UK Release: 07/02/11 - R&S Records
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| Courtesy of laviddichterman, James Blake |
The 23-year-old gradually made his way onto the scene through DJ sets at his former Goldsmith University, where he studied Popular music along with, coincidentally, Jessie J. He started primarily as a dubstep DJ, remixing other musicians' tracks with his own unique take on the ever-growing dubstep scene. Blake's music is so hard to define within a genre that I don't believe it needs to be classified. His intriguing sound leaves people open for their own interpretation, thus attracting an unlikely large following of listeners.
Playing the piano and singing since a very early age, Blake was soon a classically trained pianist in his teens. With the likes of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and his all-time favourite, Stevie Wonder, (BBC Music) played regularly while growing up, influences were often heavily drawn. His musician father has shown to be a true inspiration to the young man's career. His more recent influences include the likes of Bon Iver and The xx, who have proven you can sound weird and exciting and still prove yourself to millions.
His three 2010 EPs; The Bells Sketch, CMYK, and Klavierwerke, proved vital in establishing the crossover between using the beats and the music and his own voice. It took until the LP recordings for Blake to seem completely comfortable providing his vocals to a track. All the vocals featured in James Blake are his own; who'd have thought they would be so crucial and feature so prominently in the 'dubstep' artist's debut?
The album's opener 'Unluck' has become increasingly addictive resulting in becoming one of my favourite openings for an album. It consists of a simple piano riff layered with a skitty skatty drum loop and adapted, harmonized vocals, with the perfection complete by the rise of the distorted synths halfway through.
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| Courtesy of NRK P3, James Blake |
The build-up of the effects on 'The Wilhem Scream' eject a sense of freedom and escape, however, as the lyric 'I don't know about my dreams' suggests, the unsureness proves too powerful, resulting in a sudden stop to the music and perhaps to the dreams.
The cold harmonized repetition of 'My brother and my sister don't speak to me / but I don't blame them' is all that needs to be said in 'I Never Learnt To Share'. The slow increase in the tempo of the added beat, drums and distorted synths result in a moment of pure ecstasy rarely encountered. Having the volume at full, through a perfect sound system, from 3:30 in the song, is an unforgettabe musical experience.
We are almost brought back to earth with the two 'Lindisfarne' tracks where the first is a pure vocal preparation for the following which includes a soft drum beat variation. Track six is the Feist cover 'Limit To Your Love' which had much of the music scene in awe of what more was to come on the album. Soulful harmonies, a repetitive piano riff and a sexy percussion beat combine to make a beautiful and accessible breakthrough.
'Give Me My Month' is a comforting Antony & The Johnsons-like ballad; a reminder of Blake's human stature. Don't worry, surrealism is not far away as the vocal shift patterns and jumping vocals in 'To Care (Like You)' work wonderfully alongside the use of his pauses and later, his up-tempo drum loop. 'I Mind''s one-off structure is intriguing and the later dominating background noise becomes unforgettable. The closing gospel-inspired 'Measurements' is a fitting end to the album; heavily focusing on his delightful vocal harmonies and silences.
There is so much more to come from Blake. Whether it be more dubstep remixes of tracks such as Lil Wayne's 'A Milli' or Snoop Dogg's 'Drop It Like It's Hot', or his own eccentric harmonised vocals and twisted melodies, I can't wait.
Rating: 9/10
Be sure to check out more about James Blake here and to give him a further listen on the player above!
Below is the captivating video for James Blake's 'The Wilhem Scream':
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