There was a lot of hype surrounding James Blake at the beginning of 2011, which I thought was somewhat odd, not because Blake’s work isn’t worth it, but because this is highly experimental stuff, even if it does bare the imprint of traditional pop and R&B from time to time. Essentially a singer/songwriter record, Blake's minimalistic post-post-dubstep approach to song craft is both approachable and challenging, making for an album that can be enjoyed in the background, but deserves to be closely scrutinized in order to grasp the depth of his talent. In many ways this record reminds me of Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago," in that even the slightest increase in instrumentation or dramatic tension has a profound and contrasting effect against what is overall a subtle and nuanced whole. What Justin Vernon did with an acoustic guitar in a cabin, Blake does with effects and a piano. As an aside, this is the best sounding vinyl record I heard all year, and needs to be listened to in that format. The digital just does not do justice to the spaciousness of this album. And, if you get a chance to see Blake live, do it. He unexpectedly blew my mind when I saw him perform these songs live.
"The Wilhelm Scream"
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