Posts tagged James Blake
about a week ago I wrote about James Blake’s Overgrown excellence, go read it or not
Overgrown video
Retrograde video (my song of the year so far, tied with “Life Round Here” and Bilal’s cover of “Sister” w/ the Roots & Wendy)
BEST/Favorite LPs of 2011: got to write about a few of them here & on potholes; linkedUP
1. AraabMuzik - Electronic Dream
2. Danny Brown – XXX
3. Elucid - Super Chocolate Black Simian
4. Big KRIT – Return of 4Eva
5. Stalley - Lincoln Way Nights (ITM)
6. James Blake – James Blake
7. Blu – NoYORK!
8. Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
9. A$AP Rocky – Live.Love.A$AP
10. Quelle Chris – Shotgun & Sleek Rifle
11. Kendrick Lamar – Section.80
12. Thurz – L.A. Riot
13. Random Axe – Random Axe
14. Jay & Yeezy - Watch The Throne
15. Frank Ocean - Nostalgia Ultra
16. The Black Keys - El Camino
17. Blue & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Smell Them
18. Curren$y & Alchemist – Covert Coup
19. Schoolboy Q – Setbacks
20. The Roots – Undun
21. Action Bronson & Statik Selektah – Well Done
22. Evidence – Cat & Dogs
23. Spitta Andretti & Dj Drama – Verde Terrace
24. Median – The Sender
25. Co$$ - Sleep Walking Mixtape
TOP EPs
1. Roc Marci & Gangrene – Greneberg
2. Muhsinah - Gone
3. Quelle Chris - The Son
4. DiBia$e – Comfort Time
5. J*Davey - Evil Christian Cop
6. Self Scientific – Tales of The Blakcheated
7. BadBadNotGood – Vol. I
FAVORITE TAPES OF THE FIRST QUARTER 2011
These are the “albums” i’ve gave the most burn in the first 3 months of the year. Surprisingly all but one have been given away for free.
1A. Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music) - Stalley
1B. Return of 4Eva - Big KRIT
2. SCBS - Elucid
3. Nostalgia Ultra - Frank Ocean
4. Evil Christian Cop (EP) - J*Davey
5. James Blake - James Blake
Honorable mention: Wu Vs. Shaolin, The Fear of God, House of Balloons, Return to The Winners Circle, King of Limbs, Setbacks, Clams Casino
Nostalgia, Ultra
Lincoln Way Nights (skipped 12, but played tracks 1 and 14 multiple times)
James Blake (upto track 6)
Marcberg (upto track 12)
Cosmogramma (skipped 14)
Jeanius (tracks 2 thru 6)
Yes a long day on the road
In a little under a year James Blake has become the critical darling of non-mainstream music fans and critics thanks to his 3 independent EPs. Now that his major label debut is here, eyes have fallen all over James’ body of work like Pam Anderson in the 90s. Next month he shares Fader’s cover with Wiz Khalifa, Pitch4k awarded it a 9.0, and the Guardian’s review at times came off like Blake was the greatest thing to happen to life since the invention of email. Of course with this praise comes expectations and assumptions that can handicap the listening experiences. Thankfully, while the album is forward thinking, it’s more accessible than some make it out to be.
Blake accentuates his already established sound with processed vocals and calculated sound engineering that tweaks the facade of songs without shaking their core. His deceptively minimalist compositions mask the multitude of influences that he breaks to pieces and partly reassembles for his dub-steppin’ Gospel electronics. His impressionist reductionist approach to repatative lyrics hover over and fill the spaces of his fractured and highly emotive rhythms. Songs seem to gasp for breath, exhale and find confidence in their brooding compunction. James’ melodies, though unique, tend to linger in the mind like a popular jingle. Overall James Blake is a good album with great moments; here are my three favorites:
THE WILHELM SCREEM: the second single seems to be the child of Sea Change era Beck enlisting the help of Sade (the band) as they ruminate over love and create a form of ambient dub. The song’s cold rainy day tenderness grows from a whisper to a restrained wail of acceptence and wonder. If some one has any sense it could define a scene or meaning of a good drama.
LINDISFARNE I / LINISFARNE II: is really one song broken into two pieces. The first part has what sounds like a cybernetic vocal detached from its body aimlessly singing through empty space looking for lover, body and revenge. In part two, the vocal finds or reconnects with what it has lost through a pulsing metronome anchoring a romantic acoustic guitar and meloncholic words. It’s the type of eerie Romanticism that ultimately leaves the head nodding and the face smiling.
LIMITS OF YOUR LOVE: the albums first single is a soaring cover of the Fiest original. It bares a kinetic earnestness through the lead piano portions only to stomp around in relief as it breaks into its choruses. The real payoff comes in the last minute where Blake channels the ghost of King Tubby into the most slapping vocal-less gangster of drums and bass found anywhere this year. It makes me wanna joyfully kick shit over just for being near me.
Ultimately, James Blake’s debut deserves an iPad with a cracked screen, a holographic image of Natalie Portman projected into ur living room, and a $50 bottle of whiskey.
Science7881
“GPOY? or sum thangs from over the weekend”
Cop Land - cause it was $7 @ Best Buy and the last time I watched it was with my pops before I was 20
Hi-Frutcose - my goto no non-musuem art rag since Juxtapose has juss become a nepotistic ad agency for the Art Institute and cliche street artist
XXL - for the lil Pun tribute, article on hip hop’s history with Illuminati conspiracy theory, article on the Fugees post-The Score; Lauryn loved her some married men, and their top 10 mixtapes of 2010
LA Weekly - from spending my Friday in Hollow-hood
James Blake CD - gift from my Valentine cause she THEE SHIT… review coming soon
Black LA fitted - hat I wore today
The second single from James Blake’s self-titled record. Not as O_o as his first single Limits Of Your Love, but still nice.
Blake here sounds like Bowie’s funky white boy meets wounded soul Sea Change era Beck. His reductionist and repetitive lyrics work perfectly over his ambient dubstep-N-B compositions.
I’m def looking forward to 02072011
Soul crack!!!
James Blake - Limit To Ur Love
Shouts to okayP’s madvillian626 & imcvspl for putting me up on yunggin’
