- Artists:
- James Blake »
- Label:
- Atlas »
Without any corroborating evidence, it would be out of order to suggest that the debut album by James Blake has arrived hurriedly. The party line is that he spent most of 2010 composing it, a cult of production-personality building all the while as EPs were intermittently issued. Nevertheless, it’s only 18 months since his debut single, released by the laudable bass-music hybridist Untold on his Hemlock imprint; James Blake, meanwhile, is bankrolled by A&M (of which Atlas is a sublabel). Considering some of the originators of dubstep – the genre with effectively birthed Blake the producer – are still yet to release an artist album after over a decade, it’s fortuitous that the 22-year-old Londoner fulfils the industry’s now-more-than-ever requirements for brisk turnarounds.
Brisk results, more important still in the sequence, appear fairly likely. In recent times, it’s been confirmed that a prominent placing in the BBC’s Sound Of [whichever given year] doesn’t automatically send the British public to your door waving debit cards; nor even winning a Mercury Prize, for which Blake will probably be in the final running. If this album disappoints commercially, though, it’ll be despite of how it sounds, rather than because. Although its palette is fairly broad – perhaps more so than his previous discography – if you’ve already fallen for ‘Limit To Your Love’, the Feist cover released late last year as a single, James Blake’s other ten tracks will probably not prove daunting.
‘Limit To Your Love’, in fact, is probably the album’s most prominent telegraph wire back to the dubstep scene which inspired him to start building beats. As has been related numerous times now, he was galvanised by a visit to club night FWD>> in 2007, so it’s appropriate that there’s at least one cone-straining descending bassline within the 38-minute duration. That it’s paired with little else but a limpid, high-in-the-mix piano and Blake’s vocals ensures that it’s still potential catnip for habitual home-listeners who wouldn’t step into a dubstep night any sooner than they would a warzone. James Blake is only ‘a dubstep album’ insofar as it’s by an artist birthed by the scene, and, more speciously, in the way that dubstep appears to leave its stink on every other dance genre at present.
It’s safe to say its creator remains open-palmed towards the clubbers, though, even if attempting to make an album that breaks away from his previously marked territory. ‘To Care (Like You)’ subsists on the kind of spotless, tick-tocky quasi-garage drum programming that’s been heard a fair bit on labels like Hessle and Hotflush in the last year or so; all the while placing vocals upfront in the mix, manipulated, layered and slowed to an amble like a drowsy Todd Edwards. Less overtly dancefloor-minded is his occasional taste for subverting nice with noise. ‘Wilhelms Scream’ is slated to be the next single from the album, and while there’s no difficult listening in the body of the song – which sounds to these ears like an Eighties soul respray of John Martyn more than anything – it’ll be a small miracle if its concluding section, which peppers the whole with oppressive sub-bass and imitation vinyl crackle writ large, escapes daytime radio fadeout. The penultimate ‘I Mind’ (the album’s only track to exclusively feature vocal loops rather than, like, something you can sing) similarly concludes with low end to flap the collars of a thousand Barbours, and suggests the possibility of Blake’s next move being into Flying Lotus-esque inscrutability.
The frequent deployment of autotune and other vocal manipulation devices notwithstanding, Blake is still a lot more confident about his own, untreated voice than Mount Kimbie or Darkstar, who have made the two most prominent (caution: swearing imminent) post-dubstep albums to date. You may be inclined to salute his bravery, or you may surmise that in either submerging the vocals or cutting them to ribbons, Darkstar’s North and MK’s Crooks and Lovers keenly accounted for the lack of genuine singing talent available. Previous EP cuts like ‘Klavierwerke’ suggested that our subject felt the same way. The James Blake croon, unaltered, is surely going to prove divisive, for some likely a dealbreaker.
Its fractious quaver on songs like album bookends ‘Unluck’ (to start) and ‘Measurements’ (to finish) hints at R&B coxcombs like D’Angelo or R Kelly; its range and accuracy tell a different story. Things which sound minor on paper can seriously stick in the craw. ‘I Never Learnt To Share’ repeats the lyric “My brother and my sister don’t speak to me / But I don’t blame them”; the glottal stop on “but” sounds slapdash to start with, and is then repeated about 20 times. (‘Limit To Your Love’’s “waterfall” repeats this malady.) This is a shame, partly because it’s paired with a terrifically OTT rush of G-funk synths worthy of Rustie or Joker, and partly because these are pretty much the only interesting lyrics on the album. Even when ‘Lindesfarne I’ intrigues by beginning with a mention of “kestrels” – last year’s EP The Bells Sketch featured a track called ‘Buzzard & Kestrel’ – it appears to serve as a crypto-metaphor for “flying too high”. ‘Lindesfarne I’ is a brave gesture regardless, though, consisting of unaccompanied vocals fed through a vocoder: it’s hermetic and prickly, and could be by one of Warp Records’ less profitable charges at the end of last century, say Plone or John Callaghan.
