8.9
Ever since James Blake's three EPs, The Bells Sketch, CMYK and Klavierwerke, from 2010, Blake has been making quite a buzz around a wide range of the musical community; from the dubstep-heads, indie kids, critics, and even casual listeners. It is always exciting to see an up-and-coming star release his debut in and a timely manner such as this to see what he/her can produce. James Blake has surely delivered.
James Blake is one of those LPs that are probably a genre by itself. Just handing someone some quality headphones and making them listen to leading single "Limit to Your Love", will explain everything. Blake attracts elements of dubstep, minimalism, jazz, R&B and so much more. This unique set of attributes creates one serene landscape of sound that is truly unmatched.
Blake's unusual elements of music making are something that needs growing, similar to experimental electronic mastermind Flying Lotus's Cosmogramma. These bizarre elements grow on you and are very rewarding. From the get-go on opener "Unluck", Blake's theme of synth use is introduced immediately and will only continue from there. The percussion is some of the most interesting; fueled by snaps, crackles, claps, pops, etc. it again separates Blake from the rest.
Blake's most personal track on his debut is by far the second track "Wilhelms Scream". It puts Blake's vocals front and center with intimacy. Singing out, "I don't know about my loving anymore/All I know is that I'm turning, turning, turning". These lines about love are havens in Blake's music that truly capture Blake's subtle yet mesmerizing music. The steady build-up on "I Never Learnt to Share" once again shows more sides to Blake's musical capabilities; the rest of the album is subtle and quieter paced, but that track's climax gushes out waves of an electronic mesh.
The true highlight of James Blake comes perfectly timed when listening to the LP straight through; following the very personal two part auto-tuned "Lindesfarne". That track is "Limit to Your Love". This Feist cover starts out with a jazzy piano intro that is accompanied by Blake's almost picture-perfect vocals. Then after this delicate intro come a long pause that you could fit a truck through and then an explosion of powerful dub bass blasts in with a steady beat of a dissonant snare click. It's one of the most beautifully crafted songs that mix so many different musical elements into one. Dubstep, jazz, minimalism, pop; it's all there.
One flaw from making James Blake a classic are some of the filler songs that follow the epic "Limit To Your Love" like "Give Me My Month" and "Why Don't Call Me", both lo-fi singer/songwriter personal pieces accompanied by piano. These tracks don't stick on you and have no definitive shape or structure like previous tracks. Other than those sub-par tracks, James Blake is a definitive stand-out in 2011.
This album might be a stepping stone to introducing people to the very misunderstood genre of dubstep, and lead them to more listens. I wouldn't go out and say this is a straight out dubstep album, because it simply isn't. It's a mixture of so many different elements that just come together to create a gush of electronic genius. I'm intensively looking forward to more that James Blake has to offer in the near future.
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