered [ keyboard ] effects that signify melody , harmony , strings . It 's still pretty morose , sure . But nothing in its bitter passivity and contained rage comes off as a defeat or a sham ... Maxinquaye had that kind of cool . With blues replications per se having worn out their formal gris @-@ gris , it voiced and embraced a grim new resignation about freedom , power , race , and human connection in the <unk> state — and simultaneously counteracted it . " 