There are a lot of brave gestures on James Blake’s debut album, when you consider the expectations of both the dubstep heads whose breathless chatter served as a launching pad, and of the Fifty Quid Strawman who might be picking this up because he’s heard it’s a bit Bon Iver and a bit The xx and sort of r’n’b but don’t worry, he doesn’t talk about his jewellery or anything! Boldness, you realise, is not the same thing as greatness, and James Blake is not a great album. It has great moments, some of which hint at possible directions after the dust has settled around this release. A whole album of haunted-treetrunk insect ballads with no beats would probably be a treat, as would 40 minutes or so of squealy razor assaults on urban pop’s condensed history. Both would play to his strengths markedly more than what’s been delivered here.
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FIRST!
Seriously though, it was either gonna be this or a gushing 9/10. Never mind.
One thing I will say though is that it's not really necessary to even mention dubstep in this review, something I kinda hoped people would have cottoned on to over the past couple of months since it leaked.
initially I thought 'light 6'
now I'm probably in 'decent 7' territory
definitely not as good as I had hoped, but it's grown a fair bit too
Either way it's not a
'Reactionary This Town Needs Guns 5'. But there you go.
There seems to be a new DIS rule for reviews
whereby 2 points have to be subtracted for any artist unlucky enough to feature in the 'Sound of' list.
Anna Calvi was the last victim.
If either this or her album had dropped unheralded from the sky they'd have got much more positive reviews.
I hate the whole idea of the Sound Of list and find hype as off-putting as anyone but really, what hope is there for promising young artists (as Blake and Calvi both are) if any whisper of promotion condems them to critical backlash before even their first albums are released?
It's not a critical backlash
There's just a genuine feeling among a lot of people who've been following Blake's older music since he first began that he had something a lot fuller and more brilliant within him (it's probably a 6 for me). There are moments of greatness on here (To Care Like You, I Mind), but too much of it ends up floating in a middle zone, neither a pop record nor an underground/dance record. It certainly has nowt to do with dubstep - there's very little actual sub-bass on the album other than Limit, and it's doing both the record and dubstep a disservice to continue with that comparison.
To be fair, having seen him live it does make a *lot* more sense in a live context, through a big system, though the way he's manipulated his voice in the past has resulted in far more subtly beautiful music.
But I'd argue that if this had dropped unheralded from the sky without a mention of dubstep it would have gained similar reviews, but the comparisons would have been with 90s Warp, Jamie Lidell, et al.
pro tip:
if you draw up a list to try and illustrate a bias or pervasive trend you've spotted, and it only has two examples on it, it probably isn't a trend or bias, and isn't really a list either
maybe Esben & The Witch were cruelly cheated out of their deserved 11/10 score though, idk
Perhaps it's not so much a rule, more a trend
There's defintely a tendency to be a bit a sniffy about any of 'our' artists who has the temerity to look like they might be a bit a popular. It's hardly a new thing.
Esben and the Witch escape because no-one could seriously expect them to make much of an impact on daytime mainstream radio, which is fine (and I like them loads) but we shouldn't write people off for making music that does have that potential.
I've not heard all of this album yet (although I loved the EPs and 'Limit') so I'll reserve judgement, but what struck me about this review was that it was thoughtful and well argued but ended with a mark that didn't seem to match its contents. I would personally consider a 5 out of 10 album to be a pretty solid clunker with very few merits and on what I've heard of Blake's work that seems very unlikely (and it's not what the reviewer says). Hence my suspicion that it's somehow become 'hip' to be down on James Blake.
I have heard the Anna Calvi album which I think, whilst far from perfect, has brilliant moments and real evidence of talent. It got a completely undeserved slating on here.
Since both reviews spent much time discussing both artists' presence on that stupid 'Sound Of' list before getting on to the music you can see where my suspicions come from.
much time = half a sentence
don't really care to agonise over scores out of 10 personally but tbh if you think that the number in the exact middle of the spectrum equals 'total sack of crap' then I suspect that the problem is more about the fact that OK-to-decent stuff gets eights and nines all over the shop
Meaning...
Esben was 11/10? :o)
Oh I see that was already mentioned
I'll go away now.
I feel like I'm not a position to think this album is average...
because I'm just going to seem like a "backlasher", resentful of the fact that Blake is popular, but my suspicion was that this was always going to be sub-par.
