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A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?



TINYMIXTAPES 07/01/2011

JAMES BLAKE
James Blake



[Atlas/A&M; 2011]
by Jakob Dorof

100/100

Styles: experimental, R&B, pop, dubstep
Others: Mount Kimbie, Antony & the Johnsons, Joy Orbison

During the last week of 2008, Animal Collective fans began declaring the band's eighth album, Merriweather Post Pavilion, the best of 2009 — before the year had even begun. It had leaked, of course, like so many records had in the past decade. But it was perhaps the first time the internet's rogue distribution system allowed for this particular phenomenon: the ability to hear and canonize an album even before the calendar year of its release. Indeed, some 12 months later, many critics’ year-end lists would echo those early listeners' enthusiasm.

A similar thing started happening for James Blake when his record leaked in December, but a number of things make his case a bit different. For one, his album leaked a week even earlier than Animal Collective’s, and while Post Pavilion was released at the very tip of 2009, Blake’s record isn't even due until February 2011. Not to mention James Blake is his debut LP — and not the work of a band of experienced songwriters, but rather a single 22-year-old Brit fresh out of art school. Which is to say, the stakes are higher across the board.

It’s a lot of pressure, to be sure, but Blake seems made for it — as if the mounting anticipation for this album weren't something he’d been carefully orchestrating himself for more than a year. Buzz surrounding his name has been growing exponentially since 2009’s debut 12-inch for “Air & Lack Thereof,” especially thanks to the incredible triptych of EPs he issued over the course of 2010. The amorphous Bells Sketch established the young man as one of the most compelling and unorthodox dubstep DJs around; CMYK added pop immediacy and heavy bangers to his palette; and Klavierwerke reintroduced him as a meditative pianist and sound painter. We at Tiny Mix Tapes bent the rules of our year-end albums list to accommodate the EPs, and we were not alone in doing so.

Then came James Blakes' lead single “Limit to Your Love,” which dramatically revealed the artist’s gorgeous singing voice and talent on the keys (both skills were put to use on the EPs, but in such thickly treated and minimal ways that most listeners thought they were samples anyway). The song retained elements of his previous aesthetics, while remaining completely unexpected as a first glimpse into a James Blake long-player. Even weirder was the fact that it was a spare dub cover of a Feist torch song from 2007’s The Reminder. Curiosities piqued.

“Limit to Your Love,” interestingly enough, proves to be a pretty accurate representation of Blake. There are no other covers, but the record likewise finds the barren maturity of Blake’s voice and lyrics coming to the fore. The damaged R&B influence found only in samples on CMYK is instead fleshed out by Blake’s own vocal cords, sometimes left to flourish in lovely, polyphonic clarity (as on the closing “Measurements” ), otherwise smothered by Bells Sketch's shades of digital perversion (opener “Unluck” develops a claustrophobic beat that suggests the canned shake and spray of graffiti). Klavierwerke’s focus on the piano is further expanded, especially in brief and bare stunners like “Why Don’t You Call Me” and “Give Me My Month.” It’s the kind of natural progression from his previous work that one might expect, given what came before it — but considering many great artists take years only to plainly regress, the speed at which he’s evolving makes Blake a very rare specimen indeed.

The highlights here are subtle, but many. The Imogen Heap-inspired “Lindisfarne” realizes the failed potential of sad robot concept albums like Human After All and 808s & Heartbreak in just two movements, while the beautiful opening trio is surpassed only by the closing duet of the supremely vocal “I Mind” and “Measurements” (the former manipulating Blake’s hum into a hypnotically parabolic rhythm, the latter simply piling the voices on like a church choir). It’s a desperately lonely set of songs that will certainly take time to settle, but there could be no better time to start doing so than the dead of winter.

