James Blake

If Thom Yorke and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) had a love child, it would probably sound something like James Blake.  His self-titled debut sounds like a dubstep remake of For Emma, Forever Ago, which is just the weirdest thing I've ever written, but that doesn't make it any less true.  Both albums are pervaded by the same isolating atmospherics - it's hard to imagine Blake writing this album while locked away in a Wisconsin cabin for the winter, as Vernon did for his stellar 2008 release, but it still feels just as forlorn and snowbound.  Listen to Lindisfarne I & II:  It opens with Blake's solo vocals run through a vocoder, and then slowly layers on additional tracks of Blake harmonizing with himself.  It's haunting - a more mature version of Imogen Heap's 'Hide and Seek.'  In the second part, the guitar and simple rhythm part feel eerily reminiscent of For Emma.  As for the Thom Yorke comparisons, well, mostly I have to say that I wish that Yorke's solo work was this good.  Frankly, I wish King of Limbs had been this good.


The stand out tracks here are completely unexpected:  At first listen, 'I Never Learnt To Share' is just strange.  Blake sings one line, 'My brother and my sister don't speak to me / but I don't blame them'.  He repeats it over and over again throughout the song.  On repeated listens, you hear the layered vocal harmonies subtly shift, while the organ builds and changes underneath the melody.  It's intelligent, sophisticated, moving and the rare song that changes my conception of what good music should sound like. Similarly, on 'Give Me My Month', Blake steps out of the processed sound of all the other tracks - it's just Blake and a piano, in a strangely classic piece of pop music.  Blake seems to be demonstrating that he deeply understands the musical forms that he subverts elsewhere.

Indeed, it's the solid musical underpinnings that hold these songs together even as Blake bends them, letting harmony lines fall just barely out of sync, twisting meters and processing instruments almost beyond recognition. In particular, there's a strong current of classic R&B running throughout the album, particularly in the final track 'Measurements', which sounds practically like a church spiritual.  Blake sings these parts beautifully, showing just how much the breaking, cracking sound he uses to great effect elsewhere (particularly on 'Unluck') is an intentional choice.

The more radio-friendly songs (relatively speaking), are good hooks into the album, but fall a little flat on repeated listens.  'The Willhelm Scream' is, despite the title, a very easy song to like - without the jagged rhythms of other tracks, and with Blake repeating a lovely melody and accessible lyrics, it sounds more like  like an Aaron Neville hit than the rest of the album.  There is not thing wrong with the song -  I just can't listen to it too many times.  Ditto 'Limit to Your Love'.

Still, this album has been at the top of my rotation for two straight weeks now - forcing out The Mountain Goats excellent new album before I had a chance to write a review.  

James Blake on Amazon
James Blake on iTunes