The fact the Blake came out of (whether he rightfully belongs there or not) Dubstep has guilted a lot of people in to being scared of not liking him. Personally I feel most of the people raving about him in the first place were audiophiles, obsessed with how bass sounds when hear through a good "soundsystem" in a club or other bedroom producer types obsessed with the notion of what "well-produced" means. His vocal sampling/looping is about the only facet of his EPs that actually suggested an artist that potentially had a good/interesting album in him. People have been scared to not like him for fear of coming across as luddites/indie-types who don't get dance scenes, but now we have an album which is effectively a singer-songwriter one which, as rightly noted above, would have been said to have benn slightly flavoured with " 90s Warp, Jamie Lidell, et al" rather than dubstep if released at a different time.
All in all, having heard it a few times, I think a 5 sounds pretty bang on.
All the comparisons and name-dropping of other artists
Yes, I know what I'm talking about, honestly!!!
It's going to be interesting to see how this is reviewed by other sites
I think there could be some really mixed opinions, each reviewer bringing there own expectations (I don't believe any review can be expectation free, and there is a hell of a lot for this guy.) From what I've heard, I think it's actually better than I was expecting.
And "5" is a bad score not an average score
Based on what albums get on DiS, I would say 7 denotes an average ablum.
5 is definitely a 'bad' score
I know it's halfway between 0 and 10 (however stupid I may seem) but, as someone points out above, albums receiving only moderate praise generally get 6 or 7 out of 10. I haven't added the number of such reviews there are (that would be sad) but I would guess there are normally about 10 such albums a month at least.
It's not just DIS where 'grade inflation' is rife. A 5.0 on Pitchfork for instance would pretty much equate to advice not to buy said album unless you are a complete idiot.
The solution might well be to do away with the scoring altogether (as they do on Quietus for instance) in which case I would have less trouble with the review which, as I have said, is generally thoughtful and well argued.
thing is
having known Noel for several years, I'm reasonably willing to bet that if James Blake hadn't done well in the BBC thingy, this review would read identically, only without the BBC reference, and probably half these comments wouldn't be here because less people would have actually heard of James Blake.
The fact is that Blake gained initial kudos for his EPs, got hyped to the hilt, then came out with a very different sounding release in this album: inevitably the timing is such that it's going to be easy to accuse every single review of this record of being influenced by the hype, but honestly, there are excellent reasons to do with change in sound and format for why people who liked Blake before might feel differently now.
marks are silly
but pretty much a necessary evil unless everyone else boycotts them... but as a rule, I think it really comes down to what you mean by 'average' - I mean, the scale /10 doesn't scientifically mean anything, but if 4/10 is more bad than good and 6/10 is more good than bad, then 7/10 is only average by dint of being about the lowest quality at which people are generally happy with their purchase.
Anyway, ho hum.
Jesus, I thought it was just me.
I like James Blake. I haven't turned on Limit yet, but I've heard the EPs and this s/t LP... admittedly none of them enough to form a full-fledged opinion. First and second impressions though?
Good, not great. Talking critically? If P4K gives this more than a 7 (maybe 7.3 at most) I'll be very surprised, even after the heaps of praise they've already given him. As other folks have said, he has a ton of talent. This s/t record is just not all that fun to listen to, despite some beautiful sections.
I thought I was losing the plot for a while
Glad I'm not the only one who's confused by the absolute hype for this album to encounter something as anaemic and underwhelming as this. Yes, there are moments on the album that are pretty brilliant but the majority of it is just samey and quite frankly boring.
Doesn't live up to the promise of his earlier material
it sort of sounds like he got a bit lazy or has literally started scraping the bottom of the barrel this early in his career
Yes, lets gets rid of scoring
I hate how I often judge an album entirely on it pitchfork score and nothing else (and I'm sure I'm not the only one.)
The campaign starts here.
excellent verdict.
the review on the quietus is also spot on.
That Quietus review.
Spot-on. One of the best music reviews I've ever read.
It's a solid record, and I look forward to peeling more layers off.
People on DiS were incredibly snotty about the Mount Kimbie album
Turns out it's great. Betting this will be the same.
Problem is.
That the vast majority of people scanning the internet to get an opinion - or a set of opinions - on a record before downloads (legally or otherwise) don't have/make time to properly read critiques. It's something the BBC suffers from, I'm sure (though thankfully Metacritic and AnyDecentMusic have taken the reviews and assigned their own scores, now). So a score IS important. And when it comes to breaking a band Stateside, a Pitchfork score is very important. It can really set one's ball rolling in the US, if significant enough. Bookers, promoters, festivals etc - they'll all be looking at what an album gets on Pitchfork. Whether the score matters to you or not is another thing, but scores = very important for bands. And your more casual consumer. I'm guilty of going to Metacritic for my guides, and I'm sure many others are the same.