Either way, we're left with even more questions than we had beforehand. How much of this masterful build was pre-planned? How much of Blake, Klavierverke, CMYK et al. was written long before being released? Are these different sides to Blake’s genius, carefully exposed in themed sets at pointed intervals, or has he simply been releasing this incredible music at whatever incredible pace it’s been coming to him? The mystique surrounding the young prodigy winds up looming larger than ever, the multiple obscured faces of Blake’s cover portrait a very keen and poignant metaphor. No matter how much he ultimately decides to reveal, I await his next step with bated breath.



01. Unluck
02. The Wilhelm Scream
03. I Never Learnt to Share
04. Lindisfarne I
05. Lindisfarne II
06. Limit to Your Love
07. Give Me My Month
08. To Care (Like You)
09. Why Don't You Call Me
10. I Mind
11. Measurements



Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

The song seems good. I still says it's way too early to decide if an album is the best of the year. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

That's a song by Feist and this a great cover. I liked his album after a couple of further listenings, but still not anywhere near the 100 out of 100 status he is going to receive. Cause we all know this going to be hyped as hell in February. Maybe it will grown even further, but so far as for now, it's a near excellent record easier to admire than to love.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

He should have used another name - everyone will be thinking "Oh,the tennis player is recording music now"

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

thanks. imminent reboot of Yannick Noah in LTM... need a strong drink. right. now.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

I don't think James Blake is famous enough among non-tennis fans for that to be the case. Although he was the 'Second best American player' for a time, he never really threatened to win any majors.

If Pitchfork is hyping it up that much, it's either really good, or it's a lot of random noise and sound effects that sounds really superficially cool. Either is equally likely.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

BillAdama
I don't think James Blake is famous enough among non-tennis fans for that to be the case. Although he was the 'Second best American player' for a time, he never really threatened to win any majors.


well, i kinda liked the slight shifting from Louis to Lance Armstrong to be the first man on the moon in public polls, but i'll take that point anyway.

ps: wtf...otze. are you serious!?

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

X
He should have used another name - everyone will be thinking "Oh,the tennis player is recording music now"



I'm really good friends with his cousin.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

This album has been slowly growing on me and some tracks (like the first two and Limit to Your Love are becoming more lovable). Now is already an excellent record, but there are a few miles ahead to become the instant classic some proclaim to be.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

Pitchfork gave a 9.0 to James Blake and i stil didn't get it! What a terrible written review, it was about everything from dubstep to Blake earlier material, but NOTHING about the music on the album at all. Didn't get the rave, the high rating, just awful. To me it was more of a justification of why they hype Blake than a review.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

I just heard the album. It seems to me like another one of those 'I'm going to play with my sound machine, without worrying too much about writing a complete song' albums.

The sort of album Pitchfork chooses to like before even hearing.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

The first listen didn't impress me, but I figure it's a grower and would be a lot better with headphones, so I'll give it another shot.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

I've been so excited about the prospect of listening to the new PJ Harvey and Radiohead albums that I thought I might as well listen to other acclaimed albums from 2011 so far.

So I gave James Blake a spin, fully expecting to be underwhelmed after reading the mostly lacklustre reviews in this thread. But I found myself really liking it on first listen, and I'm trying to figure out why.

I think it has to do with both space and restraint. Each song constructs a sonic space so vivid that it's nearly tangible, and in this space I find myself ALMOST wanting to dance my ass off... but not quite. Instead, the music holds back, and on this occasion the restraint pays off, making the album more exhilirating and rewarding than it would have been had Blake gone for cheap thrills to get people on the dancefloor - which I think is quite an unusual accomplishment for a dubstep album (although the album doesn't actually contain all that much dubstep). Loving it at the moment.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

I really like Lindisfarne II, but that's all I'm keeping, oddly.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

It's no instant classic...but it is interesting and the ideas are well-executed. Not AOTY material, but in most years I think it could crack the top 10.

Re: A STAR IS BORN ! JUST HYPE ?

It sounds like Bon Iver's bizarro version of The Eraser. Dislike.