RECORD REVIEW: JAMES BLAKE

RECORD REVIEW: JAMES BLAKE - JAMES BLAKE

Reviews

Sunday, 27 February 2011 01:17

JPG

JAMES BLAKE - James Blake

Atlas / A & M

For a musician who released his first EP a little over 18 months ago, James Blake has impressed many with his unique and delicate blend of ambient electro music. Strong yet fragile vocals sit at the forefront of his tracks but without taking away from the careful instrumentation and layers of samples, drum machine, piano, synths and sequencing. He was noticed immediately upon the first release in July 2009, with Air & Lack Therof which came out on the dubstep label Hemlock Recordings. DJ Gilles Peterson picked up the EP and gave it exposure on his BBC 1 show, before inviting Blake in to perform a set on his international radio show. Equally successful were his subsequent EPs released in 2010, The Bells Sketch, CMYK, and finally Klavierwerke, all receiving loads of DJ love and rounding off a busy and productive year, culminating with Blake being awarded the number two position of BBCs Sound Of 2011 poll. This chart heralds the coming year's 'likely successful musicians', and saw him placing in front of acts like Jamie Woon, The Vaccines and Clare Maguire.

Perhaps his biggest breakthrough came with cover of 'Limit To Your Love' originally recorded by Canadian indie songstress Feist, making it into the UK singles chart and chosen by DJ Zane Rowe as 'The Hottest Record In The World'. The self titled LP was dropped February 7 and features eleven tracks, each one experimental, unique and undoubtedly his own. There are elements of soul, rhythm and blues and even gospel to be found here, but twisted through his use of technology and treatment to create an inimitable piece of work.

Vocoders usually serve as a blinding signal that what you are listening to is, well, shit. But it's not the case here, it serves a purpose and works beautifully accentuating Blake's vocal delicateness as on the opening track, 'Unluck'. From this we move into 'Wilhelm's Scream', where we hear the undercurrents of that sub base which dominates several songs of this LP. 'Lindesfarne I' is stripped back to the bare minimum, using vocoder once more and little else before gliding into the second part of the track.

'Limit To Your Love' highlights the incredible and powerful way Blake uses silence so effectively, holding it mid track, for a second, a void that just adds that extra dimension. When the vacuum is filled with the multi track harmonies and bass, Blake's skill as producer and singer are clear to see. 'Why Don't You Call Me' begins with only piano and voice before taking a swift left turn at forty seconds in, where he samples the piano track and vocals into a strange and awkward tangent. 'I Mind', the second part of this track, sees more subtle flourishes, drifting in and out, in dreamlike fashion, a steady percussive click and synths adding to its atmosphere. The album closer, 'Measurements' has a heap of layering going on, vocals over vocals in a somewhat gospel sounding track again highlighting the range and maturity this young singer songwriter is capable of.

There is certain sense of mystery throughout this LP, which is hard to pin down. Blake is a musician with many facets, the album cover alludes to this. He has given us just a taste of what he can do, and there is definitely more to be revealed from this talented genre defying artist.

Dave Roberts - February 27, 2011

--------------------------------------------------------------

The Wilhelm Scream

James Blake (ENG)

From the album, 'James Blake', Atlas / A & M

Download here

James Blake myspace

JPG

< Prev		Next >

ALBUM OF THE WEEK

May 14, 2012

PS I LOVE YOU (CAN)

Death Dreams

Paper Bag

PS I Love You FB

Buy here

jpg

1. Death Dreams

2. Sentimental Dishes

3. Don't Go

4. Toronto

5. Future Dontcare

6. Death Dreams II

7. How Do You

8. Princess Towers

9. Red Quarter

10. Saskatoon

11. First Contact

______________________

May 7, 2012

FATHER JOHN MISTY (USA)

Fear Fun

Sub Pop

Father John Misty Facebook

Buy here

1. Funtimes In Babylon

2. Nancy From Now On

3. Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings

4. I'm Writing A Novel

5. O I Long To Feel your Arms Around Me

6. Misty's Nightmares 1 & 2

7. Only Son Of The Ladiesman

8. This Is Sally Hatchett

9. Well, You Can Do It Without Me

10. Now I'm Learning To Love The War

11. Tee Pees 1 - 12

12. Everyman Needs A Companion

______________________

April 30, 2012

AMANDA MAIR (SWE)

Amanda Mair

Labrador

Amanda Mair Facebook

Buy here

1. Said And Done

2. Doubt

3. House

4. Sense

5. Skinnarviksberget

6. Before

7. It's Gonna Be Long

8. What Do You Want

9. You've Been Here Before

10. Leaving Early

________________________________

April 23, 2012

LOTUS PLAZA (USA)

Spooky Action At A Distance

Kranky

Lotus Plaza Facebook

Buy here

1. Untitled

2. Strangers

3. Out of Touch

4. Dusty Rhodes

5. White Galactic One

6. Monoliths

7. Jet Out of the Tundra

8. Eveningness

9. Remember Our Days

10. Black Buzz

________________________________

April 16, 2012

PHÈDRE (CAN)

Phèdre

Daps Records

Phèdre Official Site

Buy here

1. Tragique

2. Aphrodite

3. Cold Sunday

4. Ode To The Swinger

5. This Iz Your Life

6. In Decay

7. Dreams

8. Love Ablaze

9. Phedre

10. Glitter On Her Face

________________________________

April 9, 2012

CHROMATICS (USA)