Oooo drama!
I've not heard the record yet, I'll come back later...
...when it comes to breaking a band Stateside...
* vomits into own mouth *
I would have thought that
band's are exactly who don't want scores. I wouldn't like my life's work summed up in a number out of 10!
I can see there are uses for scores but think they do more harm than good.
Fair enough that someone simplifying your work to a number is shit.
But if that number puts you into the laps of folks who'll further your career, great.
Of course, if you're a tiny band and you get a 3.2 and 1/5 across the board, well... maybe give up?
Each to their own- I like it quite a bit
I'm relatively new to James Blake, currently enjoying his record.
A 5 from DiS is very very harsh (80% of the reviews I read on here are 7s or 8s, its like the default score). Hype and Hope ruined it for Noel here, let's see how we feel in a few months time, pretty sure it'll be in the DiS writers and readers top 50 albums no probs.
All the constant name dropping and referencing of other artists
is so cringeworthily... (in quotation marks): I do know what I'm talking about, honestly!
You compare him to 13 other artists. That's just lazy writing.
This is a mature
review I think. It criticises the album rather than the artist. I actually think the album is pretty dreary but that the lad has the ability to be brilliant. That's much more than I could say aged 22 (or now)
Wow - A shocking score
I've only heard a couple of tracks and they were seriously great. But I'll reserve my judgement until I've heard the album. Guess the hype machine didn't work here then. Bet this still makes the DiS Top 50 2011 though. MARK MY WORDS.
It's not lazy
It's context.
Without even reading the words this review is way off the mark
The album is great and will almost certainly get 8+ BNM on Pitchfork next week. Kind of illustrates how irrelevant DiS is at the moment
This can't be sincere!
...is it?
Absolutely. Why do you ask?
Do you have a view of your own?
How does DiS disagreeing with Pitchfork and yourself...
make it irrelevant?! What the hell does that even mean?!
Great album for me...
one which grows with every listen. Yes it's not like the previous EP's. But if thats what you wanted then just listen to those EP's?!
Fact Mag review is good
http://www.factmag.com/2011/02/04/james-blake-james-blake/
I'm far more inclined to agree with the Factmag review than anything I've read here
Maybe I should have said DiS lacks credibility in the review score department
Is that okay? You people should try to read between the lines. I was just pissed at the terrible score. Shoot me
Indeed
All 'dubstep' this, 'FWD' that, 'Untold's imprint Hemlock' the other. Todd Edwards? R. Kelly AND D'angelo (together at last)? Rustie and Zomby? Just sticking a pin into last.fm there?
Curious about the artist (who I'm actually quite new to) I also read the other reviews mentioned here, FACT and Quietus. The Quietus one mentions six other artists in a single paragraph and doesn't sound remotely as desperate or arbitrary as this review. Which is a shame, cuz the bad use of context completely devalues this review. However much I agree or disgree with the other reviews, I at least respect them.
Also, Plone or John Callaghan.
Just a thought.....
I am pretty sure this album was completed before that run of eps last year.... am I correct ?? and by the way this album is sweet and this is a harsh review.... Looks like DiS decided to use this album as their "statement" record that they don't just hand out good scores.... even though everything they review is a 7,8, or 9.... honestly this is a great website and I visit everyday... but everything gets the same score.... the content and users make this site tick not the reviews.
DiS didn't review the album, I reviewed the album
I hadn't heard it before throwing my hat in the ring to review it, although I'd heard and enjoyed JB's previous stuff, and rather hoped to enjoy it more than I did, given that it required me to dedicate several hours of my free time to write a review for no money. So do everyone a favour and put a sock in it about 'statements' or whatever tinfoil hat fucking garbage you have rattling around your heads, thx
I fail to understand why placing a record in a very relevant context, with very relevant reference points, should be deemed 'bad use of context'
Given the general discussion that's surrounded the record so far, and Blake's music up until this point.
What the hell's the point of a review if not to put a record in some context? At this point, given how easy it is to hear an album without needing to go out and pay for it, you don't need someone to tell you whether or not something's worth hearing. It's more a matter of making you think about the context a record has developed within. In that sense this review's as relevant and worthy of respect as the Quietus review (which is, admittedly, great) or FACT one.
Given that the hype itself is a large part of the album's context, it's pretty important to acknowledge that.
Yep. Orders were on from up high to slate this record.
"Higher than a six and you're DEAD MEAT", Sean said.
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