As a preface to this review, let me tell you that I am generally unfamiliar with the genre of music known as 'dubstep'.
Help me out, Wikipedia:
"Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South East London. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals."
Thanks, Wikipedia! Electronic artist James Blake released 3 EPs back in 2010 (all the way back!) that I understand are considered to be dubstep: The Bells Sketch, CMYK, and Klavierwerke. I would say they fit that description above pretty well.
In 2011, James Blake is ready to release a proper LP, and while his sound retains some elements of his previous work (I would say the tightly coiled productions and reverberation are definitely still here, and there is some 'clipping'), I'm not sure this quite qualifies as dubstep anymore. Vocals are no longer merely 'occasional' - he sings for most of the song, on every song. So I'd say James is an artist who started off making dubstep, and is now moving on to make straight up pop music, keeping certain elements of his old style. Post-dubstep then? Possibly. I'll leave that up to the dubstep experts to decide.
James Blake (the album) is a very impressive debut of electronics-based arty pop music. A lot of these songs are slow and restrained, but without being boring. He uses fucking auto-tune and I don't despise it. That alone is an accomplishment.
01) Unluck
A slow tick-tocking beat starts us off. James starts crooning. He employs soulful white boy type vocals. And here comes the auto-tune! The simple beat is joined by a crescendo of electronic noises.
Repetition factors heavily into the James Blake sound. He'll repeat the same line over + over as the sound behind him changes it up.
02) The Wilhelm Scream
A tap-tap-pound beat. Electronic humming.
"I don't know about my dreams. I don't know about my dreamin' anymore. All I know is I'm fallin', fallin', fallin', fallin'...might as well fall in."
03) I Never Learnt to Share
If you only listen to one song to give James Blake a shot, make it this one. My favorite song on the album.
"My brother and my sister don't speak to me...but I don't blame them, but I don't blame them."
That line gets repeated over + over. Just vocals at first - James overlaps with himself to form a chorus. Then the electronics start to creep in.
The vocals pause so we can get a beat going - we've gotta have a beat! Then James and the electronics start back up.
It builds and builds until the whole thing crashes...into an explosion of NES video game music. I love it.
04) Lindesfarne I
Auto-tuned vocals. That's it. Just auto-tuned vocals. I can't understand everything that's being said, but I make out "Beacon don't fly...too high".
We get the tiniest of sound effects in the background to compliment the auto-tuned vocals. As is obvious by the titles, this is Part I, leading into...
05) Lindesfarne II
Now we've got a tune. There's a beat and some guitar, it actually sounds kind of folksy. That same line is repeated: "Beacon don't fly...too high".
06) A Limit to Your Love
Another highlight of the record. Turns out this is a Fiest cover.
James is really coming out and singing this one. No electronics, no auto-tune, just piano and his vocals taking center stage.
"There's a limit to your love...like a waterfall in slow-motion...like a map with no ocean."
Then, hold on, we've got some of that dubstep reverberation. Kind of like that scene in Jurassic Park where the T-Rex is coming, and you see the cup of water shake. And then we do get a beat to alternate with the piano.
07) Give Me My Month
Short and sweet. More piano and highlighting Blake's vocals. For real no electronics or beat at all this time.
08) To Care (Like You)
Confident vocals open, then they get put through the auto-tune wringer. We get a fast paced and light beep-beep beat. Switches over to more of a drum-based beat.
There's a stop-and-go dynamic. Some harsh cutoffs - must be like those clipped samples that define the dubstep style. It's kinda funny when the emotional part of the song comes in the form of auto-tune distorted vocals.
09) Why Don't You Call Me
Another piano-based number, with some of the stop-and-start dynamic from the previous song.
10) I Mind
This song starts off with a repeated clipped vocal. Lots of sound effects and an appealing beat.
11) Measurements
Some keyboard electronics, but this is mainly focused on the vocals. Gospel like vocals? That's what it makes me think of. James joins himself in chorus again, to great effect.
"Faith and prayer will make you see your bones".
I don't know what that means.
Finally
This is the debut album to beat in 2011, that much is certain. James is confident and obviously very talented. I'm impressed that he can make music that is often so slow and skeletal, yet still interesting. And major points for actually making good music with auto-tune. I never knew what dubstep was before, and I'm now at least somewhat interested in the genre.
This is a great album from start-to-finish, but I can definitely identify the first three tracks and "Limit to Your Love" as my favorites, and I'm not quite as engaged with the rest of it. "Measurements" is an awesome closer though.
There may be some fans of Blake's 2010 EPs who aren't happy with his new direction, but I think the dude is a quality vocalist...it only makes sense that he would eventually add his vocals to his mastery of electronics. Maybe he'll still make 'pure' dubstep music on the side.
This record is gonna get some major critical praise - I expect a high 8 or low 9 score from P4K - and it deserves it. This is well worth a listen. I don't unabashedly love it, though. Starfucker's Reptilians has kind of stolen its thunder in my musical universe. James Blake is more of a record I'm going to listen to when I'm in the mood than a record I'll give a spin everyday. I could see this as being a good sexy time record, for one thing.
Promising debut, great start to 2011 in music, definitely worth a spin.
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