Kill For Love

Italians Do It Better

Chromatics Facebook

Buy here

1. Into the Black

2. Kill for Love

3. Back from the Grave

4. The Page

5. Lady

6. These Streets Will Never Look the Same

7. Broken Mirrors

8. Candy

9. The Eleventh Hour

10. Running from the Sun

11. Dust to Dust

12. Birds of Paradise

13. A Matter of Time

14. At Your Door

15. There’s a Light Out On the Horizon

16. The River

____________________________

April 2, 2012

CATS ON FIRE (FIN)

All Blackshirts To Me

Soliti

Cats On Fire Blog Site

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. Our Old Centre Back

2. My Sense Of Pride

3. A Different Light

4. There Goes The Alarm

5. After The Fact

6. The Sea Within You

7. 1914 And Beyond

8. Well Well What Do You Know

9. Smash It To Pieces

10. Its Clear Your Former Lover

11. A Few Empty Waves

12. Finnish Lace

____________________________

March 26, 2012

PINKUNOIZU (DEN)

Free Time

Full Time Hobby

Pinkunoizu Official Site

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. Time Is Like A Melody

2. Myriad Pyramid

3. Cyborg Manifesto

4. Everything Is Broken Or Stolen

5. Parabolic Delusions

6. The Abyss

7. Death Is Not A Lover

8. Somber Ground

____________________________

March 19, 2012

BROTHERTIGER (USA)

Golden Years

Mush Records

Brothertiger Tumblr

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. The Young Ones

2. I’ve Been Waiting

3. Wind At My Back

4. Too Convinced To Care

5. Reach It All

6. Suddenly, Voices

7. Golden Years

8. Lovers

9. Out Of Line

10. Turquoise (Skyline)

____________________________

March 12, 2012

BOWERBIRDS (USA)

The Clearing

Dead Oceans

Bowerbirds Official Site

Buy here

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

1. Tuck the Darkness In

2. In the Yard

3. Walk With Furrows

4. Stitch the Hem

5. This Year

6. Brave World

7. Hush

8. Overcome With Light

9. Sweet Moment

10. Death Wish

11. Now We Hurry On

------------------------------------------

March 5, 2012

LAMBCHOP (USA)

Mr. M

Merge

Lambchop Official Site

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. If Not I'll Just Die

2. 2B2

3. Gone Tomorrow

4. Mr. Met

5. Gar

6. Nice Without Mercy

7. Buttons

8. The Good Life (Is Wasted)

9. Kind Of

10. Betty's Overture

11. Never My Love

------------------------------------------

February 27, 2012

GRIMES (CAN)

Visions

Arbutus

Grimes Label Page

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. Infinite ? Without Fulfillment (intro)

2. Genesis

3. Oblivion

4. Eight

5. Circumambient

6. Vowels = Space and Time

7. Visiting Statue

8. Be a Body

9. Color of Moonlight (Antiochus)” (featuring Doldrums)

10. Symphonia IX (My Wait Is U)

11. Nightmusic” (featuring Majikal Cloudz)

12. Skin

13. know the way (outro)

-------------------------------------------

February 20, 2012

FIRST AID KIT (SWE)

The Lion's Roar

Witchita

First Aid Kit Official Site

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. The Lion's Roar

2. Emmylou

3. In The Hearts Of Men

4. Blue

5. This Old Routine

6. To A Poet

7.I Found A Way

8. Dance To Another Tune

9. New Years Eve

10. King Of The World

-------------------------------------------

February 13, 2012

BOY FRIEND (USA)

Egyptian Wrinkle

Hell Yes!

BOY FRIEND Bandcamp

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. Rogue Waves I

2. Bad Dreams

3. Lovedropper

4. In Case

5. Lazy Hunter

6. Egyptian Wrinkle

7. Breathe

8. The Lair

9. The False Cross

10. Rogue Waves II

-------------------------------------------

February 6, 2012

JOHN TALABOT (ESP)

fIN

Permanent Vacation

John Talabot Facebook

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy here

1. Depak Ine

2. Destiny (feat. Pional)

3. El Oeste

4. Oro Y Sangre

5. Journeys (feat. Ehki)

6. Missing You

7. Last Land

8. Estiu*

9. When The Past Was Present

10. Horse*

11. So Will Ne Bow (feat. Pional)

*Not on vinyl version

Note: Vinyl has a different track list order

-------------------------------------

January 30, 2012

BURNING HEARTS (FIN)

Extinctions

Solina/Shelflife

Burning Hearts Official Site

READ OUR REVIEW HERE

Buy vinyl here (EUR)
Buy vinyl here (USA/CAN)

1. On The Last Day Of The Decade

2. Into The Wilderness

3. Modern Times

4. Love And Dissonance

5. The Swallows

6. Burn Burn Burn

7. Trade Winds

8. The Beast

9. Deep Waters

--------------------------------

CURRENT TOP 5

1. COLD SUNDAY
Phèdre (CAN)

2. DON'T GO
PS I Love You (CAN)

3. WHEN THE PAST WAS PRESENT
John Talabot (ESP)

4. A FEW EMPTY WAVES
Cats On Fire (FIN)

5. BACK FROM THE GRAVE
Chromatics(USA)

_____________________

CONTACT US

ARTIST OR LABEL?

If you are an independent artist or record label or a promotional or management company that represents an independent artist please feel free to send us updates about forthcoming news, releases, events. Digital audio samples of single tracks or albums are welcome and there is no need to fear any negative press about what you send. Quite simply, if we like what we hear we will feature it, if we don't we won't.

DISCLAIMER

All media on Indie30 is for sampling purposes only. If you like what you hear we implore you to purchase the said album and support the artist concerned. If you are an artist or label who wants something removed please contact us asap and we will remove it.

--------------------------------